LIBRARY  OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


Q920.077 
B52 


I.H.S. 


_ 


ftinlei  in  I!5t2.  at  the  Sourf  ofTMllip  II.  Sp«in.hy  Sir  Antoniolforo.fiojntwomiiiaftiies  in 
ftieKlace  offtrdoe,snK!e 


A 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY 


WITH 


PORTRAITS 


OF 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREflT  IE8T 


ILLUSTRATIONS    IN    STEEL. 


MANHATTAN     PUBLISHING    COMPANY, 

CHICAGO,    ILLINOIS. 

1894. 


9.10.6 


DONOHUE  <fe  HENNEBERRY, 

PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS, 

CHICAGO. 


PREFACE. 


IT  IS  with  pleasure  that  the  publishers  present  to  the  public  this  volume,  embracing  carefully  pre- 
pared sketches  of  PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST.  Neither  time,  labor,  nor  expense 
has  been  spared  to  cover  the  entire  field,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  men  selected  for  these  pages 
are  representative  in  the.  best  sense.  All  professions  and  lines  of  business  have  been  drawn  upon 
for  the  material,  and  in  the  construction  of  the  various  biographies  it  has  been  the  aim  of  the  com- 
pilers to  submit  pen  photographs  of  the  various  subjects  which  are  true  to  life;  avoiding  on  the  one 
hand  fulsome  praise  and  on  the  other  a  mere  dry  schedule  of  facts  and  dates. 

The  permanent  value  of  such  a  work,  necessarily  containing  a  history  of  events  as  well  as 
men,  can  scarcely  be  fully  estimated  now,  but  cannot  fail  to  find  increasing  appreciation  as  the  years 
roll  by  and  the  actors  here  portrayed  have  passed  from  the  stage  of  action,  leaving  the  important 
achievements  of  their  lives  as  a  legacy  to  their  children. 

It  is  with  particular  satisfaction  that  the  publishers  call  special  attention  to  the  execution  of 
the  portraits  presented,  as  they  are  specimens  of  the  work  of  the  most  prominent  engravers  to  be 
found  on  this  continent;  and  are  all  from  steel  plates,  in  mezzo  and  stipple  work,  of  the  most 
artistic  character;  they  have  been  vouched  for  in  nearly  all  cases  by  the  subjects  themselves,  as 
faithful  counterparts  of  the  originals. 

With  thanks  to  the  many  friends  whose  kind  assistance  has  aided  us  in  bringing  this  volume  to 
a  successful  issue,  we  submit  the  work  to  the  impartial  judgment  of  a  generous  public. 


THE 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  TME  GREAT  WEST. 


LYMAN   J.  GAGE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


LYMAN  J.  GAGE,  one  of  the  best  known  bankers 
and  financiers  in  the  United  States,  was  born  at 
De  Ruyter,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  June  28,  1836. 
His  parents,  Eh  A.  and  Mary  Judson  Gage,  were  both 
of  English  descent,  their  immediate  ancestors  having 
been  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  New  England. 
The}'  also  were  natives  of  the  State  of  New  .York. 

When  Lyman  was  ten  years  old,  the  family  removed 
to  Rome,  N.  Y.,  where  he  entered  the  Kome  Academy, 
which  was  established  about  that  time.  Leaving  school 
four  years  later,  he  entered  actively  upon  a  life  of 
industry  and  enterprise,  which  has  been  characterized 
bv  an  undomitable  will  and  high  standard  of  integrity, 
and  a  tireless  perseverance  which  could  scarcely  fail  to 
result  in  the  eminent  success  which  he  has  achieved. 
His  first  employment  was  as  clerk  in  the  Rome  post- 
office,  and  when  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  he  was  de- 
tailed by  the  postmaster  as  mail  route  agent  on  the 
Rome  &  Watertown  Railroad,  and  served  in  that 
capacity  until  the  postmaster-general  appointed  regular 
agents  for  the  route. 

In  1854,  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  entered  the 
services  of  the  Oneida Central  Bank  at  Rome,  as  junior 
clerk,  at  a  salary  of  one  hundred  dollars  per  year,  and 
faithfully  discharged  all  the  duties  of  the  position, 
from  counting  cash  to  sweeping  out  the  bank.  His 
employers,  being  unable  to  meet  his  request  for  an 
advance  of  his  modest  salary,  at  the  end  of  a  year  and 
a  half  of  service,  Mr.  Gage  determined  to  seek  a  wider 
field  of  usefulness.  He  saw  that  the  great  new  West 
was  then  offering  much  better  opportunities  for  a 
young  man  of  energy  and  ability  than  were  readily 
obtainable  in  the  conservative  East,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1855,  he  set  out  for  Chicago,  where  he  soon  found 
employment  in  Nathan  Cobb's  lumber  yard  and  planing 
mill,  at  the  corner  of  Canal  and  Adams  streets.  His 
duties  here  were  of  a  varied  character,  ranging  from 
book-keeping  to  driving  team  and  loading  lumber. 
In  this  employment  he  remained  three  years. 

In  1858,  a  time  of  great  business  depression,  a 
change  in  the  management  of  this  establishment 


resulted  in  his  leaving  its  service.  Owing  to  the 
general  dullness  of  business  he  was  unable  to  find  such 
employment  as  his  abilities  warranted  him  in  seeking. 
But  he  had  no  inclination  to  spend  a  single  day  in 
idleness,  and,  with  the  same  cheerfulness  he  had  ex- 
hibited in  accepting  his  first  position  on  his  arrival  in 
Chicago,  he  became  a  night-watchman  for  the  same 
establishment.  This  period  of  probation,  however,  did 
not  last  long,  for  such  ability,  industry  and  application 
as  characterised  the  young  man  had  not  failed  to 
attract  attention,  and  the  way  was  soon  opened  for 
their  full  exercise.  He  had  only  held  the  post  of  night- 
watchman  at  Cobb's  for  about  six  weeks,  when  the 
opportunity  offered  for  him  to  start  upon  that  career 
which  has  made  him  famous  in  the  world  of  finance. 
He  was  then  offered  and  accepted  the  position  as 
book-keeper  in  the  Merchants'  Savings,  Loan  and  Trust 
Company,  at  a  salary  of  $500  per  year.  Entering  upon 
the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this  position,  in  August, 
1858,  he  had  only  to'  wait  till  the  beginning  of  the 
following  year  for  advancement,  being  at  that  time 
made  paying  teller,  at  a  salary  of  §1,200.  In  the 
spring  of  1860,  he  was  appointed  assistant  cashier,  at 
a  salary  of  $2,000,  and  a  year  later  he  became  cashier 
of  the  bank,  which  office  he  held  until  August,  1668, 
when  he  was  offered  a.  similar  position  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Chicago.  He  accepted  this  offer, 
and  has  been  identified  with  that  great  financial 
institution  ever  since. 

During  the  period  of  his  connection  with  the 
Merchants'  Savings,  Loan  and  Trust  Company,  Mr. 
Gage  studied  the  intricate  problems  of  finance,  and 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  brilliant  career  which  has 
culminated  in  placing  him  at  the  head  of  one  of  the 
greatest  and  best  known  banks  in  the  world. 

The  old  charter  of  the  First  National  Bank  expired 
in  1882,  when  the  institution  was  re-organized,  Mr. 
Gage  being  chosen  as  vice-president  and  general 
manager.  On  the  24th  of  January,  1891,  Mr.  Gage 
became  president  of  the  bank,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  Under  his  supervision  and  control  the  First 


8 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT 


National  has  become  the  leading  bank  of  the  North- 
west both  as  to  capital  and  the  volume  of  its 
transactions. 

His  high  standing  as  a  banker  and  financier  was 
fully  recognized  by  the  American  Banker's  Association, 
which  was  organized  at  Philadelphia  on  October  4, 
1876,  its  membership  being  composed  of  the  leading 
bankers  and  financiers  of  the  country.  In  1882  this 
association  elected  Mr.  Gage  its  president,  and  so  ably 
did  he  fill  the  office  that  he  was  re-elected  twice  in 
succession,  the  onlyman  on  whom  this  honor  has  been 
conferred. 

After  the  panic  of  1873  there  was  a  general  totter 
among  the  smaller  institutions,  and  the  wave  of  disaster 
engulfed  one  national  bank  in  Chicago  after  another, 
causing  the  greatest  consternation  among  mer- 
cantile men.  Throughout  this  trying  period,  the 
First  National  stood  firm  and  unshaken.  The  high 
standing  and  great  influence  which  it  holds  so  justly 
in  the  estimation  of  the  community  and  banking 
circles,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  of  Europe,  are 
evidence  of  the  integrity  and  prudence  which  have 
characterized  the  management  of  its  affairs. 

From  the  earliest  inception  'of.  the  World's  Fail- 
movement  in  Chicago,  the  name  of  Lyman  J.  Gage 
has  been  associated  with  it,  and  his  guiding  spirit  has 
directed  every  step  that  has  been  taken  in  furtherance 
of  this  great  enterprise.  During  the  early  agitation 
of  the  subject  he  was  prominent,  especial!}-  in  the 
organization  of  the  committee  to  whom  was  entrusted 
the  formulation  of  plans  for  bringing  the  Fair  to 
Chicago.  When  the  opposition  to  Chicago,  led  bv 
Senator  Hiscock,  of  New  York,  took  the  form  in  the 
Senate  committee  of  a  lack  of  confidence  that  Chicago 
would  carry  out  her  pledge  to  provide  ten  millions  of 
dollars  towards  the  expense  and  preparation  for  the 
Fair,  it  was  a  written  assurance  of  Mr.  Gage  and  three 
other  financial  men  of  this  city  that  finally  overcame 
all  objections  and  led  to  the  bill  being  approved 
by  the  Senate.  The  three  others  were  J.  J.  P.  Odell, 
president  of  the  Union  National  Bank ;  J.  W.  Doane, 
president  of  the  Merchants'  Loan  and  Trust  Company, 
and  Wirt  Dexter,  Esq. 

When  the  local  corporation  known  as  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  was  organized,  in  which  work 
he  played  a  most  important  part,  and  the  choice  of  an 
executive  became  necessary,  he  was  the  only  man  who 
appeared  to  be  acceptable  to  the  directors  without  a 
dissenting  voice,  and  was  unanimouslv  elected  to  the 
presidency  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Directors,  on 
the  30th  of  April,  1890.  He  accepted  the  honor 
with  reluctance,  because  he  had  been  for  some  time 
the  acting  president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  and 
his  duties  in  connection  with  the  bank  absorbed  so 
much  of  his  attention  that  he  doubted  his  ability  to 
give  to  the  business  of  the  Fair  the  degree  of  atten- 
tion which  he  considered  indispensable.  Pie  was  there- . 
fore  unwilling  to  jeopardize  the  interests  of  the  great 
undertaking  by  assuming  the  position  of  its  executive 


head,  but,  having  accepted,  he  took  the  enterprise  in 
hand  with  all  his  characteristic  energy  and  sagacity. 
All  through  the  stormy  days  of  the  first  year  of  the 
history  of  the  undertaking  his  wisdom  and  courage  was 
the  sustaining  force  that  carried  through  the  great 
work. 

When  the  question  of  the  site  of  the  Fair  was  under 
discussion  and  factional  feeling  reached  a  point  which 
bid  fair  to  bring  disaster,  each  division  of  the  city 
having  its  advocates  among  the  members  of  the  local 
board,  Mr.  Gage  stood  at  his  post  bravely  and  calmlv, 
and  held  in  check  the  turbulent  spirits  that  might 
have  ruined  all  to  accomplish  a  certain  purpose.  Dav 
by  day  he  thought  and  labored  for  the  Exposition, 
always  wise  always  progressive. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1891,  he  resigned  the 
presidency  of  the  board  of  directors,  having  been 
elected  president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  which 
he  had  been  for  a  considerable  time  the  actual  head, 
owing  to  the  absence  of  the  president,  Mr.  S.  N.  Nick- 
erson.  His  retirement  from  the  post  of  chief  executive 
of  the  Fair  was  universally  regretted,  but  Mr.  Gage 
still  continued  to  act  as  one  of  its  directors.  He  felt 
he  had  no  other  alternative  than  to  resign,  as  the 
interests  of  the  bank  required  his  whole  attention. 

The  retiring  president  of  the  bank,  Mr.  Nickerson, 
publicly  explained  the  situation  at  the  time  :  "  That 
Mr.  Gage  should  take  the  presidency  of  the  bank,"  he 
said,  "  is  a  step  that  has  been  contemplated  for  some 
time  past.  During  my  frequent  absences  he  has  been 
acting  president  and  I  have  only  waited  to  resign  in 
favor  of  Mr.  Gage  until  such  time  as  he  would  be  re- 
leased from  other  duties  and  be  able  to  give  the  bank's 
affairs  the  undivided  attention  they  demand.  For 
twenty-three  years  he  has  been  associated  with  the 
bank,  and  his  advancement  is  in  line  with  a  policy  long 
before  decided  upon."  The  entire  press  of  the  city 
joined  in  a  chorus  of  praise  for  Mr.  Gage  and  depreca- 
tion of  his  retirement.  "  The  news  will  be  received 
with  great  regret,"  said  one,  "not  only  by  the  com.- 
munity,  but  also  by  the  National  Commission  and  all 
concerned  in  the  great  undertaking."  Another  said: 
"During  his  occupancy  of  this  important  position  he 
exhibited  a  knowledge  of  its  details,  a  sound  clear 
judgment  and  a  capacity  to  harmonize  conflicting 
elements;  a  full  and  comprehensive  view  of  affairs  and 
an  executive  ability  which  it  would  be  hard  to  find  in 
any  one  who  might  be  named  as  his  successor." 

Mr.  Gage  refused  to  accept  the  compensation  voted 
to  him  by  the  directors.  Since  that  time  to  the  close 
of  the  Fair  he  continuously  gave  valuable  services  to 
the  board,  and  it  was  while  on  his  way  to  attend  a 
banquet  at  Delmonico's,  in  New  York,  given  by  the 
National  Commissioners  of  that  State,  to  bring  to- 
gether the  representatives  of  the  various  industries  of 
the  country  in  the  interest  of  the  Fair,  that  Mr.  Gage 
was  stricken  down  with  illness  which  necessitated  a 
very  critical  operation  and  which  it  was  at  one  time 
thought  would  have  a  fatal  termination.  Throughout 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


the  entire  country  there  was  general  rejoicing  at  the 
assurance  of  his  recovery. 

Mr.  Gage  is  a  dignified,  thoughtful  man,. possessed 
of  an  inherent  reserve  force,  which  is  obvious  to  all  who 
know  or  come  in  contact  with  him.     At  the  same  time 
his  courteous  demeanor  make    him  one  of   the  most 
accessible  of  our  public  men  and  few  enjoy  so  wide 
a  popularity  among  all  ranks  and  classes  of  the  commu- 
nity.    He  extends  to  the  humblest  citizen  who  seeks 
his  advice  the  same  patient  attention  that  he  would 
give   to   the   wealthiest.     He  is  alive  to  all  the  great 
public  questions  of  the  day,  and  has  especially  made 
his  influence  felt  on  those  questions  which  divide  differ- 
ent classes  of  the  community.     He  has  always  taken  a 
great   interest  in  the  labor  problem,  and  was  a  prime 
mover  in  a  series  of  "Economic  Conferences"  which 
were  lately  held  in  this  city.     The  purpose  of  these 
conferences  was  to  discuss  economic  questions  fairly 
and  without  reserve,  from  the  standpoint  of  the  labor- 
ing man  as  well  as  the  capitalist.    The  discussions  took 
a  wide  range,  embracing  the  tariff  as  looked  at  by  the 
free   trader   on    the   one  hand    and    the  protectionist 
on    the   other,    with    all   the   phases   of  the   revenue 
reform    that   lie    between    these   opposite   ideas :    the 
single   tax    theories    of     Henry    George,  and    various 
social  diseases,  suggesting  equally  various   legislative 
remedies.     The    primary    object    was    to    bring    the 
representatives    of    labor  and   capital    together,    face 
to  face,  to  speak  fairly  and  frankly  their  whole  minds 
upon  the  matter  under  discussion.     It  was  a  great  and 
beneficial  movement  to  unite  for  the  moment  on  a  com- 
mon platform  the  rich  and  poor,  the  man  of  clubs  and 
the  representatives  of  trades  unions,  to  talk  over  matters 
of  vital  importance  to  all. 

Mr.  Giige  took  an  active  part  in  the  movement, 
and  was  one  of  its  leadiug  spirits  while  the  conference 
lasted.  It  was  a  movement  that  fell  in  with  his  own 
desire  to  bring  about  equal  dealing  between  all  classes, 
and  he  gave  it  the  benefit  of  his  help,  and  became 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee.  His  personal 
influence  was  sufficient  to  secure  the  co-operation  of 
other  men  like-minded  with  himself,  and  among  these 
who  took  part  in  the  discussion  were  such  men  as 
Franklin  MacA'eagh.  Henry  D.  Lloyd  and  Mr.  Gage, 
as  representing  one  end  of  the  social  ladder,  and 
George  Schilling  and  Thomas  Morgan  as  spokesmen 
for  the  other.  Mr,  Gage  delivered  at  least  two 
addresses  before  these  conferences,  one  of  them  on  the 
subject  of  banking.  In  many  of  the  discussions  his 
voice  was  heard  always  on  the  side  of  the  fullest 
concession  to  the  fair  claims  of  the  laboring  classes, 


always  with  some  helpful  suggestion  towards  bettering 
their  condition. 

Mr.  Gage  is  a  lover  of  freedom  and  equal  rights 
for  all  citizens,  irrespective  of  race,  color  or  social 
condition.  He  believes,  however,  more  in  men  than 
in  party  ;  that  is  to  say,  he  is  of  independent  thought, 
and  objects  to  the  disagreeable  features  of  caucuses 
and  •'  machines."  His  patriotism  takes  the  form  of 
'Republicanism  because  his  sympathies  find  in  that 
party  their  most  fitting  exponent,  but"  he  would  not 
countenance  unjust  or  wrong  acts  because  it  happened 
to  be  the  outcome  of  Republican  legislation. 

He  is  known  everywhere  as  the  friend  of  fair 
dealing  and  he  has  the  ability  and  force  of  character 
to  make  his  opinions  felt  and  respected.  He  is  a 
logical  and  forcible  speaker,  and  his  range  of  subjects 
is  wide,  he  being  equally  at  home,  whether  treating  of 
the  question  of  labor  or  capital,  or  discussing  the  arts. 
He  is  not  aggressive,  as  that  term  is  generally  under- 
stood, but.  his  mind  once  made  up,  he  will  defend  his 
views  with  vigor  and  earnestness,  and  generally  suc- 
ceeds in  impressing  them  upon  others.  Such  a  man 
naturally  takes  a  prominent  place  in  the  social  life  of 
the  city. 

Mr.  Gage  is  a  member  of  two  of  the  leading  social 
clubs  of  Chicago;  the  Chicago  and  the  Union  Clubs. 
He  has  also  been  president  of  the  Commercial  Club, 
the  membership  of  which  is  limited  to  sixty,  represent- 
ing the  most  important  branches  of  business  and  the 
most  enterprising  industries  of  the  city.  He  is  also  a 
director  and  treasurer  of  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago. 
Though  he  has  been  a  busy  man  all  his  life,  Mr. 
Gage  has  found  time  to  devote  to  the  pleasures  of 
literature.  He  is  a  diligent  student  and  an  omnivorous 
reader.  His  private  library  is  one  of  the  choicest  in 
the  city.  "He  does  not,"  says  one  of  his  friends, 
"  waste  hrs  time,  money  and  energy  collecting  worth- 
less editions  of  worthless  books,  in  extra  illustrating 
or  in  any  similar  way.  He  spends  his  days  in  business, 
and  his  nights  with  the  classics.  I  suppose  there  is 
not  another  man  in  Chicago  who  can  compare  with 
him  in  the  extent,  variety  and  accuracy  of  his  knowl- 
edge." Those  who  have  noticed  the  style  of  Mr. 
Gage's  public  utterances,  must  have  been  struck  with 
the  fact  that  he  has  formed  it  upon  good  literary 
models. 

Mr.  Gage  has  been  twice  married;  first  in  1864,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Etheridge,  daughter  of  Francis  B.  Ethe- 
ridge,  of  Little  Falls,  New  York.  She  died  in  1874. 
In  1S87  he  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Cornelia 
Gage,  of  Denver,  Colorado. 


10 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


SAMUEL  E.  GROSS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


SAMUEL  E.  GROSS  was  born  November  11th, 
1843,  at  the  ''  Mansion  Farm'/'  on  the  banks  of 
the  Susquehanna,  near  the  town  of  Dauphin,  Pa.,  and 
is  the  son  of  John  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Eberly)  Gross. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  Captain  John  Gross,of  Huguenot' 
ancestry,  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  War  Captain 
Gross  was  our  subject's  great  grandfather,  his  captain's 
commission  bearing  date  November  25th,  1776.  Captain 
Gross,  after  the  war.  settled  in  Dauphin  county,  where 
he  owned  a  large  farm  and  milling  properties. 

On  his  maternal  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  a 
sturdy  German  family,  who  settled  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pa.,  in  1726,  and  who  have  contributed  so 
much  to  the  building  up  and  general  welfare  of  the 
State.  In  1845,  Samuel's  parents  moved  from  Dauphin 
county,  Pa.,  to  Bureau  county,  111.,  and  later  to  Carroll 
county,  in  which  places  he  received  his  early  educa- 
tion, common  school  and  academic. 

In  1861,  when  but  seventeen  years  of  age,  Samuel 
enlisted  in  the  Forty-first  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
but  was  shortly  mustered  out  on  account  of  his  being 
under  the  limit  of  age  for  enlistment.  In  1863,  while 
he  was  attending  Whitehall  Academy,  Pennsylvania, 
Confederate  armies  invaded  that  State.  His  inheri- 
tance of  patriotic  ardor  from  Captain  Gross  of  revolu- 
tionary fame  inspired  him  to  re-enlist,  this  time  in 
Company  D.  of  the  Twentieth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry, 
in  which  he  was  commisioned  first  lieutenant,  June 
29th.  1863,  one  of  the  youngest  holders  of  that  rank  in 
the  Union  service.  He  served  in  the  pursuit  of  Lee, 
after  the  battle-  of  Gettysburg,  and  in  special  detached 
service,  cavalry  scouting  and  guerilla  fighting,  through 
the  remainder  of  1863.  On  February  21st,- 1864,  he 
was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  of  Company  K.  in  the 
same  regiment,  and  served  with  his  command  through 
Virginia,  in  1864-5,  taking  active  part  in  the  battles 
of  Piedmont,  Lynchburg,  Ashby's  Gap,  Winchester 
and  many  other  battles,  and  was  mustered  out  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  July  13,  1865. 

For  a  man  of  his  nature  and  training,  no  place 
seemed  to  offer  such  attractions  as  Chicago,  which, 
though  yet  in  its  infancy,  was  rapidly  developing,  and 
Captain  Gross  moved  there  in  1865,  entering  the  Union 
College  of  Law,  whence  he  was  graduated  and  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1866.  Even  earlier  than  this,  however, 
he  had  begun  investing  in  real  estate  by  buying  a  few 
lots,  the  opening  of  a  business  which  afterwards 
expanded  to  huge  proportions.  Without  abandoning 
his  law  practice,  he  gave  more  and  more  attention  to 
realitv.  and  in  1868-9  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
establishment  of  the  immense  park  and  boulevard  sys- 
tem which  is  a  unique  feature  of  Chicago. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  of  1871  Mr.  Gross  had 
an  office  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  South  Water 
streets.  During  the  terrible  night  of  the  8th  and  9th 


of  October  he  held  his  office  as  long  as  it  was  tenable, 
then  gathered  up  his  legal  and  business  papers,  abstracts 
of  title,  etc.,  crossed  the  river  in  a  row  boat  and- depos- 
ited them  on  board  of  a  tug  boat  which  evaded  the 
flames  and  returned  the  precious  documents  safely 
three  days  later.  Even  before  he  recovered  the  papers 
he  had  with  characteristic  courage,  enterprise  and 
activity,  recommenced  his  real  estate  business. 

From  1873  to  1879,  dullness  in  real  estate  reigned 
in  Chicago.  Mr.  Gross  practiced  his  profession,  studied 
science,  art,  literature  and  political  economy,  and 
wrote  articles  which  were  an  important  contribution  to 
the  literature  of  these  subjects.  He  also  gave  some 
attention  to  mechanics  and  took  out  several  patents 
for  mathematical  instruments,  improvements  in  street 
paving,  etc.  But  real  estate  was  his  favorite  subject. 
He  had  an  abiding  faith  in  the  future  of  his  adopted 
city  which  his  later  experience  has  more  than  justified. 
The  purchase  of  agricultural  lands  and  their  transform- 
ation into  city  lots  became  a  pursuit — almost  a  passion. 
"New  City"  in  the  southwestern  suburbs;  ".Gross 
Park"  in  the  north;  "Brookdale,"  "Calumet  Heights" 
and  "  Dauphin  Park  "  in  the  south  ;  "  Under  the  Lin- 
den "  in  the  northwest ;  "Hollywood"  in  the  west — these 
are  only  a  few  of  his  enterprises.  Not  content  with 
merely  staking  out  town  sites,  he  built  upon  them,  and 
houses  by  the  thousand,  from  cottage  to  mansion,  owe 
their  construction  to  him.  He  also  made  many  orna- 
mental and  useful  improvements  of  unique  character. 

In  1889  he  capped  the  climax  to  his  enterprise  by 
his  institution  of  "  Grossdale,"  west  of  the  city  limits, 
where  he  transformed  overlive  hundred  acres  of  land 
(nearly  a  mile  square)  from  farm  to  city.  Samuel  E. 
Gross  will  need  no  finer  monument  than  this  to  carry 
his  name  to  posterity.  Thirty  thousand  lots  sold,  seven 
thousand  houses  built,  sixteen  separate  suburban  towns 
and  cities  instituted  and  built — these  are  his  trophies. 
His  success  is  due  primarily  to  his  own  natural 
qualities,  secondarily  to  his  reliance  on  the  desire 
which  exists  in  every  true  American  to  own  a  home,  a 
desire  which  Mr.  Gross  has  done  perhaps  more  to 
gratify  than  has  any  other  man  of  any  age  or  country 
He  has  not  done  this  service  without  reaping  the  de 
served  reward,  his  fortune  being  estimated  to-day 
(1894)  at  $5,000,000  or  more. 

He  is  engaged  in  many  business  and  social  enter- 
prises, being  a  member  of  the  Chicago,  Union,  Iroquois 
Athletic,  Marquette,  Washington  Park  and  Twentieth 
Century  Clubs,  and  a  patron  of  the  Art  Institute,  the 
Humane  and  other  benevolent  societies.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Union  Veteran  Club,  the 
Grand  Arm}'  of  the  Republic  (U.  S.  Grant  Post  No. 
28),  the  Western  Society  Army  of  the  Potomac  and 
the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

He   has   traveled     extensively   in  Europe    and  in 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF   THE  CHEAT  WEST. 


Mexico,  as  well  as  all  over  his  own  loved  land.  In 
1889  he  was  nominated  by  the  united  workingmen's 
societies  as  their  candidate  for  mayor  of  Chicago,  but 
declined,  in  view  of  the  magnitude  and  pressing  nature 
of  his  engagements. 

Mr.  Gross  married,  in  1874,  Miss  Emily  Brown  (of 
English  parentage),  a  lady  of  personal  attractiveness 
and  sterling  worth.  They  live  in  a  beautiful  residence 
at  the  corner  of  the  Lake  Shore  Drive  and  Division 
street,  now  the  fashionable  quarter  of  Chicago. 
His  personal  deportment  is  most  genial  and 
popular. 

It  can  be   trulv  said   of   Mr.  Gross   that  he  is  the 


architect  of  his  fortune,  as  he  is  a 'self-made  man.  Few 
men  are  more  prominent  or  more  widely  known  in  the 
great  city  of  Chicago  than-  he;  his  transactions  are  on 
an  immense  scale,  and  his  popularity  well  deserved,  as 
in  him  are  embraced  the  characteristics  of  an  unbend- 
ing integrity,  unabating  energy  and  industry  that 
never  flags.  He  is  public  spirited  and  thoroughlv  in- 
terested in  .whatever  tends  to  promote  the  moral, 
intellectual  and  material  welfare  of  Chicago.  Broad 
and  liberal  minded,  he  is  ever  willing  to  aid  those  who 
are  less  fortunate  in  life.  He  has  carved  for  himself  a 
name  that  will  ever  be  identified  with  the  history  of 
Chicago. 


DR.  BOERNE   BETTMAN, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


DR.  BOERNE  BETTMAN  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Sept.  6th,  1856.     His  parents,  Dr.  Abraham  and 
Sarah  Bettman,  came  to  this  country  from  Bavaria  in 
1846. 

Young  Bettman  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  and  high  schools,  then  taking  a  course  in  the 
Miami  Medical  College,  after  which  he  assisted  Dr.  G. 
Williams,  the  first  and  most  eminent  dentist  west  of 
the  Allegheny  mountains.  Later  he  became  assistant 
to  the  celebrated  Dr.  Knapp,  eye  and  ear  surgeon  of 
the  New  York  Ophthalmic  and  Aural  Institute,  with 
whom  he  studied  a  year  and  a  half.  During  a  portion 
of  this  time  he  acted  in  the  same  capacity  with  Dr. 
Frank  Bosworth,  professor  of  Laryngology  and  Rhin- 
ology  to  the  Bellevue  Medical  School.  In  1878  he  went 
to  Europe,  there  to  continue  his  special  line  of  study. 
A  half  year  was  devoted  to  Vienna  attending  to  the 
clinics  of  Alt.  Stellwag,  Yaeger,  Mantheurr,  Pollitzer, 
Gruber,  and  other  noted  men,  and  after  a  trip  through 
the  Tyrol,  part  of  Italy  and  southern  Germany,  he 
arrived  in  Heidelberg  in  the  fall  of  1879,  where  he  was 
soon  made  the  second  assistant  of  of  Prof.  Becker,  the 
teacher  of  ophthalmology,  in  that  famous  seat  of  learn- 
ing. The  doctor  not  long  after  became  first  assistant 
which  position  he  retained  until  the  fall  of  1880.  While 
in  Heidelberg  he  did  his  first  original  work,  which  was 
published  in  Knapp's  Archives,  under  the  heading: 
"  Two  Cases  of  Pernicious  Anaemia,  with  Fatal  Termi- 
nations ;  An  Investigation  of  its  Pathology."  Several 
trips  through  the  Black  Forest,  Switzerland  and  North 
Germany  were  made-during  that  period.  During  July 
and  August,  1880,  he  visited  the  clinics  of  the  Parisian 
occulists,  De  Wecker,  Panas,  Galazowski,  Meyer,  etc. 
A  few  weeks  sojourn  in  London,  during  which  time  he 
attended  the  International  Medical  Congress,  and  a 
short  trip  into  Ireland,  completed  his  European  educa- 
tion and  wanderings.  He  opened  an  office  late  in  the 
same  year  (1880)  in  Chicago,  at  the  corner  of  Adams 
Clark  streets. 

Dr.  Bettman  soon  became  connected  with  the  Illinois 


Charitable  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary  as  assistant  surgeon, 
soon  after  as  surgeon,  and  has  held  that  position  ever 
since.  In  1882  he  founded  the  Chicago  Society  of  Opthal- 
mology  and  Otology,  which  has  lately  been  re-organized 
under  the  name  of  the  Chicago  Opthalmological  and 
Otological  Society.  He  was  the  first  lecturer  on  oph- 
thalmology and  otology  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons.  For  the  last  two  years  he  has  occupied 
the  chair  as  professor  of  these  branches.  He  is  also 
professor  of  opthalmology' and  treasurer  of  the  Post- 
Graduate  Medical  School;  occulist  and  aurist  to  the 
Michael  Reese  and  German  Hospitals;  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  of  the  Chicago  and 
State  Medical  Societies,  and  a  member  of  the  Medico- 
Legal  Society;  also  of  the  Tri-State  Medical  Society 
and  the  Microscopical  Society.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Practitioner's,  Doctor's,  Standard,  Union 
League  and  Schiller  Clubs.  For  a  time  he  acted  as 
assistant  surgeon,  with  rank  of  captain,  to  the  Second 
Regiment  Infantry,  Illinois  State  Militia.  He  married 
Miss  Clara  Snydacker,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Godfrey 
and  Hannah  Snydacker,  in  1888.  His  two  children, 
aged  five  and  two  years,  are  Ralph  and  Louise. 

The  following  publications  have  been  written  bv 
Dr.  Bettman:  "  The  Operative  Treatment  of  Epister- 
itis,"  "  Blindness  Following  Hemorrhage,"  "Treatment 
•.  of  Strabismus,"  "A  New  Operation  for  the  Ripenino- 
of  Cataracts,"  "Removal  of  a  Piece  of  Steel  from  the 
Eye  with  a  Magnet,"  "  Treatment  of  Blenorrhoea  Ne- 
onatorum,"  "  Subvolution,  a  New  Pterygium  Opera- 
tion," "Peroxide  of  Hydrogen  in  Aural  Therapeu- 
tics." Many  other  of  his  writings  are  found  scattered 
throughout  opthalmic  literature. 

In  May,  1893,  Governor  Altgeld  appointed  Dr. 
Bettman,  commissioner  of  Public  Charities  for  a  term 
of  five  years.  His  colleagues  elected  him  president  of 
the  board.  In  his  public  capacity  he  has  inspected  the 
institutions  all  over  the  State.  Recently  he  has 
accepted  the  editorship  of  the  eye  and  ear  department 
of  the  North  American  Practitioner. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


JOHN    ANDERSON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  ANDERSON,  son  of  Andrew  and  Laura 
Anderson,  was  born  at  Voss,  Norway.  Both 
parents  were  Norwegians..  Mr.  Anderson  arrived  in 
Chicago  on  July  2,  1845,  where  he  received  a  common 
school  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city,  and 
at  fifteen  years  of  age  began  learning  the  printers' 
trade,  and  as  a  journeyman  set  type  on  the  Chicago 
Tribune  when  that  paper  was  but  a  small  publication, 
lie  has  clung  to  his  business  and  made  a  close  and 
thorough  study  of  it  in  all  its  branches,  both  from  a 
mechanical  and  literary  point  of  view.  Mr.  Anderson 
was  possessed  of  that  energy  and  ambition  which  would 
not  permit  him  to  labor  long  for  others,  accordingly 
twenty-seven  years  ago  he  began  the  publication  of 
the  Skandinai'ean,  a  paper  which  has  become  a  power 
among  the  Norwegians  of  this  country.  Mr.  Anderson 
has  uniformly  conducted  the  enterprise  with  consumate 
skill  and  ability.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
strong  Republican,  and  that  party  has  every  reason  to 
feel  grateful  to  Mr.  Anderson  for  the  influence  he  has 
wrought  among  the  Norwegians  of  the  United  States; 
no  other  influence,  it  may  be  said,  would  have  been  so 
strong  to  hold  them  in  allegiance  to  the  party  he 


supports.  Mr.  Anderson's  early  training  made  him  a 
staunch  abolitionist,  and  he  showed  his  freedom  of 
thought  and  courage  to  utter  it  in  bold,  outspoken 
words  at  a  time  when  it  was  considered  a  crime 
to  express  a  sentiment  adverse  to  the  slave 
power. 

In  connection  with  his  paper,  Mr.  Anderson  has 
also  established  a  job  printing  office,  and  book  bindery, 
which  ranks  high  among  the  best  and  most  extensive 
in  the  country.  Personally,  he  has  always  been 
identified  with  everything  helpful  connected  with 
printers  and  printers'  interests.  He  was  treasurer 
of  the  ''Chicago  Typographical  Union"  for  five  sue 
cessive  years,  and  is  at  the  present  time  president  of 
the  "  Old  Time  Printers'  Association,"  for  the  third 
successive  term ;  he  is  also  president  of  the  Norwegian 
Old  Settlers'  Society.  In  his  religious  affiliations  he  is 
a  Lutheran. 

In  1859  he  was  married  to  Maria  C.  Frank,  who 
died  in  1873.  He  was  married  the  second  time 
nineteen  years  ago  to  Julia  Sampson ;  has  one  son, 
Frank  S.  Anderson,  by  his  first  wife,  and  three 
children  by  his  second  wife. 


JAMES   BURRILL  ANGELL, 

ANN  ARBOR,  MICHIGAN. 


JAMES  BURRILL  ANGELL,  son  of  Andrew  A., 
and  Amey  (Aldrich)  Angell,  was  born  at  Scituate, 
Rhode  Island,  on  the  7th  day  of  January,  1829.  On 
his  father's  side  he  is  a  lineal  descendant  from  Thomas 
Angeli  who  came  to  Providence  with  Roger  Williams 
and  settled  there,  and  on  his  mother's  side  is  also  de- 
scended from  a  family  who  were  among  the  earliest 
settlers.  As  a  boy  he  attended  the  public  schools, 
together  with  good  preparatory  schools,  and  later 
entered  Brown  University,  from  which  he  graduated 
at  the  head  of  his  class  in  1849.  Studious  by  nature, 
he  devoted  as  much  time  as  was  possible  to  his 
books,  and  after  graduating  from  Brown  University 
he  spent  some  time  prosecuting  his  studies  in 
Europe. 

In  1853  he  became  Professor  of  Modern  Languages 
at  his  Alma  Mater,  and  in  1860  he  took  editorial  charge 
of  the  Providence  Journal,  the  leading  newspaper  in 
Rhode  Island.  He  remained  in  this  position  for  six 
years,  and  then  in  1866  bade  farewell  to  the  editorial 
profession,  and  accepted  the  Presidency  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont,  which  position  he  retained  until  1871, 
when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position  he  now  holds, 
as  President  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann 
Arbor.  He  has  not  held  this  office  continuously,  how- 
ever, for  in  1880  he  obtained  leave  of  absence  to 


accept  the  appointment  offered  him  by  President  Hayes 
as  United  States  Minister  to  China  and  chairman  of  the 
Commission  to  negotiate  treaties  with  that  country. 
The  work  of  the  Commission  accomplished  and  the 
treaties  signed,  Mr.  Angell  resigned  his  commission  as 
Minister  to  China  and  returned  to  his  place  at  the  Uni- 
versity at  Ann  Arbor.  In  1887,  President  Cleveland 
appointed  him  a  member  of  the  Commission  to  settle 
the  Fisheries  question  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  and  Canada.  For  many  years,  President 
Angell  has  been  a  frequent  and  well  known  contribu- 
tor to  the  leading  magazines  and  his  articles  have 
always  been  widely  commented  upon  by  the  reading 
public.  He  has  been  connected  with  the  Congrega- 
tional church  since  his  early  manhood  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  that  church. 

On  the  26th  day  of  November,  1885,  Mr.  Angell  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  S.  Caswell,  daughter 
of  the  late  Alexis  Caswell,  President  of  Brown  Univer- 
sity. Three  children  have  blessed  this  union.  The 
eldest  son,  A.  C.  Angell,  is  a  lawyer  in  Detroit,  and  a 
Professor  of  Law  in  the  University  of  Michigan  ;  the 
daughter  is  the  wife  of  A.  C.  McLaughlin,  Professor  of 
American  History  in  the  same  University,  and  the 
younger  son,  James  R.  Angell,  is  instructor  in  Philos- 
ophy at  the  University  of  Minnesota, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  r  WEST. 


WALTER  CYRUS  ARNOLD, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WALTER  CYRUS  ARNOLD,  who  is  at  the  head 
of  the  importing  house  of  D.  H  Arnold  &  Co. 
of  New  York  and  Chicago,  is  a  fair  representative  of  the 
younger  class  of  business  men  who  have  material!}'  aided 
in  the  progress  of  Chicago.  His  father,  D.  H.  Arnold,  a  • 
native  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind..  was  of  Hebrew  extraction. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  November  5,  1858. 
When  he  was  two  years  old  his  father  settled  in  New 
York  city,  and  established  the  importing  house  of 
D.  H.  Arnold  &  Co.  Walter  received  his  education 
chiefly  at  the  Columbia  School  of  Mines  in  New  York 
city.  In  1882  the  business  of  D.  H.  Arnold  &  Co.  had 
so  increased  that  it  was  necessary  to  establish  a  western 
branch.  Chicago  being  selected  for  its  location,  our 
subject  assumed  the  entire  control  of  its  interests,  and 
under  his  management  the  business  has  constantly 
increased,  until  now  the  firm  of  D.  H.  Arnold  &  Co. 
is  one  of  the  largest  importers  of  dry  goods  and 
clothing  supplies  in  the  entire  country.  The  firm  deals 
exclusively  in  high  grade  goods,  and  imports  in  large 
quantities,  and  to  this  may  in  some  degree  be  attrib- 
uted its  almost  phenomenal  prosperity. 


In  all  his  business  relations  Mr.  Arnold  is  prompt 
and  honorable,  justly  valuing  his  own  self-respect  and 
the  deserved  esteem  of  his  fellow  men.  Mr.  Arnold's 
success  is  the  result  of  his  own  efforts.  Though  an 
American  in  the  fullest  sense,  yet  he  inherits  that 
shrewd  business  sagacity  which  has  long  characterized 
the  Hebrew  people  and  placed  them  in  the  foremost 
ranks  of  the  world's  successful  business  men. 

Mr.  Arnold  is  social  and  genial  in  his  manner,  and 
is  a  member  both  of  the  Manhattan  Athletic  Club  of 
New  York  city ,and  of  the  Standard  Club  of  Chicago.  He 
has  made  frequent  trips  abroad,  visiting  nearly  every 
European  country,  and  has'traveled  extensively  in  his 
own  country.  He  is  dignified  and  refined  in  manner, 
and  a  gentleman  of  high  moral  instincts  and  intel- 
lectual attainmets. 

He  is  slightly  above  medium  height  and  of  command- 
ing presence,  and  with  the  wide  range  of  knowledge 
gathered  from  his  extensive  travels  and  study  of  men 
and  events,  he  is  a  most  agreeable  companion.  All 
who  know  him.  esteem  him  for  his  genuine  manly 
virtues. 


HON.  JOSEPH    M.  BAILEY, 


FREEPORT,  ILLINOIS. 


HON.  JOSEPH  M.  BAILEY,  son  of  Aaron  and 
Maria  (Braman)  Bailey, was  born  at  Middlebury, 
Wyoming  county,  N.  Y..  June  22,  1833.  His  father 
was  a  farmer  and  native  of  New  York  St.ate.  His 
paternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  his  mother's  parents  were  natives  of  Connecticut. 
Young  Bailey  attended  the  public  school  in  Middle- 
bury,  N.  Y.,  until  he  was  admitted  to  the  Middlebury 
academy,  where  he  studied  for  a  while.  He  then 
entered  the  University  of  Rochester,  at  Rochester,  N. 
Y.,  graduating  from  that  institution  in  1854,  taking  a 
full  classical  course.  During  the  time  he  spent  in  col- 
lege and  in  one  or  two  vacations  he  commenced  read- 
ing law.  After  graduating  at  the  University  he  made 
a  trip  West,  and  upon  returning  to  Rochester,  entered 
the  office  of  Ethan  A.  Hopkins  to  study  law,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  November  4,  1855,  at  Rochester. 

In  July,  1856,  h«  left  Rochester  and  soon  after- 
ward went  West,  to  Freeport,  111.,  arriving  there 
August  15,  1856.  A  short  time  after  his  arrival  in 
Freeport  he  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  lias  since  made  that  city  his  home. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1866 
and  1868,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  serving  in  the  sessions 
of  '67  and  '69.  He  again  resumed  and  continued  his 
practice  of  law  until  August,  1877,  when  on  the  first 


Monday  of  that  year  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  First 
Judicial  Circuit  Court  of  the  State,  to  fill  an  unexpired 
term  created  -by  the  statutes  organizing  the  Appellate 
Court  and  remodeling  the  circuits  of  the  State.  In 
1876  he  served  as  presidential  elector.  In  June,  1879, 
he  was  again  elected  as  a  Circuit  Court  judge,  and 
again  in  June,  18S5. 

In  January,  1878.  Judge  Bailey  was  assigned  by 
the  Supreme  Court  to  the  duties  of  a  member  of  the 
Appellate  Court  of  the  first  district,  held  in  Chicago, 
and  by  successive  assignments  he  filled  that  position 
until  June  3,  1888,  when  he  resigned  his  position  as 
judge  of  the  Circuit  and  Appellate  Courts,  and  on  the 
following  day  was  elected  one  of  the  justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  for  a  term  of  nine  years,  which  position 
he  yet  holds.  For  the  year  following  June,  1892,  he 
held  the  position  of  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court. 

In  1879  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  was  conferred  upon 
the  Judge  bv  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  also  by 
the  University  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  has  received  all  the 
degrees,  including  the  thirty-third,  which  is  the  last 
and  highest  obtainable.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  one 
who  believes  in  the  principles  of  that  party.  lie  has 
travelled  in  Europe  and  other  foreign  countries,  and  is 


i6 


PKOMIA7ENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  which  he  attends 
regularly. 

Judge  Bailey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna 
Olin,  February  2,  1859,  at  Perry  Center,  Wyoming 
county,  N.  Y.  Miss  Olin  was  the  daughter  of  a  promi- 
nent farmer  of  Wyoming  county.  They  have  had  five 
children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  but  two. 
Charles  O,  and  Anna  M.  are  living.  Charles  O.  Bailey, 
the  oldest  son,  is  a  lawyer,  practicing  his  profession  at 
Sioux  Falls,  S.  Dak.;  Anna  M.  Bailey  is  living  at 
home  with  her  father.  The  second  son,  Joseph  M. 
Bailey,  Jr.,  who  died  about  two  years  ago,  was  ap- 
pointed at  the  age  of  23,  territorial  treasurer  of 
Dakota,  and  \vas  also  at  the  same  age  president  of 
the  Minnehaha  National  Bank  at  Sioux  Falls,  S.  Dak., 
which  position  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1891. 

Judge  Bailey  traces  his  ancestry  on  his  mother's 
side  to  one  of  the  officers  on  the  Mayflower,  and  his 
ance  tr\-  on  the  side  of  his  father  is  of  New  England 
stock.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  a  Baptist  clergy- 
man, while  his  father  was  a  man  highly  esteemed  by 
his  neighbors,  and  was  for  many  years  a  deacon  in  the 
Baptist  church,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 

Judge  Bailey  practiced  at  the  bar  before  going  on 


the  bench,  and  was  often  retained  in  important  cases 
in  many  States  and  counties  of  the  Northwest.  His 
written  opinions,  which  are  widely  cited,  appear  in  the 
first  twenty-seven  volumes  of  the  Appellate  Court 
Reports  and  in  the  Supreme  Court  Reports  of  Illinois, 
commencing  with  Volume  CXXVI. 

His  learning  and  ability  are  appreciated  by  the 
members  of  the  bench  and  the  bar  throughout  Illinois, 
and  the  Northwest.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees  qf  the  Chicago  College  of  Law, 
and  Dean  of  its  Faculty.  The  growth  and  standing  of 
this  latter  organization  is  largely  due  to  his  thorough 
and  systematic  work,  and  his  wide  experience  at  the 
bar  and  on  the  bench  enable  him,  by  his  terse,  perti- 
nent and  lucid  exposition  of  the  law,  to  clear  the  mind 
of  the  student  of  much  that  is  to  them  uncertain  and 
ambiguous,  and  stimulates  a  desire  on  their  part  to 
further  research  and  inquiry  into  what  Lord  Coke 
terms  "  the  gladsome  light  of  jurisprudence." 

In  appearance,  Judge  Bailey  is  a  man  of  more  than 
the  average  height,  of  handsome  physique,  and  is  a 
man  of  high  scholarly  attainments,  affable,  pleasing 
and  courteous  toward  all,  and  in  every  sense  of  the 
word  a  most  genial  gentleman. 


DELOS  ABIEL  BLODGETT, 


GIIAND  RAPIDS,  MICHIGAN. 


DELOS  ABIEL  BLODGETT,  son  of  Abiel  D.  and 
Susan  (Richmond)  Blodgett,  was  born  in  Otsego 
county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  3d  day  of  March,  1825.  He  is 
of  .New  England  parentage  and  ancestry. 

When  he  was  four  years  of  age  the  family  removed 
from  Otsego  county  to  Erie  county  in  the  same  State, 
where  they  settled  on  a  farm.  From  then  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age  (a  period  not  marked  by  any 
special  event),  he  resided  with  his  parents,  assisted  in 
the  farm  work,  and  attended  the  district  and  select 
schools.  This  comprised  his  opportunity  for  educa- 
tion. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  Mr.  Blodgett  left  home,  and 
seeking  employment  as  a  raftsman  and  boatman 
worked  his  way  down  the  Alleghany,  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi rivers,  and  finally  landed  in  New  Orleans. 
Here  his  health  failed  him,  and  he  decided  to  return 
North,  going  to  Me  Henry  county.  111.,  to  which  point 
his  parents  had  in  the  meantime  removed. 

In  the  fall  of  1848,  having  in  the  meantime  regained 
his  health,  he  started  for  western  Michigan,  then  just 
coming  into  notice  as  an  important  lumbering  State. 
He  landed  in  Muskegon,  and  immediately  got  employ- 
ment in  the  lumber  woods  in  that  vicinity.  Two  years 
later  he  entered  into  the  logging  and  lumber  business 
on  his  own  account,  and  from  that  time  his  career  has 


formed  a  large  part  of  the  history  of  the  develop- 
ment of  western  Michigan.  He  has  been  continually 
and  extensively  engaged  in  lumbering,  as  well  as  farm- 
ing, banking  and  real  estate.  He  still  has  large  hold- 
ings of  timber  lands  in  Michigan,  Washington,  Oregon, 
and  most  of  the  Gulf  States,  and  is  largely  interested 
in  real  estate  in  Grand  Rapids  and  Chicago. 

Mr.  Blodgett  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  any 
public  office,  nor  a  member  of  any  secret  society. 
Politically,  he  affiliated  with  the  Whigs  until  the  for- 
mation of  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  an  active  \vorking  member. 

On  the  9th  day  of  September,  1859,  Mr.  Blodgett 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  S.  Wood,  of 
Woodstock,  111.,  who,  after  over  thirty  years  of  happy 
wedded  life,  passed  away  in  October,  1890,  leaving 
a  son,  John  W.  Ijlodgett,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Edward 
Lowe,  both  of  Grand  Rapids.  On  June  3d,  1893,  Mr. 
Blodgett  was  again  married — this  time  to  Miss  Daisy 
A.  Peck,  daughter  of  the  late  Professor  William  Henry 
Peck,  the  author,  of  Atlanta,  Ga. 

One  who  has  long  known  him  says :  "  Mr.  Blodgett 
is  is  a  man  of  about  five  feet  eight  and  one-half  inches 
tall,  spare  but  well  developed  frame,  a  blonde,  with 
bright,  merry  blue  eyes,  the  natural  accompaniments 
of  a  nervous,  sanguine  temperament,  and  has  a  friendly 


^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


kindly  nature.  Though  far  from  robust  in  physique  or 
health,  he  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker  all  his  life, 
a  man  of  great  activity  and  surprising  energy  in  what- 
ever his  hands,  his  head  or  his  heart  have  found  to  do. 
To  his  marvelous  industry,  as  well  as  his  business 
sagacity  and  superb  courage,  is  his  marked  business 
success  due,  a  success  that  has  left  no  rancor  in  the 
minds  of  his  employes  or  competitors;  a  success  that 
has  never  been  at  the  expense  of  anyone  else ;  that  has 
never  changed  his  manners  or  his  kindliness  toward 
others.  Mr.  Blodgett  is  an  agnostic  in  matters  of  reli- 
gious opinion,  a  Eepublican  in  political  faith,  and  a 
capitalist  with  very  many  interests  to  consider  and  to 
maintain  ;  but  these  interest  have  never  closed  his  ears 
or  his  hands  to  the  needs  of  his  fellow-man  as  individ- 
uals or  as  communities.  He  has  made  his  great  wealth 
the  means  of  conferring  benefits  and  happiness  on 


others,  no  matter  what  their  religious  or  political  creeds 
might  be,  and  a  worthy  cause,  no  matter  in  what 
department  of  charitable,  religious,  social,  educational 
or  political  work,  is  sure  of  his  prompt  and  generous 
assistance.  He  is  a  close  observer,  a  student,  a  man 
who  appreciates  the  scientific  and  other  progress  of 
humanity  in  an  unusual  degree,  especially  when  it  is 
remembered  that  he  had  no  opportunity  for  a  higher 
education,  and  has  always  been  so  actively  and  exten- 
tensively  engaged  in  business.  His  library  is  a  favor- 
ite resort  for  him.  He  is  a  rare  friend,  firm,  reliable, 
faithful,  a  man  who  gives  his  friends  his  confidence, 
and  who  wins  implicit  confidence  in  return.  Such  a 
man,  with  an  overflowing  share  of  the  milk  of  human 
kindness,  is  of  necessity  a  thoughtful,  generous,  loving 
husband  and  father,  for  with  hirn  family  is  first,  friends, 
his  community,  his  country,  and  the  world  next." 


HON.  J.  J.    BROWNE, 

SPOKANE  FALLS,  WASHINGTON. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  self-made 
men  of  the  great  West,  who  by  h'is  industry, 
energy,  ability  and  perseverance  has  made  for  himself 
an  enviable  reputation,  and  carved  out  a  career  of 
which  any  man  might  be  justly  proud.  He  is  a  native 
of  Ohio,  the  State  noted  for  producing  eminent  men, 
having  been  born  at  Greenville,  Stark  count3r,  on 
April  28,  1843.  His  father  was  a  sturdy  farmer  and 
blacksmith,  and  his  mother,  a  woman  of  great  excel- 
lence, died  before  he  was  two  years  old,  when  he  went 
to  live  with  his  grandparents  at  Columbia  city,  Ind. 
where  his  early  education  was  received  in  the  common 
schools.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  however,  he  gratified 
his  desire  for  more  extended  educational  advantages 
by  entering  Wabash  College,  where  he  paid  his  way 
by  working  nights  and  mornings,  and  during  the 
summer  vacations,  by  which  he  acquired  those  habits 
of  self-reliance,  economy  and  independence  which  laid 
the  foundations  of  his  future  success.  Later  he  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  Michigan  University,  at 
Ann  Arbor,  from  which  he  graduated  in  18^8.  He 
then  went  to  Oswego,  Kan.,  and  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  the  law,  where  he  remained  until  1874. 
when  he  removed  to  Portland,  Ore.  Here  he  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  his  profession  until  1878,  meantime 
serving  (in  1876-78)  as  county  superintendent  of  schools 
(of  Multnomah  county),  to  which  office  he  was  elected 
by  a  majority  of  100,  though  the  general  ticket  of  the 
opposite  party  was  elected  by  more  than  800  majority. 
In  the  year  last  above  named,  Mr.  Browne  located  at 
Spokane,  Wash.,  where  he  built  up  a  remunerative 
practice,  extending  over  Eastern  Washington  and  into 
Idaho,  worth  about  $5,000  a  year. 

Early  seeing  the  peculiar  advantage  of  Spokane  for 
a  city  site,  with   its   tremendous    water-power,  timber 


and  mines  to  the  north,  and  the  rich  and  productive 
agricultural  valleys  to  the  south,  he  "set  about  at  once 
to  help  build  a  city.  After  investigating  thoroughly 
the  resources  of  the  surrounding  country,  he  purchased 
a  one-fourth  interest  in  the  town,  which  then  contained 
but  fifty-four  inhabitants,  and  located  a  homestead 
claim  where  his  home  now  stands,  and  which  is  now 
in  the  heart  of  the  best  part  of  the  city.  His  private 
interests  gradually  became  so  large  that  he  was  obliged 
.  to  relinquish  his  extensive  law  practice,  and  to  devote 
'his  whole  time  to  his  business  affairs.  Together  with 
.Mr.  A.  M.  Cannon,  he  built  the  Auditorium  Theatre 
block,  the  handsomest  structure  in  the  city,  and  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  State. 

After  Washington  was  admitted  as  a  State,  although 
Mr.  Browne  was  in  the  East  at  the  time  the  Conven- 
tion was  held,  he  was  nominated,  without  his  knowledge, 
as  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  was 
elected.  He  was  a  prominent  member  and  leader  in 
that  body,  which  was  naturally  composed  of  the  ablest 
men  in  the  State.  He  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  State,  County  and  Municipal  Indebtedness,  and  the 
article  under  that  heading  in  the  State  constitution 
was  adopted,  almost  verbatim,  as  originally  written 
by  him,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  other  State  has  a 
constitutional  provision  upon  this  subject  better  calcu- 
lated to  protect  the  interest  of  the  people  against 
extravagant  or  dishonest  officials,  and  at  the  same  time 
sufficiently  elastic  and  liberal  to  meet  the  growing 
needs  of  the  progressive  people  of  a  great  State. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Browne  is  a  staunch  Democrat,  and 
has  served  his  party  in  various  capacities,  with  dis- 
tinction and  ability.  He  was  delegate  from  Kansas  to 
the  National  Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore,  in 
1S72,  and  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  National  Conven- 


2O 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


tion  at  St.  Louis  in  1888,  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  platform  and  notification.  .  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Browne  National  Bank,  president  of  the 
Spokane  Investment  Company,  ex-president  of  the 
Spokane  Mill  Company,  and  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Spokane  Chronicle. 

He  is  a  man  of  close  observation  and  liberal  views, 
practical  in  all  things  and  of  unimpeachable  integrity. 
Although  largely  occupied  with  business  and  commer- 
cial affairs,  he  has  found  time  to  take  a  deep  interest  in 
public  matters  and  has  done  much  to  advance  the 
interests  of  education  and  good  government.  He  has 
served  many  years  as  school  director,  and  has  been  a 
prominent  factor  in  building  up,  at  Spokane,  a  system 
of  public  schools  second  to  none  in  the  country. 
He  is  also  chancellor  of  the  "Washington  State  Univer- 
sitv,  located  at  Seattle,  in  which  institution  he  takes  a 

*    ' 

deep  interest. 

He  owns  a  farrti  of  about  two  thousand  acres  some 
five  miles  from  Spokane,  where  he  spends  all  the  time 


he  can  spare  from  his  other  enterprises.  He  gives  it 
his  personal  supervision,  arid  derives  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure  from  his  farming  operations,  perhaps  more 
pleasure  than  profit. 

As  remarked  in  the  outset,  Mr.  Browne  is  pre- 
eminently a  self-made  man.  His  parents  and  grand- 
parents were  poor  and  unable  to  give  him  many  advan- 
tages, yet  he  obtained  an  education  in  the  face  of  diffi- 
culties that  but  few  boys  have  the  courage  or  ability  to 
overcome.  Without  means  or  influential  friends  he 
has  moved  forward  and  upward,  step  by  step,  until  he 
has  become  one  of  the  leading  business  men  and  finan- 
ciers of  the  Northwest,  and  at  the  same  time  he  stands 
high  as  a  writer  and  public  speaker.  He  is  classed  to- 
day as  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  State,  as  he  is 
certainly  one  of  the  most  influential.  His  love  of  learn- 
ing and  his  literary  tastes  may  be  inferred  from  the 
fact  that  he  possesses  the  largest  private  library  west 
of  St.  Paul,  in  which  he  spends  all  of  his  leisure 
time. 


HERMAN  D.  CABLE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


HERMAN  D.  CABLE,  son  of  Silas  and  Mary 
Cable,  was  bo,rn  in  Walton,  Delaware  county, 
New  York,  on  the  1st  day  of  June,  1849.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Connecticut,  and  descendants 
of  the  early  settlers  of  New  England.  Both  families 
moved  to  New  York  State,  where  the  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
Delaware  county,  and  his  maternal  grandfather  built 
the  first  grist  mill  in  the  county,  which  enterprise  was 
highly  appreciated  by  the  farmers  of  the  surrounding 
country,  as  is  attested  in  the  "  Histor}'  of  Delaware 
County,"  written  and  published  by  the  late  Jay  Gould, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  that  county.  This  work,  of 
which  Mr.  Cable  owns  a  copy,  is  interesting  owing  to 
the  prominence  of  the  author  and  publisher,  and  to  his 
earnest  endeavor  to  suppress  the  entire  edition,  exceed- 
ingly rare,  giving  it  on  that  account  a  considerable  pe- 
cuniary value.  Mr.  Cable's  father  was  engaged  in 
both  agricultural  and  commercial  business  and  bore  an 
enviable  reputation  of  the  highest  integrit\T. 

Mr.  Cable's  first  school  days  were  at  a  country  dis- 
trict school,  though  at  an  early  age  he  entered  the 
academy  of  his  native  town,  and  later  attended  the 
Delaware  Literary  Institute,  at  Franklin,  N.  Y.  He 
passed  through  the  different  grades  of  this  school  with 
marked  distinction,  and  then  feeling  a  desire  for  direct 
contact  with  the  business  world,  went  to  New  York 
city,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  great  book 
publishing  house  of  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.  At  first  he 
was  engaged  as  correspondence  clerk,  and  later  he  rep- 
resented the  interests  of  the  house  on  the  road.  By 
strict  attention  and  steady  application  to  his  work,  he 


soon  gained  the  entire  confidence  of  his  employers,  and 
they  trusting  implicitly  in  his  adaptability  and  faith- 
fulness, and  the  excellence  of  his  judgment,  in  1870, 
assigned  him  to  their  branch  house  in  Chicago.  In  this 
position  he  remained  for  ten  years,  his  success  in  it 
being  highly  gratifying  to  his  employers  and  himself. 
Then  seeing  that  a  much  greater  success  was  to  be 
gained  in  a  manufacturing  business,  he  resigned  in 
1880  and  organized  the  Chicago  Cottage  Organ  Co. 
The  beginning  of  this  company  was  small,  but  it  has 
since  been  constantly  growing,  and  now  the  enterprise 
is  capitalized  for  $1,000,000.  Mr.  Cable  at  first 
assumed  the  position  of  treasurer  of  the  company,  but 
did  not  remain  in  that  position  long,  for  he  was  soon 
elected  president,  which  position  he  has  since  occupied, 
guiding  the  company  to  its  unparalleled  success. 

Mr.  Cable  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  a  Knight  Templar;  a  member  of  the  Country 
Club  of  Evanston  and  the  Union  League  Club  of  Chi- 
cago. Politically,  he  is  a  Eepublican,  but  takes  no 
further  interest  in  politics  than  the  casting  of  his  vote 
with  that  party,  which  he  believes  best  serves  the 
interests  of  the  public. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Cable  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Alice  A.  Hutchins  of  Chicago,- a  daughter  of  one  of 
our  well  known  physicians,  and  three  children  have 
blessed  the  union,  all  of  whom  add  much  to  the 
brightness  of  their  beautiful  home  at  Evanston. 

As  a  man  and  a  citizen  none  stand  higher  in  the 
community  than  does  Herman  D.  Cable.  In  every 
public  enterprise  he  is  a  staunch  worker  and  a  liberal 
contributor,  and  in  private  charity  no  appeal  is 


<% 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


addressed  to  him  in  vain.  His  success  in  the  business 
world  has  been  remarkable  and  can  only  be  fairly 
judged  by  the  following  brief  history  of  the  organ  and 
piano  industry  with  which  he  has  been  connected. 

The  history  of  the  organ  antedates  that  of  the 
piano  by  several  centuries.     As  far  back  as  classical 
times  literary  allusions  were  made  to  wind  instruments 
involving  the  use  of  pipes  and  channels  and  reservoirs 
of  air.     Later  notices  do  not  make  the  construction 
and  operation  of  early  so-called  "organs"  clear  to  the 
reader.     The  first  keyboard  is  said  to  have  been  intro- 
duced into  the  organ  in  the  cathedral  at  Magdeburg, 
about  the  close  of  the  eleventh  century.     As  to  the 
precise  time  and  conditions  under  which  the  keyboard 
assumed  its  present  form,  however,  nothing  is  known. 
The  reed   organ    is  an   American    invention,   by 
Aaron  M.  Peasley,  about  1818.     The  earlier  forms  of 
this  instrument  were  called  "seraphines"  or  "  melo- 
deons."     American  ingenuity  has  produced  an  instru- 
ment superior  to  all  others,  and  great  numbers  of  this 
class    of    organs  are  exported.     Formerly  it  was   a 
custom  of  kings,  princes  and  nobles  who  were  students 
or  patrons  of  music  to  keep  large  collections  of  musical 
instruments,   and   to  keep  them,   too,  not  for  mere 
ornament,  but  to  be  played  upon,  and  thus  contribute 
their  share  toward  the  entertainment  of  guests  and  to 
furnish  the  domestic  and  festive  music  of  their  courts. 
It  was  to  keep  such  a  collection  in  playing  order  that 
Prince  Ferdinand   de   Medici  employed   Bartslomme 
Christofori,  a  Paduan  harpsichord  maker;  and  it  was 
that  man  of  genius  who  is  accredited  with  the  invention 
and  production  of  the  piano  forte.     In  1709,  Chris- 
tofori had  completed  four-keyed  psalteries  with  soft 
and  loud — three  of  them   being  of  the  long  or  usual 
harpsichord  form.     The  most  ready  suggestion  of  a 
piano  forte  would  have  been  a  dulcimer  with  keys, 
and  it  may  be  supposed  that  there  had    been  many 
fruitless  attempts  to  put  a  keyboard  to  a  dulcimer,  or 
hammers  to  a  harpsichord  before  Christofori  success- 
fully solved    the   problem.     To   this  ingenius  experi- 
menter the  pianoforte  is  indebted,  not  only  for  its  power 
to  play  piano  and'  forte,  but  for  its  infinite  variations 
of  tone;  hence,  it   appears  that   the  piano  forte  was 
produced  by    Christofori   practically  complete   in   all 
its  essential  principles. 

Though  Frederick,  an  organ  builder  and  musical 
instrument  maker  of  Gera,  in  Saxony,  is  said  by 
German  writers  to  have  invented  the  square  or  table- 
shaped  piano  about  1858-60  no  square  piano  of  his 
make  is  known  to  be  extant,  but  there  is  a  Frederick 
"upright  grand"  which  bears  date  1745.  Germans 
appear  to  have  done  much  from  this  time  on  toward 
the  development  of  the  piano  forte.  The  first  square 
piano  made  in  France  is  said  to  have  been  constructed 
by  a  young  Alsatian,  Sebastian  Erard,  in  1776.  Ten 
years  later,  Erard  went  to  England  and  founded  the 
London  manufactory  of  harps  and  piano  fortes  bearino- 
his  name.  Quite  early  in  our  history  the  piano  forte 
maker  established  himself  in  America.  In  1833 


Conrad  Meyer  of  Philadelphia,  was  successful  in 
producing  a  single  casting  resistance  frame  which  he 
applied  to  a  square  piano  which  was  exhibited  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  in  1878.  Meyer's  idea  was  improved 
upon  by  a  Boston  inventor  who  applied  it  also  to  the 
grand  piano,  and  established  by  it  the  independent 
construction  of  the  American  piano  forte,  of  which 
now  more  than  75,000  are  made  annually  in  the 
United  States. 

The  manufacture  of  musical  instruments  in  the 
West  has,  during  the  past  few  years,  grown  with 
remarkable  rapidity.  Eastern  manufacturers  have 
been  accustomed  to  say  that  it  would  be  a  long  time 
before  thoroughly  high  grade  instruments  would  be 
made  in  the  West,  and  for  some  years  their  assertions 
had  considerable  weight  with  the  public.  It  is  now 
universally  conceded,  not  only  that  Chicago  is  making 
first-class  instruments,  but  that  by  the  amount  of 
capital  invested  in  their  manufacture  here,  by  the  high 
'character  of  the  men  concerned  in  it,  and  by  the 
tendency  of  the  business  to  concentrate  here,  Chicago 
bids  fair,  at  no  distant  date,  to  rank  as  the  musical 
instrument  manufacturing  center  of  the  United  States. 
The  development  of  this  branch  of  industry  in  Chicago 
is  well  illustrated  by  the  work  and  progress  of  the 
Chicago  Cottage  Organ  Company,  which  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  music  trade  institutions  in  the  country. 
It  is  but  little  more  than  a  decade  since  the  advent  of 
its  managers  in  the  music  trade  as  manufacturers,  .and 
now,  when  the  corporation  is  rated  in  the  million 
dollar  scale,  it  is  profitable  to  contemplate  the  enormous 
business  that  has  been  evolved  by  it  in  such  a  short 
time.  The  inference  to  be  drawn  from  this  success  is 
that  when  those  at  the  helm  start  to  accomplish  any 
given  end.  they  never  cry  halt  until  that  object  is 
accomplished.  The  number  of  manufacturers  in  their 
line  is  quite  large,  and  the  operations  of  some  of  them 
date  back  from  thirty,  forty,  and  fifty  years,  yet  this 
company,  scarcely  yet  in  its  teens,  can  substantiate  its 
olaim  that  it  manufactures  one-fifth  of  all  the  reed 
organs  made  in  the  United  States.  Its  factories  turn 
out  a  Chicago  Cottage  Organ  every  nine  minutes,  and 
it  is  the  only  company  in  the  world  capable  of  such  a 
feat.  These  instruments,  it  is  believed,  have  proved 
themselves  to  be  as  near  perfection  as  human  skill  and 
ingenuity  can  make  them.  The  great  satisfaction 
they  have  given  to  purchasers,  and  the  unqualified 
endorsements  they  have  received  from  eminent  musi- 
cians, determine  their  status  beyond  question.  While 
building  up  this  enormous  business  in  the  manufacture 
of  organs,  the  company  interested  itself  in  the  wholesale 
piano  trade,  and  made  it  an  unqualified  success,  its 
piano  business  being  a  gigantic  affair  in  itself,  without 
considering  its  manufacture  of  the  Conover  piano  at  all. 
The  argument  so  long  directed  against  the  possi- 
bility of  Chicago  soon  taking  rank  as  the  seat  of  man- 
ufacture of  high  grade  pianos,  was  that  the  medium 
grade  instruments  are  more  easily  disposed  of  in  the 
West.  There  is,  very  likely,  not  a  piano  maker  in 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Chicago  but  will  claim  that  he  makes  the  very  best 
instrument,  but  be  that  as  it  may,  the  Conover  piano 
is  now  a  Chicago  piano,  manufactured  by  Chicago 
capital,  and  is  being  pushed  forward  with  all  the 
energy  of  successful  Chicago  business  men.  The 
Conover  piano,  manufactured  in  New  York,  was  a 
first  class  instrument,  according  to  universal  conces- 
sion, and  the  Conover  piano  manufactured  in  Chicago 
is  even  better,  wherever  improvement  was  possible- 
Early  in  1892,  the  Chicago  Cottage  Organ  Company 
bought  the  patents,  patterns  and  everything  apper- 
taining to  these  widely  known  pianos,  and  removed 
the  entire  establishment  to  Chicago,  where  a  new 
plant  was  provided  for  their  manufacture.  At  the 
warerooms  of  the  company,  215  Wabash  avenue,  are 
handsome  specimens  of  the  Conover  grand  piano,  en- 
cased in  English  oak,  and  mahogany.  It  is  a  beautiful 
instrument,  of  liquid  tone,  immense  volume,  delicate 
action,  and  a  scale  as  even  as  one  could  desire.  In 
design  and  finish,  it  is  in  harmony  with  its  remarkable 
tone.  A  more  notable  illustration  of  the  exercise  of 
American  energy,  ability,  integrity,  and  superior  skill 
has  rarely  been  known  than  that  exhibited  by  this 


enormous  piano  and  organ  company,  which  has 
achieved  an  international  reputation  and  by  its  able 
management  and  steady  development  has  secured  to 
Chicago,  the  supremacy  as  regards  the  manufacture  of 
a  superior  grade  of  instruments.  The  great  capacity 
of  this  company  is  tested  to  its  fullest  extent  supplying 
an  unparalleled  trade,  extending  throughout  the 
American  continent.  By  this  new  departure  is  simplv 
added  another  branch  to  an  already  large  institution  ; 
but  it  is  not  substituted  for  any  thing  before  in  hand. 
That  is  to  say,  the  pianos  already  being  handled  at 
wholesale  by  the  company  with  such  wonderful  suc- 
cess, will  be  sold  as  before  and  receive  the  same  ener- 
getic, business  like  treatment.  Thus  the  Chicago  Cot- 
tage Organ  Company  demonstrates  its  high  position  in 
the  music  trade.  It  has  put  itself  into  history  as  the 
largest  manufacturer  of  reed  organs  in  the  world,  but 
is  evidently  looking  for  new  worlds  to  conquer,  and 
with  its  perfected  organization  now  seems  determined 
to  also  be  known  as  the  largest  manufacturer  of  pianos 
in  the  world.  In  all  this  success,  Mr.  Cable  has  been 
the  moving  force  and  has  won  an  enviable  reputation 
thereby. 


CHARLES  PATTON  CRAIG,  M.  A.,  LL.  B., 


DULUTH,  MINNESOTA. 


/-CHARLES  PATTOX  CRAIG,  son  of  William 
\-J  Thompson  and  Katherine  (Patton)  Craig,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Greenville,  Clarion  county,  Penn., 
on  July  4th,  1858.  His  father  \vas  a  native  of  the  same 
place,  but  his  ancestors  from  both  sides  were  from 
Scotland,  the  great  grandfather,  "William  Craig,  com- 
ing to  this  country  about  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  having  a  liberal  education,  he  engaged  in 
educational  work,  in  which  he  continued  until  old  age 
incapacitated  him  for  labor.  The  great  grandmother 
was  a  descendant  of  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  minister. 
His  grandfather  was  a  successful  merchant  and  manu- 
facturer, noted  for  his  integrity  and  honesty  of 
purpose. 

His  father,  William  Thompson  Craig,  following  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  grandfather,  was  a  man  of  advanced 
ideas,  who  by  shrewd  foresight  made  for  himself  a 
reputation  for  great  business  ability,  being  highly 
esteemed  in  the  community  in  which  he  resided.  His 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Patton,  born  in 
Chester,  Penn.,  in  1807.  The  latter  was  a  promi- 
nent merchant  of  Greenville,  Clarion  county,  Penn., 
and  one  of  its  first  settlers.  He  was  a  man  of 
strict  business  principles,  perhaps  most  fitting^ 
described  by  an  obituary  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
in  which  it  was  stated  that  "  Promptness, 
fidelity  and-  integrity  was  ever  characteristic  of 
the  man." 


Young  Craig  began  his  college  preparatory  studies 
at  Elders'  Ridge  Academy,  Indiana  county,  Penn.,  in 
1877.  He  then  entered  La  Fayette  college,  and  in  1883 
completed  his  classical  course  and  took  the  degree  of 
B.  A.  Upon  leaving  college  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Hon.  Benjamin  Harris  Brewster,  attorney-general  of 
the  United  States  under  President  Arthur,  and  began 
the  study  of  the  law.  Later  he  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
there,  in  1886,  he  took  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  shortl\r 
after  which  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Phila- 
delphia, his  college  conferring  upon  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  M.  A.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year, 
Mr.  Craig  removed  to  Duluth,  and  seems  here  to  have 
found  conditions  favorable  for  the  exercise  of  his 
abilities.  He  began  the  practice  of  law,  which  he 
continued  for  three  years,  meeting  with  marked  suc- 
cess, but  was  finally  compelled  to  give  up  his  close 
study,  being  absorbed  b}T  a  business  life  and  its  neces- 
sary cares  and  activities.  Recognizing  the  impossibility 
of  his  doing  justice  to  himself  and  his  clients,  he  gradu- 
ally withdrew  from  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and 
gave  his  whole  time  and  attention  to  business  enter- 
prises. His  rapid  prosperity  since  then  has  been  sur- 
prising. Although  he  is  one  of  the  young  men  of 
Duluth,  he  occupies  an  enviable  position  in  the  business 
world,  his  counsel  being  much  sought  after  and  regarded 
as  sound  on  all  business  ventures  and  financial  matters. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


His  strong  characteristic  is  his  indefatigable  pursuit  of 
all  he  undertakes,  and  this  being  one  of  the  most  neces- 
sary qualifications  for  a  business  life,  has  resulted  in 
placing  him  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  promising  young 
business  men,  who  recognize  in  Mr.  Craig  brilliant 
possibilities. 

That  his  executive  ability  is  of  a  rare  quality,  is 
demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  he  holds  at  the  present 
time,  the  following  offices  in  important  business  enter- 
prises, to  each  of  which  lie  gives  conscientious  and 
successful  attention  :— He  is  a  director  in  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  having  been  elected  to  that  position  the 
second  year  after  his  arrival  at  Duluth  and  holding  the 
position  up  to  the  present  time;  he  is  also  director  and 
the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  "Penn"Land  and  Loan 
Company,  which  has  a  capital  of  $100,000.;  vice- 
president  and  a  director  of  the  National  Bank  of 
Commerce,  of  Duluth,  capital  $200,000.;  president  and 
a  director  of  the  Clyde  Iron  Company,  Capital  $100,- 
000.;  vice-president  and  a  director  of  the  Highland 


Improvement  Company,  capital  $2,000,000,  and  also 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Duluth  Evening  Herald. 
He  is  a  regular  attendant  at  the  Presbyterian  church, 
to  which  faith  he  has  alwa3Ts  belonged.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican  on  national  issues,  reserving  the  right, 
being  no  pronounced  partisan,  to  vote  as  his  conscience 
dictates  in  local  elections,  casting  his  ballot  for  the 
man  he  thinks  best  fitted  for  the  contested  office. 

Mr.  Craig  was  united  in  marriage  December  10th, 
1890,  to  Florence,  daughter  of  William  Hector 
Cameron,  of  Inverness,  Scotland,  of  the  Lochiel  Clan, 
a  lady  possessing  many  attractions  of  mind  and  person, 
and  one  who  is  well  fitted  b}'  nature  to  preside  over  the 
pleasant  home  of  which  she  is  mistress. 

Mr.  Craig  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  attainments  and 
possesses  the  secret  of  making,  and  the  more  valuable 
one  of  keeping,  friends,  not  only  in  business,  but  in 
social  circles.  Of  medium  height  and  fine  appearance, 
he  is  a  man  who  commands  attention  and  respect  wher- 
•ever  he  jjoes. 


THOMAS  B    BRYAN, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WHEN  the  great  "World's  Columbian  Exposit- 
ion "  finally  closed  its  doors,  and  when  its 
history  shall  have  been  written  for  the  gratification  of 
succeeding  generations,  no  name  amongst  the  many 
prominent  ones  so  closely  connected  with  that  enter- 
prise will  appear  to  better  advantage  or  command 
greater  admiration  than  will  that  of  the  Hon.  Thos.  B. 
Bryan. 

The  citizens  of  Chicago  are  deeply  indebted  to  Mr. 
Bryan  for  the  valuable  services  he  rendered  through 
his  constant  and  tireless  labors,  and  for  the  great 
energy  and  devotion  he  displayed  in  obtaining  for 
Chicago  the  location  of  the  great  Exposition.  Mr. 
Bryan  has  been  a  leading  spirit  in  the  matter  from  the 
commencement.  In  fact,  it  was  he  who  framed  the 
resolutions  presented  at  the  first  citizens'  meeting, 
held  in  the  Chicago  common  council  chamber  on 
August  1st  of  1891,  the  result  of  which  was  that 
Chicago  became  a  candidate  and  ultimately  a 
victor  in  one  of  the  keenest  competitions  ever  entered 
into  by  American  cities.  Mr.  Bryan's  ardent  cham- 
pionship of  Chicago's  claims,  his  eloquent  appeals 
throughout  the  country,  and  his  masterly  and  unanswer- 
able reply  to  New  York's  advocate  and  champion,  the 
great  and  only  Chauncey  Depew,  before  the  Senate 
committee  at  Washington,  will  be  long  remembered, 
and  undoubtedly  did  more  than  almost  anything  else 
to  secure  the  prize.  His  presentation  of  Chicago's 
claims  was  so  effeclive  and  so  adriotly  put,  that  the 
result  was  electrical,  and  even  New  York,  with  all  her 
boasted  superiority  of  social  distinction  and  commercial 
enterprise  was  forced  to  yield. 


Thomas  B.  Bryan  was  born  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  on 
December  22,  1828;  being  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Marv 
(Barbour)  Bryan.     His  parents,  both  on  his  father's  and 
mother's  side,  were  people  of  considerable  culture  and 
influence.     His  father  served  in  the  senate  of  Virginia, 
and  two  of  his  mother's  brothers,  James  and   Philip 
Barbour,  held  the  highest  official  positions  under  the 
government  of  that  day  such  as  those  of  Cabinet  Min- 
ister, speaker  of  the  National  House  of  Representatives, 
Judge  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  Minister  to 
England,   and   Governor  of  Virginia.      Our    subject 
graduated  from  the  law  school  of  Harvard  University 
in  1848,  and  shortly  afterwards  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Cincinnati,  O.,  forming  a   partnership 
with  Judge  Hart  of  that  city  in  1849.      In  1852  Mr. 
Bryan  came  West,  settling  in  Chicago  when  the  citv 
was  little  more  than  an  overgrown  village,  and  shortly 
afterwards  forming  the  law  firm  of  Mather,  Taft  & 
Bryan,  subsequently  changed  to  Bryan  &  Borden,  and 
still  later  to  that  of  Bryan  &  Hatch.     He  has  made 
office  counselling    his   specialty,  and  for  forty  years, 
more  or  less,  Mr.  Bryan  has  resided  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  in  Chicago,  with  the  exception  of  some  years 
spent  in  Washington,  Colorado  and  in  European  travel. 
He  succeeded  Governor  Shepherd  as  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners (together  with  Governor  Denison)  of  the   Dis- 
trict of   Columbia,  in    which  his  administration    was 
marked  by  the  same  abilit\r,  honesty  and  prudence  in 
expenditure  that  always  governed   his  actions.      His 
withdrawal,  voluntarily,  from  this  office  was  made  the 
signal  for  a  spontaneous  memorial  from   the  citizens, 
headed  by  the  philanthropist  Corcoran,  and  signed  by 


28 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


the  bankers  and  prominent  business  men  of  the  capital, 
and  this  was  presented  to  him  on  his  vacation  of  the 
office  to  resume  his  duties  in  his  adopted  city.  The 
founder  and  promoter  of  many  public  enterprises,  Mr. 
Bryan's  work  has  always  been  crowned  with  success. 
A  detailed  list,  even  of  his  public  enterprises,  would  fill 
more  space  than  we  can  give  to  what  is,  at  the  best, 
but  a  general  sketch.  There  are,  however,-one  or  two 
which  deserve  more  than  a  mere  passing  notice. 

He  was  the  originator  and  sole  proprietor  (formerly) 
of  Graceland  Cemetery.  Mr.  Bryan  purchased  this  tract 
of  land,  having  found  that  the  population  of  the  North 
Side  was  inevitably  encroaching  on  the  old  cemetery 
(which  now  forms  part  of  Lincoln  Park),  and,  if  only 
from  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  this  was  extremely 
undesirable.  Graceland  alone  (with  its  beautiful  laid- 
out  and  well-kept  walks  and  shrubs,  etc.)  would  be  a 
worthy  memorial  of  his  public  enterprise  and  regard 
for  the  prosperity  and  health  of  the  community  at  large. 

He  also  built  "  Bryan  Hall "  (the  sight  of  which  is  • 
now  occupied  by  the  Grand  Opera  House),  and  here 
many  a  memorable  meeting  has  been  held,  as  well  as 
innumerable  entertainments  for  patriotic  objects. 

Mr.  Bryan  was  also  president  of  the  great  North- 
western Fair  for  the  relief  of  soldiers  of  the  Union  in 
1865,  for,  though  a  Southerner  by  birth,  all  his  affilia- 
tions and  sympathies  had  ever  been  with  the  cause  of 
the  Union.  As  the  direct  result  of  his  presidency,  the 
Fair  yielded  over  $300,000  to  the  invalid  soldiers'  fund, 
such  was  the  trust  placed  in  his  integrity,  and  in  his 


faculty  of  harmonizing  the  conflicting  interests  of  the 
various  officers  and  committees. 

If  still  yet  another  monument  to  his  patriotism  and 
loyalty  were  required,  the  Soldiers'  Home,  built  under 
his  direction  and  with  money  advanced  by  him,  is  that 
monument.  For  many  years  its  president,  his  work 
on  its  behalf  was.  and  is,  unflagging.  In  fact  his  dis- 
tinguished and  arduous  services  during  the  war  were 
such  that  no  honors  were  esteemed  too  great ;  amongst 
others  accorded  him  was  that  of  being  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Loyal  Legion,  etc. 

It  was  to  Mr.  Bryan's  forethought  and  enterprise 
that  Chicago  owed  the  Fidelity  Safe  Depository  which 
passed,  unscathed,  through  the  flames  of  1871,  and 
was  the  means  of  saving  many  millions  to  the  ci'tizens. 

As  a  speaker,  Mr.  Bryan  is  vigorous,  eloquent  and 
convincing ;  one  who  controls  his  audience,  and  rarely 
fails  to  carry  his  points,  and,  in  addition,  one  who 
seldom  speaks  unless  he  has  something  to  say  well 
worth  the  hearing.  His  banquet  and  other  public 
speeches — unpremeditated  as  many  of  them  are- 
bristle  with  eloquent  phrases  and  happy  allusions, 
while  they  are  marked  with  that  good  sense  and  gen- 
eral culture  which  is,  and  always  has  been,  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  man. 

As  first  vice-president  of  the  "  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,"  unanimously  elected  to  that  office,  he  was 
devoted  to  its  welfare,  and  no  man  has  worked  more 
assiduously  for  its  good,  or  with  better  results,  than 
has  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


JOSEPH  ARTHUR  CORAM, 


LOWELL,  MASSACHUSETTS. 


JOSEPH  AKTHUR  COEAM,  son  of  George  and 
Ann  (Bond)  Coram,  was  born  at  St.  John,  New 
Brunswick,  on  the  30th  day  of  April,  1852.  On  his 
father's  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  Sir  Thomas  Coram, 
who  was  the  first  exporter  of  timber  from  America  to 
the  Old  World,  and  who  donated  to  the  ity  of  Lon- 
don the  Foundling's  Hospital  and  left  one  of  the 
largest  estates  in  Europe  to  his  heirs.  On  his  mother's 
side  he  is  a  descendant  of  the  Old  Scottish  "  House  of 
Bond."  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
St.  John,  N.  B.,  and  graduated  from  the  Gage  School, 
after  which  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Northwestern 
Life  Insurance  Company,  of  Milwaukee,  representing 
that  company  in  the  lower  provinces  of  Canada.  He 
remained  with  this  company  for  one  year  and  then 
resigned  to  go  into  the  lumber  business  with  his  father, 
soon  becoming  a  member  of  the  firm,  which  was  known 
as  G.  &  J.  Coram.  They  operated  their  mills  through- 
out Nova  Scotia,  and  shipped  the  product  to  Europe. 

In  1876  Mr.  Coram  left  Canada  and  came  to  the 
United  States,  locating  in  Bangor,  Maine,  where  he 
established  a.  large  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  soaps. 


Here  he  remained  for  eighteen  months,  and  having 
been  obliged  three  times  during  that  period  to  increase 
the  capacity  of  his  plant,  he  concluded  to  go  to  Lowell, 
Mass.,  where  he  established  a  large  factory,  and  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home,  being  at  the  present  time 
interested  in  three  of  the  largest  factories  in  that  place. 

In  1878  Mr.  Coram  went  to  Grafton  count}',  New 
Hampshire,  and  organized  a  mica  mining  company,  but 
sold  his  interests  a  year  later  and  went  to  Minneap- 
olis, Minnesota,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  busines.  Representing  himself  and  five  associ- 
ates, he  bought  and  improved  real  estate,  doing  a  very 
large  business,  erecting  in  one  season  sixty  houses. 

In  the  fall  of  1886  he  went  to  Butte  City,  Montana, 
to  investigate  an  enterprise  then  under  consideration 
which  involved  an  outlay  of  two  and  one  half  millions 
of  dollars.  After  a  careful  investigation  he  decided 
against  the  project,  and  so  advised  his  associates. 
While  on  this  trip  Mr.  Coram  carried  letters  from 
several  large  foreign  bankers  authorizing  him  to  draw 
on  them  for  any  amount  up  to  $5,000,000  to  be  invested 
in  anything  that  appealed  to  his  judgment  as  a  good 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


investment.  Shortly  afterward  he  organized  the  Butte 
&  Boston  •  Mining  Company,  whose  first  outlay 
amounted  to  $5,680.000.  Since  that  time  he  has  in- 
vested for  himself  and  for  his  business  associates  in  the 
west  more  than  twenty  million  dollars,  being  connect- 
ed with  and  owning  lands  in  many  of  the  leading  towns. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Butte  &  Boston  Mining 
Company,  the  Butte  City  Water  Company,  the  Butte 
&  Montana  Commercial  Companv,  the  Kahspell  Town 
Site  Company,  and  is  president  of  the  Globe  National 
Bank  of  Kalispell,  of  the  Kalispell  Water  and 
Electric  Light  Company,  of  the  Libby  Town  Site  Com- 
pany, and  is  besides  connected  with  many  street  rail- 
way and  mining  companies,  owning  much  land  and 
water  power  and  rights.  In  all  of  the  above 
named  enterprises  Mr.  Coram  was  the  originator,  and 
raised  the  capital  employed  by  each  and  every  one  of 
them. 

In  the  spring  of  1886  he  made  a  visit  to  Europe 
with  his  family,  and  while  there  he  introduced  several 
valuable  patents  pertaining  to  the  purification  of  ores 
and  minerals,  iron,  steel,  etc. 

He  has  traveled  extensively  in  Europe  and  in  the 
United  States,  Canada  and  Mexico.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican,  conservative  in  voting,  and  allowing  his 
judgment  to  decide  for  whom  his  ballot  shall  be  cast, 
without  strict  regard  to  party  lines.  He  has  been 
from  his  youth  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
though  his  many  and  diversified  business  interests  keep 
him  constantly  on  the  move  from  one  place  to  another, 
he  does  his  share  of  church  work,  being  ever  ready  to 
respond  to  the  calls  of  charity. 

Mr.  Coram,  as  yet  a  young  man,  has  shown  himself 
in  business  and  financial  ability  to  be  second  to  none ; 
he  is  of  nervous  temperament,  quick  and  active  in  his 
movements,  forms  an  opinion  quickly  and  is  as  prompt 
to  act,  and  an  opinion  once  formed  by  him  is  usually 
found  to  be  the  correct  one.  He  has  earned  and  de- 
serves the  fullest  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  friends 
and  business  associates,  and  that  they  are  amply 
accorded  to  him  is  proven  by  the  immense  interests 
that  are  constantly  being  committed  to  his  charge. 
To  him  and  to  others  of  similar  character  the  West  is 
indebted  for  the  rapid  advancement  that  it  has  made 


during  the  past  few  years,  and  the  great  amount  of 
good  done  by  and  through  him  will  be  long  and 
gratefully  remembered  in  that  section  of  the  country 
in  which  the  good  work  has  been  done. 

Mr.  Coram  was  married  to  Miss  Cora  E.  Work  at 
Bangor,  Me.,  on  the  9th  day  of  August,  1877.  The 
result  of  -this  union  has  been  four  children,  three  sons 
and  one  daughter. 

To  those  who  merely  meet  Mr.  Coram  in  a  social 
or  business  way,  he  appears  to  be  a  bright,  energetic 
business  man  of  sound  judgment  and  the  courage  to 
act  according  to  his  convictions,  but  the  real  depth  of 
his  character  can  only  be  known  by  those  who  have 
the  pleasure  of  a  better  acquaintance.  His  friends 
kuow  him  to  be  a  leader  of  men,  and  that  he  posesses 
a  genius  for  organization  that  may  be  called  greatness. 
As  pertinent  in  this  connection,  we  quote  an  extract 
from  a  letter  written  by  his  life-long  friend,  Dr.  E.  W- 
Trueworthy,  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  who  says: 

"  To  illustrate  his  courage,  self-reliance  and  strength 
of  character,  allow  me  to  make  'the  following  state- 
ment: 

"  When  the  monetary  stringency  of  this  present 
season  was  at  its  height,  currency  at  a  preminm  of 
from  three  to  ten  per  cent.,  many  banks  closing  their 
doors,  millionaires  making  assignments  and  operators 
in  general  curtailing  or  suspending  their  works.  MY. 
Coram  went  to  Butte,  Montana,  bought  copper  property 
to  the  amount  of  $250,000,  shipped  the  gold  there  to 
pay  for  it,  increased  the  forces  in  his  various  enter- 
prises, and  also  the  output  of  his  mines,  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  restoring  confidence,  aiding  others,  and 
checking  the  panic  which  threatened  disaster  to  the 
business  interests  of  Montana,,  the  result  of  which 
enables  the  various  enterprises  in  which  he  was  inter- 
ested to  carry  on  their  operations  with  renewed  energy 
and  at  a  handsome  profit.  This  I  consider  a  bold 
move,  and  but  few  men  would  have  had  the  fore- 
sight to  see  the  result,  the  courage  to  undertake,  or 
the  ability  to  execute.  Many  men  are  great  financiers 
in  good  times ;  but  in  hard  times  only  Napoleons 
come  to  the  front.  Mr.  Coram  came  to  the  front ! 
Personally  he  is  social,  unostentations,  very  generous 
among  his  friends,  and  cpnscientious  in  all  his  dealings." 


ANDREW  J.  COOPER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ANDREW  J.  COOPER  was  born  at  Burlington,  la., 
December  20,  1837,  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  went  to 
Cincinnati,  where  he  speculated  in  real  estate  in  a 
small  way.  When  the  war  broke  out  Mr.  Cooper 
owned  a  steamboat  on  the  Mississippi,  which  he  sold  to 
the  Government,  and  immediately  bought  two  more, 
and  afterward  another.  During  the  war  he  ran 


these  boats  on  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and  Red  rivers, 
carrying  supplies  for  troops  and  conducting  a  general 
transportation  business.  At  the  same  time  he  carried 
on  a  general  merchandising  business,  having  stores  at 
Nashville,  Little  Rock  and  Memphis,  and  was  surveyor 
for  the  Seventh  Army  Corps  at  Little  Rock.  After 
the  war  he  disposed  of  these  interests  and  went  to 
Mexico,  where  he  remained  until  1868,  when  he  re- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CKEA  T  WEST. 


turned  to  this  country  and  located  in  Chicago.  Fore- 
seeing the  opportunities  for  profitable  investment,  he 
went  into  the  real  estate  business,  and  by  the  exercise 
of  sound  judgment  has  accumulated  a  handsome 
property.  He  has  been  connected  with  very  many 
of  the  largest  transactions  in  real  estate  for  many 
years. 

Several  of  the  notable  business  blocks  of  Chicago 
have  been  the  product  of  his  enterprise,  and  have 
added  greatly  to  the  reputation  and  elegance  of  the 
city.  He  has  not,  however,  confined  his  building  oper- 
ations to  Chicago,  but  has  extended  them  to  other 
places.  A  notable  instance  of  this  is  the  construction, 
in  connection  with  Stephen  D.  Hatch,  of  New  York,  of 


a  ten-story  fire-proof  building  on  the  corner  of  Fourth 
and  Olive  streets,  in  St.  Louis,  costing  a  half  million  of 
dollars.  Mr.  Cooper  is  a  typical  western  man,  full  of 
energy,  replete  with  the  quick  and  keen  appreciation 
of  the  salient  points  of  a  proffered  transactiop,  and 
possessed  of  indomitable  perseverance.  It  is  such  men 
who  become  leaders  and  acquire  great  wealth  in  any 
large  city. 

Mr.  Cooper  was  married  on  September  14,  1881,  to 
Miss  Abbie  Abercrombie,  of  Chicago.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber, of  the  Washington  Park  Club,  a  companionable, 
pleasant  gentleman  everywhere,  and  an  honor  to  the 
city  which  has  witnessed  his  enterprise  and  in  which 
his  success  has  been  wrought. 


ALBERT  L.  COE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ALBERT  L.  COE,  president  of  the  Royal  Trust 
Company  Bank,  is  a  gentleman  to  whom  Chicago 
points  with  pride  as  being  one  of  her  representative 
citizens. 

Mr.  Coe  was  born  at  Talmage,  O.,  about  thirty-five 
miles  southeast  of  the  city  of  Cleveland,  and  is  the  son 
of  Kev.  David  Lyman  Coe,  who  came  to  the  Western 
Keserve  in  1818,  soon  after  graduating  from  Williams 
College,  Mass.,  and  of  Polly  (Hayes)  Coe,  the  daughter 
of  Colonel  Richard  Hayes,  who  with  his  family  left 
Hartford,  Conn.,  in  the  spring  of  1804.  Colonel  Hayes 
led  a  colony  of  some  twelve  families  who  located  in 
Hartford,  Trumbull  county,  O.,  which  town,  together 
with  a  number  of  surrounding  ones,  they  named  after 
the  various  New  England  places  from  which  they 
came.  The  colonel  recruited  a  regiment  of  infantry 
from  the  very  sparsely  settled  country  of  northern 
Ohio,  and  took  part  in  the  War  of  1812;  afterward 
becoming  a  prosperous  merchant,  owning  a  large 
store,  mills,  stage  line  and  other  industries.  He  died 
about  1840,  leaving  quite  a  large  fortune  for  those 
days.  His  family  and  that  of  ex-President  Hayes 
were  distantly  related,  being  in  fact,  of  the  same  blood- 
In  1837  occurred  the  death  of  Rev.  David  L.  Coe,  and 
in  1839,  Mrs.  Coe  was  married  to  Dr.  Orestes  Kent 
Hawley. 

Receiving  his  early  education  in  the  district  school, 
young  Coe  subsequently  attended  the  academy  at 
Painsville,  O..  for  some  two  years,  and  at  Grand  River 
Institute,  in  Austinburg,  Ashtabula  county,  leaving 
there  at  the  age  of  seventeen  to  engage  in  the  business 
of  life. 

Our  subject's  stepfather,  Dr.  Hawley,  was  a  noted 
Abolitionist,  and  his  house  was  one  of  the  stations 
along  the  celebrated  "  Underground  Railway,"  and 
young  Coe  drove  many  a  load  of  runaway  slaves  up  to 
the  different,  points  on  Lake  Erie,  at  and  near  Ashta- 


bula, securing  passage  for  them  to  the  Canadian  shore, 
the  trip  being  oftimes  made  at  night.  His  selection  for 
this  position  was  owing  to  the  good  qualities  he  pos- 
sessed as  a  horseman,  and  his  energy  and  fearlessness, 
unusual  for  a  boy  of  his  age,  as  in  those  days  threats 
of^personal  violence  were  freely  made  by  the  pro-slav- 
ery element  under  protection  of  the  infamous  "  Fugi- 
tive Slave  Law."  This  service  continued  from  his 
ninth  to  his  fourteenth  year.  Joshua  R.  Giddings  and 
Benjamin  F.  Wade,  both  of  abolition  fame,  were  res- 
idents of  the  same  county,  and  in  the  same  circle  of 
friends.  It  is  therefore  not  suprising  that  young  Coe 
took  delight  in  visiting  them,  and  naturally  derived 
much  patriotic  inspiration  therefrom. 

When  about  eighteen  years  old  he  decided  to  seek 
a  wider  field  for  his  energies,  and  eventually  settled  in 
Chicago,  in  1853.  In  February,  1854,  he  engaged  in 
the  coal  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  T.  R.  Clarke 
&  Co.,  thb  firm  consisting  of  Thomas  R.  Clarke,  Benja- 
min Carpenter  and  Albert  L.  Coe.  Three  years  later 
Mr.  Clarke  retired  and  the  firm  was  then  changed  to 
that  of  Coe  &  Carpenter,  which  firm  was  continued 
until  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

In  September,  1861,  Mr.  Coe,  aroused  by  the  patri- 
otism which  had  characterized  his  early  boyhood, 
enlisted  in  the  Fifty-first  Illinois  Infantry  (raised  in 
Chicago)  as  a  private,  serving  over  four  years,  or  during 
the  war.  But,  before  leaving  the  recruiting  camp,  he 
was  commissioned  second  lieutenant,  and  soon  after 
entered  the  field  as  first  lieutenant,  serving  most  of 
the  time  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He  was 
under  Generals  Pope,  Rosecrans,  Sheridan,  Thomas, 
Grant  and  Sherman,  and  did  detached  service  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  First  Brigade,  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps,  and  also  of  the  Second  Division  of  the  same 
Corps;  participated  in  the  capture  of  Island  No.  10, was 
at  Pittsburg  Landing,  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge, 


Of  ^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


35 


took  part  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  was  one  of 
those  who  marched  with  Sherman  to  the  sea;  also  from 
Savannah,  through  the  Carolinas,  to  "Washington,  and 
was  in  the  grand  review  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
received  a  captain's  commission,  but  was  never  regu- 
larly mustered  in  that  rank,  owing  to  the  continued 
active  operations  in  the  field  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps. 
He  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  November,  1865,  at 
Springfield,  111.,  having  served  over  four  years.  Sub- 
sequently he  became  a  member  of  and  helped  to  organ- 
ize the  Illinois  National  Guards,  and  from  1875  to 
1880  served  as  major  on  General  A.  0.  Ducat's  staff, 
and  was  on  duty  during  the  riots  in  this  city  in 

1877. 

Upon  returning  to  civil  life,  Mr.  Coe  decided  to 
engage  in  the  real  estate  business.  In  January,  1868, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  A.  B.  Mead,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Mead  &  Coe,  which  firm  still  con- 
tinues to  be  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  best 
known,  and  one  of  the  oldest  firms  engaged  in  the 
business  in  Chicago.  The  firm  possesses  an  extensive 
clientage,  and  in  fact,  does  an  amount  of  business 
equaled  by  few. 

Mr.  Coe  was  married  in.  March,  1864-,  to  Miss  Char- 
lotte E.  "Woodward,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Woodward, 
a  prominent  merchant  of  Mansfield,  Conn. 

One  of  the  organizers  of  the  Union  League   Clubv 


he  has  been  among  its  most  active  and  efficient  mem- 
bers, serving  as  director,  or  officer  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  previous  to  1891,  he  was  its  vice-president 
for  three  years.  A  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and 
of  the  George  H.  Thomas  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  he  is  also  a 
director  and  an  active  member  of  the  Citizen's  League, 
and  has  been  a  director  of  the  Auditorium  Association 
since  the  first  year  of  its  establishment.  He  was  for 
five  years  treasurer  of  the  City  Missionary  Society  and 
is  still  a  member  of  its  directorate.  He  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  Royal  Trust  Company  Bank, 
and  has  served  as  its  president  since  organization.  He 
has  also  been  fora  number  of  years  a  trustee  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Chicago,  and  at 
the  last  election  was  elected  vice-president  of  its  board 
of  trustees. 

Personally,  Mr.  Coe  is  of  medium  height  and  of 
commanding  presence,  being  extremely  genial  and 
affable  in  manner.  He  is  of  a  generous  disposition  and 
very  popular.  It  would,  perhaps  be  difficult  to  name 
any  man  who  has  a  more  just  claim  to  the  honor  of 
being  considered  one  of  Chicago's  representative  busi- 
ness men  than  Albert  Lyman  Coe,  for  he  has  always 
been  identified  with  the  best  ipterests  of  the  city,  and 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  its  general  welfare 
and  there  are,  perhaps,  few  men  more  esteemed  or 
more  highly  respected  by  the  citizens  than  he. 


O.  W.  CRAWFORD, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  convening  of  the  "World's  Real  Estate  Congress 
was  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  real  estate  events 
of  the  world.  Numerous  ideas  were  discussed  and 
plans  suggested.  It  forms  an  essential  feature  of  the 
education  which  must  precede  practical  reform.  The 
accomplishments  of  that  congress  will  start  a  revolu- 
tion in  the  usual  procedings  in  real  estate  matters. 
Among  the  men  who  were  very  active  in  their  efforts 
to  assemble  this  congress,  was  Mr.  O.  W.  Crawford, 
the  secretary  of  the  National  Real  Estate  Association. 

Mr.  Crawford  was  born  in  Columbus,-  Ohio,  in 
1851.  During  his  childhood,  his  parents  moved  to 
Missouri,  where  he  was  reared.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  and  the  State  University. 
After  leaving  college,  he  pursued  his  legal  studies  until 
lie  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  but  his  nervous  and  ardent 
temperament  soon  sought  more  active  fields  of  opera- 
tion, and  he  abandoned  all  thoughts  of  the  law. 

In  1871  he  joined  the  flood  of  emigrants  and  ''home- 
steaded"  16(i  acres  of  Uncle  Sam's  rich  land  in  Kansas. 
A  few  years  later  he  went  to  Texas,  and  was  led  into 
the  real  estate  business  bv  the  wonderful  opportunity 
for  dealing  in  cheap  land.  It  was  only  necessary  to 
make  known  the  infinitesimal  price  and  the  superior 
quality  of  the  land,  to  do  business.  He  decided  that 


the  modern  improvements  in  transportation  and  inter- 
communication made  it  possible  to  take  profitable 
advantage  of  the  natural  riches  of  the  country, 
wherever  they  were  to  be  found,  and  in  this  belief  he 
explored  mines  in  Mexico,  mahogany  forests  in  Central 
America,  sugar  plantations  in  the  "West  Indies,  and 
timber  areas  in  Canada. 

Success  in  advertising  his  own  business  induced  the 
people  of  Houston,  Texas,  to  offer  him  the  secretary- 
ship of  the  Commercial  Club,  which  position  he  filled 
with  great  profit  to  the  city  and  honor  to  himself.  He 
'advanced  the  interests  of  Houston  to  such  an  extent 
"that  when  he  resigned  in  July,  1891,  he  was  compli- 
mented by  being  made  an  honorary  member  for  life. 

He  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  general  agent 
and  manager  of  advertising  for  the  Brazos  River  Chan- 
nel and  Dock  Company,  a  syndicate  which  had  secured 
deep  water  at  the  mouth  of  the  Brazos  river,  and 
founded  the  now  important  seaport  of  Velasco.  So 
successful  were  his  methods  and  his  work,  that  in  six 
months  the  company  sold  over  a  million  dollars  worth 
of  town  lots,  and  built  a  town  of  more  than  2,000 
inhabitants. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  National  Real  Estate 
Association  in  1892,  he  was  elected  secretary.  He  is 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  National 
Mining  Congress,  and  is  permanent  secretary  of  the 
Trans-Mississippi  Commercial  Congress,  and  is  also 
an  active  member  of  the  Chicago  Heal  Estate 
Board. 

At  present-  Mr.  Crawford  is  advertising  manager 
and  exclusive  rental  agent  of  the  Masonic  Temple,  and 
has  demonstrated  his  ability  by  increasing  the  revenue 
of  the  observatory  four-fold,  since  he  assumed  his  pres- 
ent position.  For  instance,  he  commenced  on  Septem- 
ber first,  with  the  revenue  only  $434  per  day,  and  dur- 
ing the  first  twenty  days  of  October,  had  increased  the 
daily  receipts  to  $1,167.  He  has  made  the  phrase  "302 
feet  above  the  sidewalk"  a  household  word,  and  has 
added  one  more  link  to  his  chain  of  successes  in  judicious 
and  profitable  advertising. 

Mr.  Crawford  is  an  energetic  and  enthusiastic  advo- 


cate of  reform  in  real  estate  forms  and  transfers  His- 
comprehensive  criticism  is  trenchantly  stated  by  him 
in  one  sentence — "  The  system  which  requires  in  forty- 
five  States  eighty-four  separate  and  differing  acknowl- 
edgements to  legalize  exactly  the  same  act,  is  indefen- 
sible." He  believes  that  the  continuity  and  prosperity 
of  the  country  depends  upon  development,  and  that 
development  depends  upon  completion  and  ownership 
of  the  Nicaragua  Canal,  increased  north  and  south 
Trans-Mississippi  traffic,  and  electrical  transmission  of 
power.  As  an  after  dinner  speaker,Mr.  Crawford  ranks 
with  the  best  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  country,  and  has 
probably  the  largest  list  of  personal  acquaintances  of 
almost  any  single  individual  in  the  West.'  He  is  a  man 
of  genial  and  kindly  disposition,  and  counts  among  his 
extensive  acquaintances  a  large  circle  of  fast  personal 
friends. 


JOHN    CUDAHY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  CUDAHY,  a  member  of  the  well  known  firm 
of  Cudahy  Brothers,  is  of  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent and  highly  respected  families  resident  in  Chicago. 
The  Cudahys,  through  their  connection  with  the  pack- 
ing industry,  are  known  the  world  over  as  self-made 
men  and  founders  of  their  own  fortunes.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  mention  the  name  of  any  one  who  would 
better  serve  as  an  example  of  what  perseverance,  in- 
domitable energy  and  determination  to  succeed  (often 
in  the  face  of  seemingly  insuperable  difficulties)  can  do, 
than  does  the  name  of  John  Cudahy.  Gradually 
rising,  step  by  step,  each  position  increasing  in  respon- 
sibility, their  fortunes  becoming  proportionately  ad- 
vanced, until  they  are  numbered  among  the  million- 
aires of  this  great  city,  the  brothers  Cudahy  are  able 
to  look  back  upon  their  successful  careers  with  com- 
mendable pride,  for  theirs  is  a  record  the  emulation  of 
which  would  be  honorable,  and  its  results  beneficial  to 
the  public  at  large. 

John  Cudahy  was  born  at  Callan,  County  Kil- 
kenny, Ireland,  November  2,  1843.  He  is  the  son  of 
Patrick  and  Elizabeth  (Shaw)  Cudahy.  His  father  ' 
was  a  native  of  Callan,  while  his  mother's  people,  the 
Shaws,  were  residents  of  Dublin,  afterward  removing 
to  Callan,  where  they  established  pottery  works.  Be- 
lieving this  country  to  offer  better  advantages  for  the 
bringing  up  and  giving  a  start  in  the  world  to  a  young 
family,  in  1849  John's  parent's  came  hither,  and,  after 
a  short  time  spent  in  the  East,  they  removed  to  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  in  the  public  schools  of  which  city, 
working  occasionally  between  times,  young  Cudahy 
received  his  education.  When  between  fourteen  and 
fifteen  years  of  age,  he  entered  the  packing-house  of 
Ed.  Roddis,  remaining  in  his  employ  until  about  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  emr.'oy  of  John 


Plankinton,  afterward  Plankinton  &  Armour,  remain- 
ing in  the  latter  position  about  one  and  one- half 
years.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  became  engaged  in 
the  nursery  business  with  Mr.  Thomas  Gynne,  of  Mil- 
waukee, dealing  in  fruit  and  ornamental  trees,  etc.,  occu- 
pying the  position  of  foreman  for  three  seasons,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  lie  made  a  proposition  of  purchase 
to  the  proprietors,  the  terms  of  which  and  their 
acceptance  give  evidence  of  the  great  confidence  in 
which  he  was  held,  not  only  by  his  former  employers, 
but  by  his  neighbors  in  general,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
it  illustrates  his  complete  self-reliance  and  confidence 
of  success.  He  purchased  the  nursery,  its  stock, 
wagons,  horses,  etc.,  paying  but  a  small  sum  down. 
Continuing  this  business  three  years,  during  which 
time  he  cleared  every  vestige  of  the  debt,  in  addition 
to  making  no  small  sum,  this  was  the  first  venture  in 
which  he  made  money,  and  from  this  date  his  success 
continued,  though  in  a  varying  degree. 

Returning  to  the  packing  industry,  he  was  emploj'ed 
by  Lay  ton  &  Co.,  packers,  for 'the  three  years  fol- 
lowing. During  this  period  ties  of  friendship  were 
formed  between  employer  and  emplove  which  time 
has  served  to  strengthen  rather  than  weaken,  and  Mr. 
Cudahy  takes  pleasure  in  expressing  his  appreciation 
of  the  kindness  shown  him  by  Mr.  Layton.  While 
still  in  the  employ  of  Layton  &  Co.  he  was  appointed 
Board  of  Trade  provision  inspector  for  the  city  of 
Milwaukee,  after  being  foreman  and  Board  of  Trade 
inspector  of  Van  Kirk  &  McGeough.  occupying  these 
joint  positions  some  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1875 
he  purchased  an  interest  in  John  Plankinton's  packing 
house,but  he  soon  after  decided  that  he  wanted  a  wider 
field  of  operation,  and  through  the  intercession  of  his 
brother,  Michael,  between  whom  and  Mr.  Plankinton 


*WW 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


39 


there  has  always  existed  strong  ties  of  friendship,  he 
was  released  from  the  contract,  and  in  July  of  the  same 
year  removed  to  Chicago  and  formed  a  copartnership 
with  E.  D.  Chapin,  under  the  style  of  Chapin  «fe  Co., 
packers,  and  so  remained  for  two  years.  Then  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  Chapin  &  Cudahy,  this 
partnership  continuing  altogether  for  about  five  years, 
when  Mr.  Chapin  withdrew,  since  which  time 
Mr.  Cudahy  has  continued  the  Chicago  business  alone, 
being  also  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Patrick 
(Cudahy  Bros,  packers,  Milwaukee),  they  having  suc- 
ceeded three  years  before  to  the  business  of  John 
Plankinton,  who  retired  from  business. 

Prominent  in  social  affairs,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Washington  Park  Club,  the  Union  League  Club,  the 
Chicago  Club,  and  the  Columbus. 

Mr.  Cudahy  has  been  twice  married  ;  first,  on  Oct- 
ober 1,  1873,  to  Miss  Mary  Nolan,  of  Bridgeport, 
Conn.,  the  issue  of  this  marriage  being  four  girls,  two 
being  deceased,  while  the  remaining  two,  Misses  Bessie 
and  Julia,  are  at  present  being  educated  atManhattan- 
ville,  N.  Y.  He  was  married  again  (in  1882)  to  Miss 
Margaret  F.  O'Neill,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  O'Neill,  a 
prominent  citizen,  and  one  of  Chicago's  oldest  settlers, 
and  who  died  some  three  years  ago.  -Two  children 
have  been  the  issue  of  this  marriage,  John  K.,  ten,  and 
Gerald  C.,  nine  years  of  age. 

Posseseing  a  host  of  friends,  amongst  the  most 
prominent  of  Chicago's  citizens,  and  many  admirers 
amongst  the  poorer  classes  (many  of  whom  he  has 
repeatedly  befriended),  we  can  not  do  better  than  state 
what  has  been  said  of  him  by  one  of  our  most  promi- 
nent citizens : 

"  Quick  and  shrewd  to  detect  a  fraud  or  sham,  he  is 
prompt  and  outspoken  in  his  condemnation,  yet  he  is 
genuine  and  sincere  and  thoughtful  of  his  friends.  As 


a  business  man,  he  is  bright  and  clear  in  judgment,  of 
quick  perception,  prompt  and  unhesitating  in  action. 
The  fact  of  his  having  accumulated  so  handsome  a  for- 
tune, and  while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life,  is  ample  proof 
of  the  correctness  of  his  general  business  methods  and 
characteristics.  At  his  home,  where  the  furnishings 
and  appointments  are  luxurious,  and  betoken  much 
taste  and  mature  judgment,  his  wife  presides  and  aids 
her  husband  in  dispensing  a  hospitality  open-hearted 
and  whole-souled  on  his  part,  and  truly  graceful  and 
generous  on  hers. 

"He  is  a  large  contributor  to  all  public  enterprises 
for  the  improvement  and  advancement  of  the  coin- 

4  * 

munity  at  large.  His  own  and  his  wife's  list  of  chari- 
ties would  be  far  too  large  to  enumerate  here,  for 
probably  no  private  "individual  contributes  more  fre- 
quently or  more  generously  to  the  advancement  of 
religion  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  for  the 
thousand  and  one  charitable  orders  and  charitable 
enterprises  which  are  fostered  by  the  church  to  which 
he  belongs;  but  his  generosity  is  by  no  means  confined 
to  those  of-  his  own  faith,  but  every  good  and  com- 
mendable effort  to  aid  those  who  need  it,  finds  in  him 
a  generous  support  and  a  practical  sympathizer.  His 
summer  home  on  Mackinac  IsJancl  is  beautifully  sit- 
uated, and,  like  his  home  in  the  city,  is  a  center  of 
hospitality  for  all  friends  who  may  happen  to  be  on 
the  island  during  the  season. 

"Personally,  all  the  Cudahy  brothers  are  magnificent 
specimens  of  manhood,  being  large,  well-proportioned, 
handsome  men,  and  John  Cudahy  is  no  exception.  A 
typical  Irishman  of  the  better  class,  he  is  a  valuable 
citizen  of  this  city  and  State,  and  a  useful  and  influen- 
tial member  ,of  society;  a  man  who  is  esteemed  and 
respected,  not  only  by  a  large  circle  of  friends,  but  by 
the  community  at  large." 


ELMER  E.  BABCOCK,  M.  D., 


"CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ELMER  E.  BABCOCK,  son  of  Justin  Dewayne 
Babcock,  and  Ruth  L.  (Richards)  Babcock,  was 
born  at  Platteville,  Grant  count}7,  Wis.,  June  8, 
1859.  He  is  of  Scotch-English  parentage.  His  great- 
grandfather, Gideon  Babcock,  was  an  officer  in  the  war 
of  1776,  enlisting  from  Coventry.  He  traces  direct 
lineage  to  Robert  Babcock,  of  Puritan  stock.  His 
mother's  father,  Daniel  Richards,  left  New  York  in 
1828,  settling  in  Platteville  Wis.  -.and  engaging  in 
mining  interests.  His  father,  Justin  D.,  was  a  man  of 
considerable  prominence  in  the  State  and  served 
through  the  civil  \var  as  lieutenant  of  Company  F, 
Third  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry. 

Young  Babcock   attended    the  cofhmon   and    high 
schools     at     Fond  du    Lac,   Wis.        He     afterward 


engaged  in  farming  in  Kansas  until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age,  then  going  to  Lincoln,  Neb.,  where  he 
engaged  in  civil  engineering  and  surveying,  until  1881, 
when  he  laid  the  transit  aside  and  £ook  up  the  scalpel 
and  study  of  surgery,  under  Drs.  Bowen  and  Hart. 

He  next  attended  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  of  Chicago,  from  which  institution  he  gradu- 
ated, March  11,  1884.  He  spent  the  ne"xt  two  years  as 
surgeon  in  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  receiving  its 
diploma  in  the  spring  of  1886,  when  he  commenced  the 
private  practice  of  his  profession,  which  has  grown  to 
be  a  large  one. 

In  1888  and  1889  he  filled  the  chair  of  lectureship 
on  surgical  anatomy  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  in  Chicago.  In  1890-91  he  lectured  on  sur- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


gical  pathology  in  the  same  college.  In  1891  he  \vas 
elected  to  the  professorship  of  surgical  anatomy,  and  in 
the  same  year  was  made  recording  secretary  of  the 
above  named  institution.  In  1893  he  was  made  attend- 
ing surgeon  to  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  which  posi- 
tion he  now  holds. 

Dr.  Babcock  is  a  member  of  several  medical  societies, 
among  them  being  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the 
Medico-Legal  Society,  the  Doctors'  Club,  Cook  County 
Hospital  Clinical  Society,  the  Chicago  Pathological 
Society,  and  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  and  has  been 
since  1880.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  while  he  believes 
in  voting  with  his  party,  he  reserves  the  right  to  vote 
locally  for  the  man  he  thinks  best  fitted  for  the  office. 

Dr.  Babcock  was  married  in  Lincoln,  Neb.,  to  Miss 
Ida  A.  Dobson,  April  20,  1886.  Mrs.  Babcock  is  a 


daughter  of  Mr.  Isaac  Dobson,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
that  place. 

In  person,  Dr.  Babcock  is  of  good  height  and  robust 
physique,  with  a  refined  and  scholarly  appearance.  In 
manner  he  is  cordial,  and  in  disposition  friendly  and 
sympathetic,  qualities  which  easily  command  respect 
and  win  friends.  Sincerity  is  one  of  his  most  marked 
characteristics  and  is  manifested  in  a  disposition  to 
spare  no  pains  to  render  to  those  who  give  to  him  their 
confidence  the  best  and  most  conscientious  service, 
whether  professionally  or  otherwise.  Dr.  Babcock  is 
recognized  as  an  actively  growing  man,  studious  and 
progressive,  and  one  who  has  already  acquired  an 
enviable  position  in  his  profession  ;  while  as  a  medical 
teacher  he  uniformly  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  his  classes,  and  the  cordial  approbation  of  his  col- 
leagues. 


COL.  FRANCIS  T.  COLBY, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


C  RAN  CIS  T.  COLBY,  son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Mary 
1  (Whelan)  Colby  is  a  native  of  Chicago  and  was  born 
on  September  27,  1860.  His  father  is  a  descendant  of 
a  prominent  New  England  family  and  was  an  early 
settler  of  Chicago,  having  located  in  this  city  in  1850. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Chicago,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1876. 
In  1877  he  entered  the  Chicago  University,  taking  a 
special  course  and  graduating  therefrom  in  1880,  with 
the  honors  of  his  class,  reading  law  in  the  meantime 
with  Judge  James  Goggin  of  Chicago.  He  immedi- 
ately entered  upon  the  practice  of  law,  upon  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies,  in  which  he  has  since  been 
engaged,  until  lie  is  now  known  to  the  profession  as  a 
highly  successful  realty  and  probate  lawyer,  and  recog- 
nized as  an  able  advocate  and  counselor. 

He  has  always  been  identified  with  the  fraternal  and 
benevolent  societies,  having  held  high  offices  in  the 
Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  Catholic  Benevolent 
Legion.  Royal  Arcanum,  Royal  League  and  United 
Irish  societies.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  inspector  of 
rifle  practice,  with  rank  as  captain,  in  the  Hibernian 
Rifles,  subsequently  being  elected  colonel,  and  was 
ajrain  elected  to  the  same  position  in  January 
1893.  On  the  21st  of  June.  1893,  when  the  reg- 
iment was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  State 
as  the  7th  Infantry  I.  N.  G.,  he  was  unanimously 
elected  colonel,  and  duly  commissioned  by  Gov.  John 
P.  Altgeld.  He  is  now  senior  colonel  of  the  First 
Brigade  I.  N.  G.,  the  7th  Infantry  having  the  right  of 
the  line. 


In  1892  he  was  elected  supreme  commander  of  the 
Uniform  Rank  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters.  He  has 
also  been  active  in  societies  connected  with  his  pro- 
fession, and  for  a  number  of  years  has  been  a  member 
of  the  American  Bar  Association,  Chicago  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, and  the  Chicago  Law  Institute. 

Colonel  Colby  has  been  particularly  successful  in 
that  department  of  law,  which  relates  to  examination 
of  titles  to  real  estate  and  probate  matters.  He  is  a 
staunch  Democrat,  but  never  has  been  a  candidate  for 
any  public  office,  never  taking  an  active  part  in  politics. 
He  was,  however,  in  1388,  nominated  by  the  working- 
men's  party  for  State's  Attorney,  and  though  he 
declined  the  nomination  in  writing,  they  retained  his 
name  upon  the  ticket  and  more  than  12,000  votes  were 
cast  for  him. 

He  has  traveled  considerably  in  his  own  country 
and  in  Europe.  Col.  Colby  was  united  in  marriage 
November  27,  1882,  to  Miss  Rose  L.  Sullivan,  of 
Chicago.  They  have  had  six  children,  Everett,  Beat- 
rice, Rosita,  Evelyn,  Genevieve  and  Imogene.  Everett 
and  Rosita  have  died;  the  others  still  survive. 

The  Colonel  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance, 
of  magnificent  physique,  and  upright  soldierly  bearing; 
a  man  who  will  attract  attention  in  any  gathering,  and 
one  who  has  many  friends,  not  only  in  Chicago,  but 
elsewhere.  Although  connected  with  so  many  societies, 
and  an  active  member  of  the  Columbus  Club,  he  is  by 
nature  a  domestic  and  home  loving  man,  and  never  is 
happier  than  in  the  bosom  of  his  family. 

By  the  judicious  investment  of  his  professional 
income,  Col.  Colby  has  acquired  considerable  property, 
which  is  rapidly  increasing  in  value. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


JOSEPH   FORREST  CASS, 


SUMNER,  IOWA. 


43 


JOSEPH  FORREST  CASS,  son  of  Stephen  Forrest 
and  Martha  J.  (Wilcox)  Cass,  was  born  in  Vernon 
county,  Wisconsin,  July  31,  1863.  His  father  was  a 
cousin  of  Gen.  Lewis  Cass,  ex-governor  of  Michigan, 
and  in  1848  the  Democratic  candidate  for  the  presi- 
dency of  the  United  States,  and  on  his  mother's  side 
he  is  a  descendant  from  Ira  Wilcox,  a  pioneer  minister 
of  Wisconsin,  and  from  Timothy  Dwight,  who  was  for 
many  years  president  of  Yale  College. 

When  he  was  two  years  of  age  his  parents  moved 
to  Bremer  county,  Iowa,  settling  in  Sumner  township 
and  in  the  town  of  Sumner  then  just  laid  out,  in  1875. 
Young  Cass  received  his  education  in  the  district  and 
village  schools  of  Iowa,  and  while  not  a  college  gradu- 
ate,  is  a  man  very  well  read  and  competent  to  discuss 
matters  of  business  and  political  importance  with 
unusual  intelligence  and  ability.  As  a  youth  he  always 
showed  a  determination  to  go  to  the  bottom  and 
thorough!}'  understand  different  questions  as  they 
came  up,  and  this  trait  has  clung  to  him  since  and  has 
proven  of  incalculable  value  to  him  in  his  business 
career. 

After  leaving  school  he  became  a  telegraph  operator 
and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  was  employed  as  such  at 
Brestow,  Iowa.  A  year  later  he  was  appointed  rail- 
road agent  at  Tripoli,  Iowa,  when  he  took  entire 
charge  of  the  freight  and  passenger  business  at  that 
place. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  he.  with  his  brother,  as- 
sumed a  half  interest  inageneral  merchandise  business, 
at  Sumner,  Iowa,  under  the  title  of  Cass  Brothers  & 
Littel'l.  In  connection  with  this  business  he  made 
several  trips  to  Chicago,  where,  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  officials  of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  be- 


fore he  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  he  was  employed 
in  the  service  of  that  institution  as  a  clerk,  while  dur- 
ing the  evenings  of  his  four  years  in  Chicago  he  acted 
also  as  treasurer  of  Grenier's  Lyceum  Theater.  At  the 
end  of  four  years'  service,  as  stated,  young  Cass  re- 
signed to  accept  the  office  of  vice-president  of  the  Bank 
of  Sumner,  owned  and  controlled  by  his  father.  Here 
he  has  since  remained  and  now  owns  one-third  of  the 
bank's  stock.  He  is  also  manager  of  the  Cass  Opera 
House  at  Sumner. 

Politically  Mr.  Cass  is  a  good  Republican,  though 
not  active  as  a  politician,  being  usually  content  with 
casting  his  ballot.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  has  hetd  many  important  positions  in  that 
order.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  public  enter- 
prises, and  has  been  a  notary  public  for  the  past  seven 
years. 

In  June,  1887,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Florence  B. 
Royal,  a  young  widow  with  whom  he  had  become  ac- 
quainted while  residing  in  Chicago,  and  a  lady  of  fine 
musical  ability.  They  have  two  children,  both  daugh- 
ters. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cass  have  traveled  extensively 
over  the  United  States  and  have  visited  nearly  every 
point  of  interest  in  the  country,  especially  that  portion 
lying  east  of  the  B/>cky  Mountains. 

Mr.  Cass  is  still  a  young  man,  being  under  thirty, 
and  is  to-day  considered  one  of  the  best  financiers  in 
Iowa.  Of  sound  judgment  and  business  tact,  his  busi- 
ness is  uniformly  done  in  a  business-like  manner.  With 
the  wonderful  capacity  for  handling  large  enterprises, 
as  already  shown,  he  bids  fair  to  make  a  record  not 
often  exceeded  in  brilliancy  by  any  of  the  noted  men 
whose  records  adorn  the  pages  of  the  business  history 
of  the  West. 


HUMPHREY    BARKER   CHAMBERLIN, 


DENVER,  COLORADO. 


HUMPHREY  BARKER   CHAMBERLIN,  son  of 
Robert  and  Eliza  (Barker)  Chamberlin,  was  born 
in  Manchester,  England,  on   the  7th  day  of  February, 
1847. 

His  parents  came  to  America  when  he  was  seven 
years  of  age,  and  after  residing  for  a  time  in  Ne\v 
York  city,  finally  located  at  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  where 
young  Chamberiin  received  a  good  education,  graduat- 
ing from  the  Normal  school  in  1862.  He  then  entered 
the  employ  of  the  New  York,  Albany  &  Buffalo  Tele- 
graph Company  (now  the  Western  Union),  and  was 
afterwards  appointed  by  General  Eckert  to  a  position 
in  the  department  of  the  Military  Telegraph  Corps,  U. 
S.  A.,  where  he  rendered  faithful  service  during  the 


last  two  years  of  the  war  at  the  headquarters  of  Gen- 
erals Schofield,  Howard,  Palmer  and  Terry.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  entered  the  drug  business  in  the 
employ  of  James  Bickford  &  Co.,  of  Oswego,  N.  Y., 
and  in  the  following  year  was  admitted  to  partnership 
as  a  reward  of  merit.  He  continued  in  the  drug  bus- 
iness at  Oswego,  Fulton  and  Syracuse  until  1876,  when 
lie  was  chosen  general  secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  retained  this  position  until  1879, 
when  ill  health,  caused  by  over-taxation  of  energy, 
forced  him  to  resign  that  position. 

In  1S80  he  sought  the  mountains  of  Colorado,  and  a 
year's  rest  there  made  h.m  feel  so  much  better  that  he 
concluded  to  remain  permanently,  and  he  accordingly 


44 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


settled  in  Denver.  There  he  entered  into  the  real 
estate  business,  and  his  keen  foresight,  which  revealed 
to  him  the  marvelous  possibilities  of  Denver's  future, 
has  made  him  a  fortune.  Mr.  Chamberlin  is  to-day 
one  of  the  recognized  authorities  in  the  West  on  all 
matters  pertaining  to  real  estate  values.  He  has  been 
the  originator  and  promoter  of  many  of  the  most  im- 
portant enterprises  that  have  been  brought  before  the 
public  in  Colorado  since  his  residence  there,  among 
which  the  Chamberlin  Investment  Company,  of  which 
he  is  president,  has  the  remarkable  record  of  having 
never  lost  one  penny  for  a  client. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  has  been  and  is  now  connected 
with  many  enterprises.  He  was  president  of  the  Den- 
ver Beaver  Brook  Water  Company,  president  of  the 
Denver,  Colorado  &  Pacific  liailroad  Company,  vice- 
president  of  the  Kibber  Stove  Company,  vice-president 
of  the  Denver  Insurance  Company,  president  of  the 
State  National  Bank,  a  director  of  the  State  National 


Bank,  and  ex-president  of  the  Denver  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  At  the  International  Convention  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  held  at  Philadelphia,  in  1890,  he  was  chosen 
president  of  that  organization.  He  is  the  founder  of 
the  Chamberlin  Observatory  at  University  Park,  on 
which  he  expended  over  $60,000,  and  which  now  forms 
a  Department  of  the  University  of  Denver,  and  which 
is  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  H.  A.  Howe. 

Mr.  .Chamberlin  came  to  Colorado  less  than  a  score 
of  years  ago  with  sadly  impaired  health;  the  favorable 
climate  has  restored  that  to  him,  and  he  in  return  has 
more  than  repaid  the  score  in  the  good  done  by  him 
since.  Modest  and  unostentatious  in  his  benevolence, 
he  is  ever  ready  to  respond  to  the  cry  of  suffering  hu- 
manity and  to  promulgate  the  cause  of  Christianity,  in 
which  cause  he  has  worked  with  untiring  zeal  from  his 
early  youth.  Taken  all  in  all,  Mr.  Ohamberlin  is  a 
representative  western  man,  in  the  best  sense,  and  hon- 
ored by  his  fellow  citizens. 


JOHN  V.  CLARKE,  JR., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


HPHE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  notably  a  Chicago  man, 
1  having  been  born  in  this  city  on-  October  15,  18C3, 
where  he  has  already  become  a  prominent  factor 
in  the  promotion  of  sound  banking  interests.  He  is 
the  son  of  John  V.  and  Elizabeth  Bertrand  Clarke,  the 
former  a  native  of  Cork,  Ireland,  and  the  latter  of 
Kingston,  Canada.  His  father  was  the  founder  of  the 
Merchants'  Banking  Association,  of  Chicago,  in  1867, 
afterwards,  in  1869,  changed  to  the  Hibernian  Bank- 
ing Association,  and  was  the  president  of  the  institu- 
tion from  its  first  organization  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  August  8,  1892.  He  was  widely  known 
for  his  business  ability  and  sterling  integrity. 

John  V.  Clarke,  the  son,  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  Chicago  public  schools,  afterward  attending 
St.  Ignatius  College  and  Barne's  Academy,  where 'he 
received  a  thorough  commercial  training.  After  leaving 
school  young  Clarke,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  entered 
his  father's  bank  as  messenger,  was  soon  promoted  to 
a  clerkship,  and  steadily  worked  -his  way  up  through 
all  the  various  positipns  in  the  institution,  until,  upon 
the  death  of  his  father,  in  1892,  he  succeeded  him  in 
the  presidency  of  the  bank  ;  at  that  time,  and  now 
(1894),  the  second  largest  savings  bank  in  Chicago. 

How  well  Mr.  Clarke  is  fitted  for  the  responsible 
position  which  he  occupies  has  been  shown  by  the 
masterly  manner  in  which,  so  soon  after  he  assumed 
control  of  the  bank,  he  carried  it  so  safely  through 
the  perilous  panic  of  the  summer  of  1893,  when  every 
savings  bank  in  Chicago  had,  or  was  threatened  with, 
a  serious  run.  It  is  high  praise  to  say  that  just  prior 
to  the  close  of  the  panic,  Mr.  Clarke  was  openly  com- 


plimented as  being  at  the  head  of  the  strongest  bank 
in  the  city  at  that  time.  It  is  also  much  to  his  praise 
to  say,  that,  notwithstanding  his  conservative  course 
with  customers  at  this  time  he  lost  none  worth  keep- 
ing, but  retained  the  good  will  and  business  of  all  the 
patrons  of  the  bank.  This  experience  thoroughly 
tested  the  judgment  and  tried  the  nerve  of  the  youth- 
ful president,  but  found  him  fully  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency. It  is  scarcely  too  much  to  say  that  there  is  no 
man  of  his  age  in  Chicago  banking  circles  who  is  better 
fitted,  or  who  has  so  forcibly  demonstrated  his  quali- 
fications for  the  responsibility  and  trust  which  he  bears 
witli  such  characteristic  modesty.  In  all  his  business 
affairs,  Mr.  Clarke  has  shown,  among  his  character- 
istics, cool  conservatism,  caution  without  timidity,  and 
calm  judgment  and  iron  nerve — combinations  which 
win  victory  in  any  pursuit  in  life. 

In  his  social  life,  Mr.  Clarke  is  deservedly  popular, 
as  has  all  through  his  life  been  evidenced,  not  only  by 
his  connection  with  many  social  organizations,  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  but  by  the  choice  of  official  positions  therein 
which  has  fallen  upon  him  by  the  unanimous  verdict 
of  his  associates.  He  is  a  gentleman  who  makes 
friends  readily,  and  his  friendships  are  of  that  kind 
which  grow  stronger  with  time  as  those  with  whom  he 
is  associated  learn  to  know  his  great  personal  worth 
and  integrity.  In  his  religious  views,  Mr.  Clarke  is  and 
has  always  been  a  Roman  Catholic,  a  loyal  adherent  to 
the  faith  in  which  he  has  been  reared.  Politically  he  is 
classed  with  the  Democratic  party,  confining  his  inter- 
ests in  politics,  however,  to  the  casting  of  his  vote,  never 
having  been  an  aspirant  to  any  public  civic  position. 


c*s 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

W.  FRANKLIN  COLEMAN,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


47 


W  FRANKLIN  COLEMAN  was  born  in  Brock- 
ville,  Ont.  His  paternal  great-grandfather  was 
among  those  who,  upon  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence by  the  revolting  colonies  in  1776,  remained  loyal 
to  the  British  crown  and  made  a  home  in  Upper  Can- 
ada. From  him  "  Coleman's  Corners"  derived  its 
name  and  noted  enterprise  as  a  manufacturing  center. 
He  is  described  as  "a  man  who  shared  the  municipal 
honors  of  his  day,  and  left  his  impress  upon  the  local 
legislature  of  his  time."  The  liberal  number  of  eight 
sons  and  four  daughters  gave  evidence  of  the  good  old 
way  in  which  he  helped  to  man  the  ship  of  State.  His 
grandson,  Billa  (father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch), 
with  his  father  and  two  brothers,  were  large  manu- 
facturers at  Coleman's  Corners,  which,  about  1855,  was 
named  Lyn.  Billa  Coleman  married  Ann  Eliza  "Will- 
son,  born  in  New  York  State,  but  of  English  descent. 
She  was  noted  as  a  woman  of  saintly  virtues  and  rare 
beauty.  She  went  to  rest,  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
her,  two  weeks  after  the  birth  of  her  first-born  child, 
William  Franklin.. 

During  early  infancy  W*.  Franklin  Coleman  was. 
nolens  volens,  moved  to  Coleman's  Corners,  where  from 
the  age  of  six  to  twelve  his  governness  and  various 
village  schoolmasters  thrashed  out  a  fair  crop  of  wild 
oats,  and  an  av*erage  one  of  three  "It's"  and  allied 
products.  The  years  from  twelve  to  fifteen  were  spent 
at  .the  Brockville  Grammar  School,  where  he  and  a 
chum  were  wont  to  be  on  exhibition  as  "first  in  math- 
ematics." The  following  three  years  were  spent  at  the 
Pottsdam  Academy,  N".  Y.,  then  the  resort  of  many 
Canadians. 

The  study  of  medicine  was  begun  at  McGill  Col- 
lege, Montreal,  in  1856,  and  continued.for  three  winters, 
while  during  the  corresponding  summers  he  received 
instruction  from  the  late  Dr.  Reynolds,  of  Brockville. 
Over  zeal  in  the  dissecting  room  induced  an  attack  of 
typhoid,  which  converted  the  ardent  student  into  such 
a  thing  of  shreds  and  patches,  that  for  two  succeeding 
years  physic  was  "thrown  to  the  dogs."  His  medical 
studies  were  resumed  at  Queen's  College,  Kingston 
Canada,  and  after  two  years  a  diploma,  with  honors 
was  awarded. 

The  serious  business  of  advising,  dosing  and 
dieting  humanity  was  begun  in  his  native  village  of 
Lyn,  where,  for  seven  vears,  the  young  doctor  gained 
wisdom  by  experience  in  the  varied  practice  of  a 
country  physician.  With  years,  love  of  study  and 
desire  for  more  thorough  knowledge  and  skill  in  one 
special  branch  of  his  profession,  induced  Dr.  Coleman 
to  turn  his  attention  to  the  treatment  of  the  eye  and 
ear.  Desirous  of  greater  clinical  advantages  than  this 
continent  then  afforded,  he  went  to  England,  where  a 
year  was  spent  at  Moorefield  s  Eye  Hospital  and  the 
London  Hospital,  after  which  the  examining  board  of 


the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  England,  was  pleased 
to  enroll  him  as  a  member  of  the  college. 

Returning  to  Canada,  he  settled  in  Toronto,  and 
there  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  A.  M.  Rosebrugh, 
an  oculist  and  aurist  of  established  reputation.  He  was 
appointed  surgeon  to  the  Toronto  Eye  and  Ear  Infirm- 
ary, which  position  he  held  during  his  seven  years' 
residence  in  that  city.  Although  devoting  most  of  his 
time  to  his  favorite  branch  of  medical  science.  Dr. 
Coleman,  during  these  years,  also  practiced  general 
medicine,  but  finally  decided  to  limit  his  attention  to 
his  work  as  an  oculist  and  aurist.  With  a  view  to 
acquiring  stiil  further  knowledge  in  his  specialty,  he 
again  went  abroad,  and  spent  a  year  in  the  clinics  of 
•Vienna  and  Heidelberg,  under  the  guidance  of  such 
men  as  Jaeger,  Schnabel,  Politzer,  Gruber  and 
O'Becker. 

Upon  his  return  to  Canada,  Dr.  Coleman  selected 
St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  by  the  seaside,  as  his  field 
for  special  practice,  and  here  another  seven  years' 
service  -won  him  a  Rachel  and  goodly  wages.  But  the 
oculist's  ambition  soon  outstripped  the  confines  of  the 
quiet  Canadian  city,  with  its  cramping  limitations  and 
its  lack  of  companionship  in  scientific  research,  and 
having,  in  addition  to  a  large  private  practice,  gained 
a  rich  harvest  of  experience  from  his  position  as  sole 
oculist  and  aurist  to  the  Provincial  Hospital,  he  again 
'  turned  westward. 

With  the  encouragement  of  some  of  the  prominent 
.  physicians  in  Chicago,  to  whom  Dr.  Coleman  was 
known  by  his  articles  in  medical  journals,  as  well  as  by 
introductory  letters  from  professional  men  in  the  East, 
he  decided  to  settle  in  Chicago,  the  leading  city  of  the 
West.  Skill  gained  from  large  experience,  a  mind  well 
trained  in  scientific  research,  a  steady,  persevering 
attention  to  details  have,  in  a  few  years,  earned  for 
him  the  well  deserved  reward  of  a  good  practice  and 
wide  reputation. 

Finding  here  no  school  for  graduates  in  medicine, 
such  as  is  provided  in  various  cities  in  the  East,  Dr. 
Coleman  undertook  the  task  of  convincing  the  profes- 
sion in  Chicago  of  the  need  of  such  an  institution,  and. 
after  a  year  of  persevering  labor,  succeeded  in  organiz- 
ing the  Chicago  Polyclinic.  The  management  of  this 
institution  proving  unsatisfactory  to  himself  and  some 
of  his  colleagues,  they  decided  to  establish  another 
school,  by  the  constitution  of  which  the  controlling 
power  should  vest  in  the  Faculty.  This  latter,  known 
as  the  Post-Graduate  Medical  School,  of  Chicago,  has 
recently  been  erected,  on  West  Harrison  street  in  a 
commodious  building,  which  is  also  the  home  of  the 
Chicago  Charity  Hospital. 

Dr.  Coleman  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Ophthal- 
mologicai  Society,  and  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical 
Society.  He  is  oculist  and  aurist  to  the  Chicago  Hos- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


earlier  manhood  frequently  served  his  party  in  an 
official  capacity.  Thus  he  served  two  terms  in  the 
common  council  of  Chicago,  from  1862  to  1866, 
and  did  good  service  for  his  constituents,  being  for 
two  years  chairman  of  the  finance  committee.  In 
1868,  he  was  one  of  the  presidential  elec  ors  from 
Illinois,  and  in  1871,  was  again  elected  to  the  city 
council,  serving  for  two  years,  during  a  part  of  which 
he  was  acting  mayor  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Bond  also 
served  two  terms  as  a  member  of  the  State  legislature, 
and  it  was  during  his  second  term  of  service  that  he 
performed  what  has  since  so  greatly  redounded  to  his 
credit,  and  to  the  advantage  of  that  portion  of  Chicago 
lying  west  of  the  river.  The  issue  during  the  campaign 
had  been  on  the  establishment  of  the  South  Side  parks, 
and  the  West  Side  delegation,  consisting  of  Mr.  Bond 
and  two  other  gentlemen,  was  elected  on 'the  anti-park 
ticket,  and  went  to  Springfield  with  the  expectation  of 
fighting  to  the  bitter  end  the  proposed  legislation  to 
establish  the  South  Side  park  system.  Early  in  the 
contest  Mr.  Bond  saw  that  they  were  entering  upon  a 
useless  struggle,  and  being  determined  to  at  least 
secure  as  much  for  the  West  Side  as  he  could,  he  called 
his  two  friends  into  his  private  room,  and  laid  before 
them  his  views  on  the  matter;  they  concurred  with 
him,  and  after  a  conference  with  their  late  opponents, 
they  pushed  through  with  the  "South  Side  Park  Bill'' 
thus  giving  to  the  West  Side  the  magnificent  parks 
that  it  now  has.  This  action,  Mr.  Bond  believed, 
would  for  a  time  place  him  under  a  cloud  with  his 
constituents,  but  he  was  willing  to  make  the  sacrifice: 
knowing  that  the  wisdom  of  his  course  would  not  fail 
to  be  justified  later.  Subsequent  events  have  proven 
the  correctness  of  his  views,  and  to  him  West  Chicago 
largely  owes  the  establishment  of  her  magnificent  park 
system.  After  serving  his  second  term  in  the  legisla- 
ture, Mr.  Bond  saw  that  his  political  service  was 
interfering  too  much  with  the  business  of  his  office, 
and  so  concluded  to  give  up  politics,  and  devote  his 
entire  attention  to  his  legal  business.  This  decision  he 
has  never  regretted,  for  his  business  has  shown  a 
gratifying  increase  each  year,  and  to-day  the  firm  of 
which  Mr.  Bond  is  the  head  is  one  of  the  best  known 
patent  law  firms  in  the  country. 


On  the  12th  day  of  October,  1856,  Mr.  Bond  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Amy  S.  Aspinwall,  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  N.  W.  Aspinwall,  of  Peacham,  Vermont, 
and  a  lineal  descendant  of  Peregrine  White.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Laura,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Mr. 
John  L.  Jackson,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  lawyers  of 
which  Mr.  Bond  is  the  senior  member. 

Mr.  Bond  has  been  for  years  affiliated  with  the  M. 
E.  Church,  and  has  ever  been  a  liberal  contributor  to 
all  objects  tending  to  advance  the  church's  weal,  and  a 
generous,  open-hearted  Christian  in  answering  the 
appeals  of  the  distressed.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  for  many  years,  is  a  32d  degree 
Mason,  a  past-commander  of  the  Commandery  of 
Knights  Templar,  and  a  member  of  the  Consistory, 
A.  A.  S.  R. 

He  has  visited  nearly  every  point  of  interest  in  the 
United  States,  having  traveled  over  every  State  in  the 
Union,  excepting  two  or  three  in  the  extreme  North- 
west, and  has  made  two  voyages  to  Europe,  where  he 
visited  the  principal  cities. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League,  the  Illinois 
and  the  Ashland  Clubs,  and  is  popular  alike  with  the 
members  of  each.  In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Bond 
is  a  magnificent  specimen  of  physical  manhood,  being 
slightly  over  six  feet  in  height  and  weighing  in  the 
neighborhood  of  270  pounds.  In  manner  he  is  pleas- 
ant and  readily  makes  friends,  and,  what  is  of  more 
importance,  keeps  them.  He  is  deservedly  popular 
with  all  classes,  and  only  his  decision,  made  many  years 
ago  and  since  so  strictly  adhered  to,  has  kept  him  out 
of  public  office. 

During  the  short  time  that  he  served  the  public  in 
an  official  capacity,  he  made  an  admirable  record,  giv- 
ing equal  satisfaction  as  alderman,  member  of  the 
board  of  education  (which  office  he  held  for  four 
years),  and  as  legislator.  As  a  lawyer,  he  stands 
high  with  the  profession,  while  in  his  special 
branch  he  has  no  peer.  He  has  kept  up  the  honor- 
able record  made  by  the  family,  and  the  roster  from 
the  time  of  John  Bond  to  the  present  dav  shows  no 
truer  man  or  better  citizen  than  our  subject,  Lester 
L.  Bond.  He  is  the  pioneer  patent  lawyer  of  the 
Northwest. 


THOMAS   BRENAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THOMAS  BRENAN,  son  of  Martin  and  Elizabeth 
Brenan,  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  where  he 
obtained  his  early  education.  He  -later  attended 
school  three  years  at  Boston,  Mass.  In  1849  he  came 
to  Chicago  with  his  parents,  and  here  his  first  employ- 
ment wras  in  a  hardware  store,  where  he  served  as 
errand  bov  and  later  became  a  clerk.  When  the  war 


broke  out,  young  Brenan  joined  the  Twenty-Third  Illi- 
nois regiment  with  which  he  served  during  the  war, 
taking  part  in  many  engagements,  his  regiment  being 
a  part  of  the  famous  Mulligan  brigade.  At  the  close 
of  the  war,  Mr.  Brenan  returned  to  Chicago  where  he 
engaged  in  business.  He  has  been  an  active  factor  in 
both  city  and  county  politics,  and  has  held  many  posj- 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
*T  URBANA  CHAMPAIGN 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


tions  of  honor  and  trust.  In  1869  he  was  made  cashier 
in  the  city  collector's  office,  and  after  holding  this  posi- 
tion for  several  years,  he  retired  until  1879,  when  he 
became  cashier  in  the  office  of  the  city  treasurer.  He 
served  in  this  capacity  through  several  successive 
administrations,  and  then  accepted  a  similar  position  in" 
the  office  of  County  Treasurer  Seipp.  In  1887,  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  county  board  to  fill  a 
vacancy,  and  was  twice  elected  by  the  people  to 
succeed  himself,  receiving  the  vote  of  both  political 
parties.  It  was  also  in  1887  that  he  was  appointed  by 
Archbishop  Feehan  to  a  position  of  great  financial 
responsibility  in  the  diocese,  which  he  has  held  since. 
Mr.  Brenan  has  been  a  member  of  the  Chicago  school 
board  for  upwards  of  seventeen  years,  having  been 
reappointed  each  time  as  his  term  expired.  He  has 


taken  a  great  interest  in  the  public  schools,  and  has 
served  successively  as  chairman  of  all  the  standing 
committees,  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  as  chairman 
of  the  school  management  committee.  He  has  ever 
been  a  true  friend  to  all  connected  with  the  school 
system,  especially  the  teachers,  who  have  ahvavs  found 
in  him  a  helper  untiring  in  his  efforts  in  their  behalf. 

Mr.  Brenan  is  a  member  of  the  well  known  real 
estate  firm  of  Cremin  &  Brenan,  and  as  a  public 
official  or  a  business  man,  none  stands  higher  in  the 
estimation  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago. 

Personally,  he  is  of  commanding  appearance,  and 
one  who  would  be  readily  picked  out  as  a  leader  of 
men.  His  life  has  been  a  busy  one  and  its  hours  have 
been  well  spent;  a  life  which  has  won  for  him  the 
love  of  many  and  the  respect  of  all. 


GEORGE  PHILIP  BAY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EORGE  PHILIP  BAY,  son  of  Soren  Andreas 
and  Henriette  A.  (Pfaff)  Bay,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Wiborg,  Denmark,  on  the  9th  day  of  July 
1830.  He  is  a  descendant  of  a  family  who  are  well 
and  prominently  known  in  Denmark,  his  father  hav- 
ing been  an  officer  of  the  city  of  Wiborg,  his  grand- 
father a  burgomaster  and  so,  back  for  more  than  a  cen- 
tury, members  of  the  family  have  constantly  held 
offices  of  honor  and  of  trust  under  the  Danish  govern- 
met.  In  his  youth  he  received  a  liberal  education  in 
the  public  and  private  schools  of  his  native  city,  and 
was  then  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  wood-turner. 
He  worked  at  his  trade  in  Denmark  until  1852,  at 
which  time  he  came  to  America  and  locating  in 
Chicago  worked  at  his  trade  in  the  furniture  business 
for  some  years. 

In  1861  he  concluded  to  embark  in  mercantile  life 
for  himself  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  carry- 
ing besides  groceries  a  general  line.  He  was  exceed- 
ingly successful  as  a  merchant  and  carried  on  a  very 
prosperous  business  until  1873,  when  be  retired  from 
the  grocery  trade  and  with  Mr.  Andrew  Peterson, 
started  the  private  banking  house  of  Peterson  &  Bay, 
with  the  intention  of  dealing  in  real  estate  and  securi- 
ties, which  business  has  been  carried  on  under  the 
above  designation  up  to  the  present  time.  The  first 
office  of  the  firm  was  located  at  36  South  Clark  street, 
but  the  rapid  growth  of  the  business  has  necessitated 
several  changes  and  in  1890  they  moved  into  their 
present  spacious  quarters  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
LaSalle  and  Randolph  streets. 

It  is  needless  to  enter  in  detail  upon  the  career  of 
Peterson  &  Bay  since  their  start  together  in  1873,  for 
during  the  past  twenty  years  they  have  been  one. of 
the  most  prominent  firms  in  their  line  in  the  city,  and 
have  been  identified  with  nearly  even'  large  real  estate 
transaction  in  Chicago  since  the  great  fire.  They  not 


only  conduct  a  bank  of  deposit,  but  do  a  general  loan 
and  discount  business,  aud  deal  extensively  in  local 
stocks  and  securities.  As  bankers  they  enjoy  the 
fullest  confidence  aud  esteem  of  the  public  and  take  a 
leading  rank  among  similar  institutions  in  thecitv.  As 
a  firm  and  individually,  Messrs.  Peterson  &  Bay  have 
actively  interested  themselves  in  the  various  enter- 
prises that  have  done  so  much  during  the  past  decade 
to  promote  the  material  welfare  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Bay  is  a  member  of  the  Real-Estate  Board  and 
served  one  term  as  its  treasurer.  He  is  a  life  member 
of  Kilwinning  Lodge  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  a 
member  of  Corinthian  Chapter,  and  of  Englewood 
Commandery  Knights  Templar.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  though  always  reserving  the  right  to  use 
his  own  judgment  in  casting  his  ballot.  A  member  of 
the  Universalist  church  at  Englewood,  he  does  his  full 
share  of  church  and  charitable  work,  and  turns  a  will- 
ing ear  to  the  unfortunate,  always  doing  what  he  can 
to  relieve  their  distress.  He  usually  devotes  two  or 
more  months  of  each  year  to  travel,  and  has  seen  all  of 
the  points  of  interest  and  the  principal  cities  of  the 
United  States,  with  the  exception  of  the  extreme 
Northwest.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  T.  Buck, 
daughter  of  Mr.  R.  Buck,  of  Me  Henry,  Ills.,  on  the 
30th  day  of  October,  1855.  Of  the  eleven  children 
born  to  them,  eight,  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  are 
now  living,  the  eldest  son  being  engaged  in  business  at 
Marshalltown.  la.,  and  the  next  in  age,  Hiram  II.,  is 
an  expert  bflok-keeper  now  engaged  in  Chicago.  Per- 
sonally, Mr.  Bay  is  one  of  the  most  affable  of  men, 
venerable  in  appearance,  the  weight  of  his  years  resting 
lightly  upon  him.  He  is  still  the  energetic,  capable 
business  man  that  he  was  twenty  years  ago.  Domes- 
tic by  nature,  he  finds  his  truest  pleasure  in  the  com- 
pany of  his  family  and  the  society  of  his  friends,  of 
whom  be  has  a  large  and  ever  increasing  list. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


CHARLES  ADAMS,  M.  D. 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


55 


I1ARLES  ADAMS,  son  of  John  and  Eliza  (Clark) 
Adams,  was  born  at  Floore,  Northamptonshire) 
England,  May  29,  1847.  His  parents  came  to  America 
in  1856,  going  first  to  Woodstock,  111.,  and  then 
settling  in  Milwaukee.  His  father  started  in  the 
packing  and  live  stock  business  in  Milwaukee,  and  in 
1861,  came  to  Chicago  and  engaged  in  the  same 
business.  His  parents'  ancestors  were  of  the  old 
English  yeomanry. 

Young  Adams  attended  school  in  England,  com- 
mencing in  his  second  year,  until  1856,  when,  being 
nine  years  of  age,  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
America.  He  attended  school  in  Milwaukee  until 
1861,  at  which  time  the  family  moved  to  Chicago,  and 
here  he  continued  in  school  for  one  term,  and  in  1862 
went  into  his  father's  office.  He  stayed  here  until 
1869,  then  being  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he 
left  his  father's  business  and  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  in  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1872.  He  attended  lectures 
in  the  hospital  for  eighteen  months,  and  in  1873,  made 
a  trip  to  Europe,  spending  six  months  in  London 
attending  surgical  lectures. 

In  the  fall  of  1873,  Dr.  Adams  returned  to  Chicago, 
and  became  professor  of  surgical  pathology  in  the 
Hahnemann  Medical  College,  which  position  he  held 
until  1876,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed  to  the 
chair  of  Principles  and  Practice  of  Surgery  and  Clinical 
Surgery,  at  the  Homeopathic  College.  In  this  position 
he  remained  until  1883,  when  he  had  to  resign  on 
account  of  the  pressure  of  his  personal  businessi 
having  by  this  time  built  up  a  large  practice.  Much 
pressure,  however,  was  brought  to  bear,  and  he 
returned  to  the  college  in  the  fall  of  1893,  occupying 


the  same  position  which  he  holds  to  the  present  dav. 
From  1881  until  1886,  he  was  attending  surgeon  to 
the  Cook  County  Hospital,  and  for  two  years  was 
secretary  of  the  State  Microscopical  Society.  In  1882, 
he  was  made  assistant  surgeon  .of  the  First  Infantry, 
and  in  November  of  the  same  year  became  major  and 
surgeon  in  the  same  regiment.  He  resigned  this  posi- 
tion in  1891,  on  account  of  ill  health,  but  in  January, 
1892,  was  re-appointed  assistant  surgeon,  and  in  Novem- 
ber, 1893,  was  again  made  major  and  surgeon. 

The  Doctor's  taste  for  natural  history  led  him  into 
the  Academy  of  Sciences  and  the  Microscopical  Society. 
He  is  a  great  lover  of  outside  sports,  and  a  great 
admirer  of  blooded  stock,  being  particularly  fond  of 
blooded  dogs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Literary 
Club,  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences  and  Fellow 
of  the  Royal  Microscopical  Society  of  London,  and  an 
active  member  of  the  Association  of  Military  Surgeons 
of  the  United  States.  For  the  past  ten  years  Dr. 
Adams  has  been  surgeon  to  the  Chicago  Half-Orphan 
Asylum. 

Doctor  Adams  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1875,  to 
Miss  Mary  Curtis,  of  Wellingborough,  England.  They 
have  had  two  children,  of  whom  a  son  survives, 
Cuthbert  Clarke  Adams.  His  wife  died  in  July,  1888, 
and  in  September,  1889,  he  was  again  married,  this 
time  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gaylord,  widow  of  Henry 
Gaylord,  of  Chicago. 

In  appearance  Dr.  Adams  is  of  medium  height, 
lightly  built,  but  carries  himself  with  military  style, 
and  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  gentlemen  of  Chicago  whom  one  can  meet. 
He  has  many  friends  in  the  city  of  his  adoption,  and  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice. 


DANIEL  HUDSON   BURNHAM, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DANIEL  II.  BURNHAM,  Chief  of  construction 
of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  1893,  is  a 
native  of  Henderson,  Jefferson  count}',  N.  Y.  He 
was  born  Sept.  4,- 1816,  the  son  of  Edwin  and  Eliza- 
beth Burnham,  who  were  natives  of  Vermont.  The 
great-grandfather  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  His  mother's  paternal  ancestors  were  for  many 
generations  clergymen.  She  was  a  great-granddaugh- 
ter of  the  celebrated  Samuel  Hopkins,  of  Revolution- 
ary times,  and  a  cousin  of  the  late  Mark  Hopkins,  of 
California.  His  father,  Edwin  Burnham,  removed  to 
Chicago  with  his  family  in  1855,  and  was  a  wholesale 
merchant  until  his  death  in  1874.  He  was  president  of 
the  old  Merchants'  Exchange. 


Young  Burnham  was  a  pupil  in  Prof.  Snow's  private 
school,  located  on  the  present  site  of  the  "  Fair,  "  on 
Adams  street,  and  afterwards  attended  the  old  Jones 
School,  and  the  Chicago  High  School.  Later  he  spent 
two  years  under  private  instruction  at  Waltham,  Mass., 
and  one  year  with  Prof.  T.  B.  Hay  ward  (previous!}'  of 
Harvard  University)  at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  as  his  sole 
pupil.  Returning  to  Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1867,  he 
spent  the  following  year  and  a  half  in  the  office  of 
Messrs.  Loring  &  Jenney,  architects.  lie  then  went  to 
Nevada,  and  for  one  year  was  engaged  in  mining,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Chicago  and  entered  the  office  of 
L.  G.  Laurcau,  architect,  where  he  remained  one  and 
one-half  years. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


After  the  fatal  fire  of  October  8th,  and  9th,  1871, 
he  entered  the  offices  of  Messrs.  Carter,  Drake  & 
Wight,  where  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  John 
W.  Root,  with  whom,  in  the  spring  of  1873,  he  formed 
a  co-partnership,  which  lasted  until  Mr.  Root's  decease, 
in  January, 1891. 

Among  the  buildings  planned  and  constructed  by 
Mr.  Burnham  are  the  National  Bank  of  Illinois  build- 
ing, Chemical  Bank  building,  Montauk  block,  ten  stories 
high;  the  Rialto,  the  Rookery  buildings,  twelve  stories 
high;  the  Insurance  Exchange,  the  Phenix,  the  Coun- 
selman  building,  C.  B.  &  Q.  general  office  building, 
Rand  McNally  building,  Calumet  building,  Woman's 
Temple,  sixteen  stories  high  ;  Masonic  Temple,  twenty 
stories  high  ;  the  Great  Northern  Hotel,  sixteen  stories; 
the  Monadnock,  sixteen  stories;  the  Herald  building, 
on  Washington  street;  St.  Gabriel's  Catholic  church, 
Church  of  the  Covenant  (Presbyterian),  and  the  ne\v 
Methodist  and  Presbyterian  churches  at  Evanston.  In 
Cleveland,  O.,  he  constructed  the  Society  for  Savings, 
Western  Reserve  andCuyahoga  buildings;  at  KansasCity 
the  Midland  Hotel,  Board  of  Trade  and  American  Bank 
buildings;  at  Topeka,  Kas.,  the  A.  T.  &  Santa  Fe  gen- 
eral office  building;  the  Phoenix  Hotel  at  Las  Vegas 
Hot  Springs,  N.  M.,  and  the  Chronicle  and  Mills  build- 
ings in  San  Francisco,  the  latter  being  the  finest  office 


building  in  America.  Also,  he  constructed  a  large 
office  building  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  the  Equitable  building, 
ten  stories  high. 

Mr.  Burnham  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Western  Association  of  Architects,  and  was  its  first 
president.  He  is  also  a  member  of  most  of  the  city 
clubs,  genial  in  disposition  and  deservedly  popular. 

In  October,  1890,  Mr.  Burnham  was  appointed  by 
the  directory  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
chief  of  construction  and  supervising  architect,  and 
he  was  later  given  the  additional  power  and  title  of 
director  of  works.  Under  him  all  designing  and  con- 
struction was  done.  He  also  organized  and  had  control 
of  all  the  forces  in  the  Exposition. 

The  buildings  of  this  Exposition  covered  fifty  per 
cent,  more  ground  than  did  those  of  Paris,  and  the 
enclosed  grounds  were  three  times  greater  than  those 
ever  before  occupied  for  a  like  purpose.  The  Exposi- 
tion surpassed  anything  of  the  kind  ever  before 
attempted,  in  the  magnificence  of  its  buildings,  its 
equipments  and  the  marvels  of  its  exhibit;  the  plan- 
ning of  the  whole  of  it  was  under  Mr.  Burnham  and 
the  management  of  its  execution  was  in  his  hands. 

He  is  now  the  president  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Architects,  and  both  Yale  and  Harvard  have  conferred 
degrees  upon  him. 


JOHN    BUEHLER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  in  Germany, 
in  the  city  of  Dornhan(Wurtemburg),  on  August 
19. 1831,  his  father  being  John  Buehler,  a  merchant,  and 
his  mother  Christine  (Leutze)  Buehler.  The  father  died 
when  young  Buehler  was  eleven  years  old.  His  edu- 
cation was  gained  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
place,  which  he  attended  until  he  was  fourteen,  when  he 
became  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  house,  and  where,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  months  spent  learning  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  he  remained  till  of  age.  At  the  end  of  his 
apprenticeship,  young  Buehler  spent  two  years  in 
making  a  tour  of  Switzerland  and  adjacent  countries, 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  first  landing  in 
New  York  in  the  fall  of  1S54,  where  he  remained 
about  five  months,  thence  coming  to  Chicago  in  April, 
1855. 

Soon  after  arriving  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Buehler  entered 
the  boot  and  shoe  store  of  Spring  &  Sons,  on  Lake 
street,  with  whom  he  remained  three  years.  He  then 
engaged  in  business  for  himself  in  the  grocery  and 
provision  line  on  Milwaukee  avenue.  In  1864  he  sold 
out  this  business  and  started  a  malt  house  in  the  same 
vicinity,  which  was  successful,  and  which,  with  one 
exception,  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  only 
establishment  of  its  kind  which  escaped  destruction  in 


the  great  fire  of  1871.  He  was  also  in  the  grain  and 
commission  business,  and  for  several  }"ears  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade. 

In  1867,  Mr.  Buehler  was  active  in  the  organization 
of  the  Union  Insurance  &  Trust  Company,  which  did 
both  a  banking  and  insurance  business  until  1870,  when 
the  insurance  risks  were  transferred  to  another  com- 
pany, though  the  banking  feature  was  retained,  the 
name  of  the  organization  being  changed  to  that  of  the 
"Union  Trust  Company."  Mr.  Buehler  was  the 
principal  manager  of  the  branch  of  the  institution  on 
Milwaukee  avenue  for  two  years.  Jn  1873  he  started 
a  banking  business  exclusively  of  his  own  on  Milwaukee 
and  Chicago  avenues,  and  since  that  time  has  continued 
as  a  prominent  independent  banker,  his  enterprise 
culminating  in  the  Garden  City  Banking  &  Trust 
Company,  now  located  on  the  corner  of  Randolph  and 
La  Salle  streets,  which  does  an  extensive  business. 
During  all  these  years  be  has  also  been  interested  in 
real  estate,  in  which  many  profitable  investments  have 
been  made,  as  the  result  of  wise  foresight  and  good 
judgment. 

Politically,  Mr.  Buehler  is  a  loyal  Republican  and 
has  been  a  prominent  figure  in  its  history,  both  in  the 
city  and  in  the  State.  He  has  served  his  constituents 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


59 


for  several  terms  in  the  Chicago  common  council,  first 
being  elected  thereto  from  the  old  fifteenth  (now  the 
fourteenth)  ward,  in  1866,  and  serving  continuously 
until  1872.  He  was  thus  a  member  of  the  council  in 
1871.  when  the  great  fire  occurred.  He  lias  also 
served  in  the  Illinois  Legislature,  with  distinction, 
having  been  elected  in  1874  as  State  senator  for  a  four 
years'  term.  He  was  an  active  member,  and  among 
other  things  formed  and  introduced  a  bill,  which  he 
strongly  urged,  for  the  taxing  by  the  State  of  all  church 
property.  The  social  as  well  as  the  business  side  of  Mr. 
Buehler's  nature,  is  well  developed,  as  is  shown  by  his 
connection  with  many  fraternal  and  social  organizations.  > 
Among  these  Masonry  and  Odd  Fellowship  have 
claimed  much  of  his  attention.  In  the  former  order  he 
holds  membership  in  D.  C.  Cregier  Lodge,  in  Washing- 
ton Chapter,  in  Chicago  Commandery,  and  in  Oriental 
Consistory,  32nd  degree.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  Religiously,  he  is  decidedly  of  the 
Protestant  faith. 


He  was  married  in  1856  to  Christina  Schwartz.  Six 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  of  whom  but  two  are 
living— a  son,  John  William,  now  cashier  of  the  Garden 
City  Banking  and  Trust  Company,  and  a  daughter, 
Louisa,  married  to  Otto  Peuser.  In  1868  his  wife, 
Christina,  died  while  Mr.  Buehler  was  absent,  in 
Germany.  In  1889  he  married  a  second  time  taking 
for  his  wife 'Rose  Schoppe.  the  widow  of  Erdmann 
Schoppe. 

During  the  thirty-five  years  of  his  residence  in 
Chicago,  John  Buehler  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
its  growth  and  prosperity,  and  has  earned  the  esteem 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  which  he  enjoys.  He  has  become 
widely  known  in  business  circles  as  a  man  of  keen 
insight,  rare  judgment,  great  energy  and  strict  integrity; 
while  in  the  walks  of  private  life  he  is  known  for  his 
simple  tastes  and  habits,  his  benevolence,  and  his 
attachments  for  his  friends,  of  whom  he  has  a 
large  number  and  who  are  heartily  glad  of  his  large 


D 

success. 


WALLACE  CAMPBELL, 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


WALLACE  CAMPBELL,  vice-president  of  the 
bank  of  Hill,  Sons  &  Company,  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  was  born  at  Waverly,  Tioga  County,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
8.  1863.  He  is  the  son  of  Solomon  C.  Campbell  and 
Mary  Aurelia  Farwell  Campbell,  who,  with  their  imme- 
diate ancestors,  were  among  the  oldest  and  most  sub- 
stantial residents  of  Steuben  count}',  N.  Y.,  where 
they  settled  in  .what  was  then  a  wilderness.  The  town 
of  Campbell,  in  that  county,  was  named  in  honor  of 
his  paternal  great-grandfather,  and  the  town  of  Knox- 
ville  in  honor  of  his  maternal  great-grandfather,  who 
was  the  uncle  of  Hon.  C.  B.  Farwell  and  of  J.  V. 
Farwell,  two  of  Chicago's  best-known  citizens. 

Young  Campbell  first  attended  public  school  and 
then  entered  Hamilton  College,  at  Clinton,  1ST.  Y., 
where  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1883.  Here  he  gave 
particular  attention  to  classics  and  literature,  and  was 
appointed  upon  his  graduation  one  of  the  six  competi- 
tors for  the  well-known  Clark  Prize,  given  for  excel- 
lency of  oration  and  its  delivery. 

After  graduation  he  accepted  the  position  of  instruc- 
tor in  the  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
This  position  was  accepted  for  the  experience  it  would 
give  and  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  access  to 
the  libraries  and  facilities  for  further  study.  He  re- 
signed this  position  and  took  a  course  in  Columbia 
College  law  school,  from  which  he  soon  graduated  and 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  with  Hon.  Robert  W, 
Todd,  of  New  York.  Here  he  con'tinued  until  failing 
health  forced  him  to  take  a  southern  trip,  where  he 
spent  the  winter.  He  returned  to  New  York  city, 


but  finding  that  the  climate  disagreed  with  him 
he  removed  in  1886  to  Minneapolis,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law  with  Mr.  Henry  C. 
Steyker,  under  the  firm  style  of  Steyker  &  Camp- 
bell. The  firm  soon  acquired  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice.  Mr.  Campbell  resigned  in  1891,  however,  to 
accept  the  position  of  vice-president  of  the  bank  of 
Hill,  Sons  &  Company,  of  Minneapolis,  which  position 
he  now  holds. 

Mr.  Campbell  is  an  able  speaker,  and  did  noble 
service  in  the  Republican  cause  during  the  first  Harri- 
son campaign,  for  which  service  he  was  highly  compli- 
mented by  both  State  and  National  committees.  He 
is  also  a  frequent  contributor  to  legal  journals,  and  his 
contributions  have  appeared  in  the  North  American 
Review.  Mr.  Campbell  appeared  as  counsel  before  the 
Minnesota  Senate  Judiciary  Committee,  and  after  a 
long  and  spirited  argument  obtained  the  passage  of  the 
present  act  with  reference  to  the  rights  and  personal 
liberty  of  married  women.  During  his  professional  ca- 
reer he  was  counsel  for  many  corporations,  and  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  clients  engaged  in  large  mercantile 
enterprises.  During  the  panic  of  1893  the  president  of 
the  bank  of  which  he  is  vice-president,  was  absent  on 
account  of  illness,  and  the  active  management  of 
its  large  business  affairs  during  that  trying  time 
devolved  upon  him.  During  the  most  acute  period 
of  that  now  famous  panic  when  depositors  seemed 
have  suddenly  become  insane  and  vicious  rumors  were 
abroad  as  to  the  solvency  of  all  banks,  it  was  decided 
that  some  active  step  should  be  taken  to  silence  these 


6o 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


detractors,  whereupon  the  bank  of  Hill,  Sons  &  Co. 
published  notice  that  it  was  reach',  able  and  willing  to 
meet  all  demands  which  could  possibly  be  made  upon 
it,  and  warned  all  persons  to  cease  the  circulation  of 
rumors  to  the  contrary.  This  was  followed  by  legal 
proceedings  taken  by  another  banking  house  against 
one  circulating  slanderous  rumors.  These  two  decided 
movements,  instituted  in  the  first  instance  by  Mr. 
Campbell,  did  much  to  end  the  trying  scenes  of  the 
bank  runs  at  that  time  in  Minneapolis. 

Mr.  Campbell  has  traveled  much  in  his  own  country, 
believing  that  thorough  familiarity  with  the  United 
States  is  a  necessary  preliminary  to  foreign  travel. 
Although  not  a  member  of  any  religious  organization, 
Mr.  Campbell  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Westminster 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  faith  he  was  reared  by 
his  parents.  In  accordance  with  not  only  family  tra- 
ditions, but  as  well  with  his  firm  convictions,  he  has  been 
an  unswerving  adherent  of  the  Eepublican  party,  with 
which  he  has  uniformly  acted,  although  reserving  to 


himself  the  right  to  support  such  local  candidates  as  he 
might  believe  best  lilted  for  the  positions  to  be 
filled. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  married  on  October  12,  1886,  at 
Chicago,  to  Miss  Minnie  Virginia  Adams,  daughter  of 
Hugh  Adams,  one  of  the  best  known  and  highly 
respected  of  Chicago's  old  citizens.  She  is  niece  of  Mr. 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick.  Mrs.  Campbell,  while  a  most 
devoted  mother  and  domestic  in  her  tastes,  isadmirablv 
fitted  by  birth  and  training  and  social  traits  for  the 
position  she  so  well  fills.  One  child  has  blessed  this 
union,  Mary  A'irginia  Campbell. 

Mr.  Campbell  has  a  pleasing  and  frank  address,  with 
a  keen  appreciation  of  humor,  and  the  faculty  of 
obtaining  and  retaining  warm  friendships.  He  is  a  firm 
believer  in  heredity  and  the  effects  of  early  training, 
and  has  uniformly  attributed  whatever  of  success  h:is 
attended  his  career  to  his  fortunate  parentage,  and  the 
kindly  care  and  devotion  of  his  parents,  to  whom  he  is 
particularly  attached. 


HENRY  T.  BYFORD, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THERE  are  few  men,  whatever  be  their  talents  or 
profession,  whose  efforts  and  achievements 
Chicago  watches  with  more  inlerest  than  she  gives  to 
Henry  Turman  Byford.  Nor  is  this  interest  felt  simply 
because  he  is  the  son  of  a  great  man,  but  because,  by 
his  own  worth,  he  has  won  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  his 
fellow-citizens.  The  late  William  H.  Byford, 'M.  D., 
LL.D.,  was,  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  one  of  Chi- 
cago's most  famous  surgeons,  and  it  is  by  individual 
endowment  of  the  highest  order  that  the  son  is  advan- 
cing to  fill  the  father's  place. 

The  Byford  family  came  originally  to  America 
many  generations  ago  from  Suffolk,  England.  The 
branch  of  the  family  in  which  we  are  interested  gradu- 
ally drifted  towards  the  interior  of  the  country,  where 
William  H.  Byford  was  born  at  Eaton,  Ohio.  His  wife, 
Mary  Ann  Holland,  was  the  daughter  of  Hezekiah 
Holland,  a  noted  phvsician  of  Kentucky.  Five  chil- 
dren were  the  result  of  this  union.  Henry  T.  Byford, 
who  is  the  only  surviving  son,  was  born  in  1853, 
in  Evansville,  Ind.  His  brother,  Dr.  William  H. 
Byford,  Jr.,  who  died  in  1883,  was,  in  his  specialty,  the 
foremost  surgeon  of  Minneapolis.  Three  sisters  are 
referred  to  in  the  sketch  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Byford,  Sr., 
found  in  another  part  of  this  volume. 

In  the  matter  of  education,  Dr.  Byford,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  has  been  the  recipient  of  superior 
advantages.  The  early  years  of  his  school-life  were 
spent  in  Chicago  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  private 
academy  of  Dr.  Quakenboss.  When  he  was  eleven 
years  of  age  he  was  placed  in  school  in  Germany, 


taking  a  classical  course.  At  the  end  of  three  years  he 
was  graduated,  receiving  the  prize  for  the  best  compo- 
sition (German)  in  the  highest  class  of  the  high  school 
in  Berlin.  Returning  to  this  city,  he  spent  one  term 
in  the  University  of  Chicago.  In  the  fall  of  1868  he 
began  a  course  of  very  earnest  study  at  Williston 
Seminary,  graduating  from  the  scientific  department 
with  high  honors  in  1870.  The  same  year  he  matri- 
culated at  the  Chicago  Medical  College,and  was  gradu- 
ated in  1873.  He  was  elected  valedictorian  of  his 
class,  and  in  the  examination  ranked  perfect  in  all 
branches  excepting  one.  Extraordinary  as  was  this 
record,  it  was  rendered  even  more  so  by  his  extreme 
youth.  Dr.  Byford,  at  the  time  of  his  graduation, was 
but  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  accordingly  not  entitled 
to  the  privileges  of  the  diploma  for  nearly  two  years  to 
come. 

While  yet  a  student,  he  had,  by  competitive  exam- 
ination, secured  the  position  of  interne  at  Mercy 
Hospital.  He  was,  however,  obliged  by  the  illness  of 
his  brother  to  forego  the  benefits  of  a  full  term  in  tin's 
capacity,  as  well  as  the  pleasure  of  attending  the 
valedictory  address.  Dr.  William  H.  Byford,  Jr., 
whose  later  career  in  Minneapolis  was  at  once  so 
brilliant  and  so  pathetic,  was,  at  this  time,  suffering 
from  lung  trouble,  for  which  he  sought  relief  in 
southern  travel.  There  had  always  been  a  very 
affectionate  intimacy  between  the  brothers,  and  now 
that  a  nurse  and  companion  was  needed  for  the  elder, 
it  was  with  unhesitating  devotion  that  the  younger 
relinquished  his  studies  to  accompany  him.  They 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


61 


traveled  for  some  months  in  the  South,  and  spent  a 
vear  in  Denver,  our  subject  returning  to  Chicago 
in  1874. 

Twenty  years  have  passed,  and  to-day  Dr.  Henry  T. 
By  ford  stands  in  the  front  ranks  of  his  profession. 
Recognized  not  only  as  a  most  skillful  practitioner, 
but  as  a  man  of  advanced,  original  thought  and  wide 
research,  the  number  of  his  public  engagements  is 
limited  only  by  the  demands  of  an  enormcus  practice. 
Dr.  By  ford  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago 
Post-Graduate  School  in  which,  from  its  inception,  he 
has  occupied  the  chair  of  gynaecology.  He  is  professor 
of  gynaecology  in  the  Collegeof  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  Chicago;  clinical  professor  of  gynaecology  in  the 
Woman's  Medical  College;  gynaecologist  to  St.  Luke's 
Hospital,  and  surgeon  to  the  Woman's  Hospital.  He 
was  formerly  curator  of  the  museum,  and  lecturer  on 
diseases  of  children  in  the  Chicago  Medical  College,  as 
\vell  as  lecturer  on  obstetrics  in  Rush  Medical  College. 
He  was  obliged  to  resign  both  of  these  trusts  owing  to 
the  pressure  of  private  work.  As  a  clinical  lecturer, 
Dr.  Byford  has  won  well-merited  reputation, — -reports 
of  his  lectures  being  solicited  by  the  leading  medical 
periodicals  of  thecountry.  Hiscontributions  to  medical 
journals  are  numerous,  and  are  characterized  by 
original  matter  and  practical  interest,  some  of  them 
having  been  published  in  Europe.  lie  was  co-editor 
with  his  father,  the  late  Dr.  William  H.  Byford,  Sr., 
of  the  last  edition  of  "  By  ford's  Diseases  of  Women." 
He  is  a  charter  member  and  ex-president  of  the 
Chicago  Gynaecological  Society,  active  member  of 
the  American  Gynaecological  Society,  of  the  Chicago 
Medical  Societv,  the  Chicago  Medico- Legal  Society,  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical 
Association. 

Dr.  Bvford  has  twice  visited  Europe,  first  in  1865- 
66,  and  again  in  1879-80.  He  has  made  an  exhaustive 
study  of  nervous  diseases,  in  connection  with  gynaeco- 
logical practice,  in  the  hospitals  of  London,  Edinburgh, 
Heidelberg  and  Paris. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  fulfillment  of  the  many 
duties  which  come  to  him  in  the  regular  practice  of 
his  profession,  Dr.  Byford  has  added  to  it  another 
and  a  very  valuable  and  important  form  of  activity, 
which  has  gained  him  imperishable  renown — that  of 
invention.  He  has  invented  numerous  new  methods  of 
operation,  many  of  which  are  associated  in  medical  lit- 
erature with  his  name.  Thus  he  was  the  first  to  advise 
and  perform  operations  for  shortening  the  sacro-uter- 
ine ligaments  for  retroversion  of  the  uterus;  inguinal 
suspension  of  the  bladder  for  cystocele ;  vaginal  fixa- 
tion of  the  stump  in  abdominal  hysterotomy  ;  bilateral 
denudations  for  anterior  colpocele  and  crystocele  ;  sub- 
cutaneous perminax>tomy.  etc.  He  has  also  brought 
to  its  present  state  of  perfection  the  operations  called 
vaginal  oophorectomy  and  vaginal  ovariotomy,  having 
performed  over  forty  operations  without  a  death.  \Ve 
have  further  evidence  of  his  originality  and  ingenuity 
as  an  inventor  in  a  multitude  of  instruments  devised 


by  him,  the  most  important  of  which  are  his  broad 
ligament  forceps  for  the  removal  of  the  uterus  through 
the  vagina,  his  hysterotomy  clamp  forceps,  trocar  for 
vaginal  ovariotomy,  probe-pointed  fascia  scissors,  peri- 
naeotomy  tenetome,  uterine  elevator,  improved  needle 
forceps,  retroversion  pessary,  uterine  hook,  uterine 
curettes,  various  forms  of  haemostatic  forceps  for  use 
in  vaginal  section,  etc.,  etc.  "  He  possesses"  (quoting 
the  words  of  one  eminently  qualified  to  speak  with 
authority  on  the  subject),  "a  degree  of  mechanical 
ability  not  often  found  among  those  who  have  chosen 
to  follow  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  profession.  He 
may  justly  be  proud  as  the  author  of  a  large  list  of 
surgical  instruments  that  have  not  only  been  an  assist- 
ance to  his  fellow-practitioners,  but  a  great  benefit  to 
the  public  as  well."  And  further:  "We  feel  safe  in 
saying  that  but  few  men  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
any  trade  or  profession,  in  this  or  any  other  age,  have 
obeyed  the  dictates  of  conscience  or  felt  the  weight  of 
their  duties  and  responsibilities  more  fully  than  has 
Dr.  Henry  T.  Byford," 

He  is  a  Republican,  though  not  a  politician,  subor- 
dinating everything  to  his  chosen  work.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  has,  throughout  his 
life,  been  strongly  influenced  by  the  teachings  of  his 
mother;  a  woman  of  deep  religious  sensibilities. 

Dr.  Byford  is  a  man  of  fine  physical  proportions,  a 
thorough  athlete  and  a  great  pedestrian.  He  has  ex- 
plored on  foot  the  Hartz  Mountains,  the  English  Lake 
country,  Northern  Wales,  the  Black  Forest  of  Germany 
and  the  mountains  of  Switzerland,  as  well  as  the  moun- 
tain regions  of  his  own  country.  From  early  youth  he 
has  evinced  great  artistic  ability.  He  spent  some  time, 
during  his  residence  at  Paris,  in  the  famous  Julien 
studio,  doing  good  work  in  drawing  and  crayon.  It 
is,  however,  as  a  water  color  artist  that  he  excels. 

Blessed  in  so  many  ways,  it  only  needs  the  addition 
of  a  happy  home  to  make  his  life  complete,  and  this  is 
not  denied  him.  Mrs.  Byford,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Miss  Lucy  Larned,  is  the  daughter  of  Frederick 
Sylvester  Larned,  who  was  Assistant  Paymaster  of  the 
United  States  Army  during  the  late  civil  war  Col. 
Larned,  who  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  is  an  ac- 
complished linguist,  a  man  of  superior  education,  and 
has  traveled  twice  around  the  world.  Mrs.  Bvford  is 
a  lady  of  most  admirable  and  pleasing  qualities.  She 
is  domestic  in  her  tastes,  a  devoted  mother  and  to  her 
husband  a  great  source  of  cheer  and  inspiration  in  his 
work.  Amiable,  talented  and  exceedingly  winnin"- 
and  gracious  in  her  manner,  she  is  very  popular  in 
social  circles,  and  is  the  ruling  spirit  in  the  cordial  in- 
fluence that  pervades  her  home.  Their  four  children 
are:  Miss  Genevieve  Larned  Byford,  a  very  graceful 
and  attractive  girl  and  a  musician  of  rare  gifts;  Marv 
Lina  Byford,  aged  six  years;  Heath,  a  little  boy,  aged 
four,  who  bears  a  marked  resemblance  to  his  distin- 
guished grandfather,  the  late  Dr.  William  II.  Byford, 
and  William  Holland  Byford,  born  March  5,  1891,  at 
Chicago. 


62 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


CORNELIUS  K.  G.  BILLINGS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch,  Cornelius  K.  G.  Billings, 
was  born  at  Saratoga  Springs,  New  York, Septem- 
ber 17,  1862.  the  son  of  Albert  M.  and  Augusta  S. 
(Farnsworth)  Billings.  His  parents  were  both  natives 
of  Vermont,  whence  they  removed  to  New  York,  and 
after  a  residence  there  of  two  years,  removed  to 
Chicago  in  1864. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  president  of  the 
People's  Gas  Light  &  Coke  Company  of  Chicago  prior 
to  1887,  in  which  year  he  was  succeeded  in  that  office 
by  his  son,  Cornelius  K.  G.;  who  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Chicago,  and  in  1873 
entered  the  grammar  department  of  the  Racine  Col- 
lege, Racine,  Wis.-  He  spent  the  succeeding  six  years 
in  passing  through  the  various  courses  of  study  in  that 
institution,  and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1879. 
Returning  to  Chicago,  he  entered  the  business  of  which 
his  father  was  president,  his  first  position  being  that  of 
errand  bov,  and  successively  passed  through  the  vari- 
ous stages  and  departments,  until,  upon  the  retirement 
of  his  father  from  the  office,  he  was  elected  his  suc- 
cessor. By  thus  commencing  at  the  lower  round  of  the 
ladder  and  working  up  through  the  various  grades, 
voung  Billings  gained  a  thorough  practical  and  intimate 
knowledge  of  all  the  details  of  this  great  corporation's 
affairs,a  knowledge  that  must  prove  of  inestimable  value 
to  him  in  his  responsible  position.  It  may  be  safely 
asserted  that  his  knowledge  of  gas,  its  properties  and 
manufacture,  is  unsurpassed  by  that  of  any  man  in 
Chicago. 


Mr.  Billings  is  a  director  of  the  Chicago  National 
Bank,  also  the  Home  National  Bank,  and  the  Home 
Savings  Bank,  and  is  one  of  the  West  Chicago  Park 
Commissioners.  He  was  also  a  director  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  having  been  elected  to  this 
office  by  the  stockholders  at  their  meeting  in  April, 
1890.  He  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Illinois  Club  for 
five  years,  governor  of  the  Chicago  Atheletic  Associa- 
tion, and  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago,  the  Union 
League,  the  Washington  Park  Driving  Association  and 
a  numerous  other  prominent  clubs  of  Chicago.  He  is 
not  identified  with  any  church  organization,  but  is, 
however,  a  Congregationalist  in  religious  belief.  In 
politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  taking  an  active 
interest  in  political  affairs,  both  local  and  state,  and 
through  his  party  was  appointed  West  Park  Commis- 
sioner, as  above  stated. 

He  was  married  in  1885,  to  Miss  Blanche  McLeish, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Mcl^eish,  of  Chicago,  of  the  dry 
goods  firm  of  Charles  Gossage  &  Company.  They 
have  one  child,  a  daughter,  now  seven  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Billings  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  of  robust 
build  and  light  complexion,  having  a  fine  appearance 
and  pleasing  address.  He  is  genial  and  sociable,  court- 
eous and  affable  and,  withal,  open-hearted  and  gener- 
ous, contributing  liberally  to  all  worthy  objects.  He 
is  a  thorough  business  man  and  has  great  capability  for 
work,  and  as.  president  of  the  People's  Gas  Light  & 
Coke  Company  is  widely  known  and  most  highly 
respected  for  both  business  and  social  qualities. 


GEN.  FRANCIS    MARION  DRAKE, 


CENTERVILLE,  IOWA. 


FRANCIS  MARION  DRAKE  was  born  in  Rush- 
ville,  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  December  30, 
1830.  He  was  the  second  son  of  John  Adams 
Drake  and  Harriet  Jane  O'Neal,  who  were  natives  of 
Nash  county,  N.  C.  John  Adams  Drake  was  of  Eng- 
lish descent  and  traced  his  relationship  back  to  Sir 
Francis  Drake,  as  also  to  the  distinguished  Adams 
family.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he 
followed  until  1830,  when  having  acquired  a  sufficient 
capital,  he  entered  the  mercantile  business,  afterwards 
engaging  in  that  of  banking,  which  he  followed  to  the 
close  of  life  with  much  credit  and  success. 

He  removed  from  Rush ville  to  Fort  Madison,  Iowa, 
i  in  1837.  and  during  his  nine  years'  residence  there.he  was 
elected  and  served  as  Probate  Judge  of  Lee  county. 
Again  in  1846  he  .removed  to  Davis  county,  same  State, 
where  he  founded  the  thriving  and  substantial  village 
of  Drakeville,  established  a  general  store,  and  together 
with  his  two  sons,  Francis  Marion  and  John  Hamilton, 


built  up  a  large  mercantile,  packing  and  milling  busi- 
ness, which  was  continued  for  man}'  years  and  was 
quite  successful.  He  commenced  the  banking  busi- 
ness at  Drakeville  in  1866,  and  ten  years  later  removed 
to  Centerville  in  Appanoose  count}7,  where,  while 
president  of  the  Centerville  National  Bank,  he  died  in 
May,  1880,  at  the  age  of  78  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Iowa  State  Legislature,  representing  Davis 
county,  in  1852-3,  elected  on  the  Whig  ticket.  He  was 
a  friend  of  the  famous  Alexander  Campbell,  was  one 
among  the  early  reformers  and  died  in  the  Christian 
faith.  His  wife  was  a  woman  of  superior  intelligence 
and  Christian  character.  She  was  the  devoted  mother  of  a 
large  family  of  children,  one  of  whom,  William  Henry 
Harrison  Drake,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Don- 
elson  in  the  charge  of  the  Second  Iowa  Regiment. 
She  died  in  Centerville,  Dec.  5,  1885,  at  the  age  of  70 
years. 

Francis  Marion  Drake,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


received  a  good  business  education  and  has  led  an 
active  and  successful  business  life.  At  the  age  of  16 
he  entered  his  father's  store  as  a  clerk,  in  which  employ- 
ment he  continued  until  he  became  of  age,  when,  during 
the  gold  excitement  in  California,  he  decided  to  work 
out  his  own  fortune.  He  crossed  the  plains  to  Sacra- 
mento in  1852  with  an  ox  train,  taking  with  him  two 
ox  teams  and  five  men.  After  crossing  the  Missouri 
river  in  flat-boats  at  Gainesville  (now  Council  Bluffs), 
he  organi/ed  a  small  train,  called  the  Drakeville  train, 
of  which  he  was  chosen  the  captain.  At  the  crossing 
of  Shell  Creek,  Neb.,  in  command  of  twenty  men  he  had 
a  severe  engagement  with  about  300  Pawnee  Indians, 
defeating  and  inflicting  upon  them  heavy  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded.  His  venture  to  "California  proving  quite 
successful,  he  again  crossed  the  plains  in  1854,  taking 
with  him  a  drove  of  cattle  and  some  horses  and  oxen, 
reaching  Sacramento  with  them  in  excellent  condition 
and  with  a  small  percentage  of  loss.  On  his  last  return 
from  California  he  was  a  passenger  on  the  ill-fated 
steamer,  "Yankee  Blade,"  which  was  wrecked  and 
totally  lost  Sept.  30,  1854,  off  Point  Aguiila  on  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  from  which  he  narrowly  escaped  and 
was  picked  up  on  a  barren  coast  five  days  later. 

On  his  return  home  he  entered  into  the  mercantile 
business  with  his  father  and  brother  (John  Hamilton) 
under  the  firm  name  of  Drake  &  Sons,  in  which  he 
successfully  continued  until  January  1,  1858,  when  he 
drew  out,  taking  in  part  as  his  assets  the  milling  inter- 
ests of  the  firm.  He  continued  in  the  milling  business 
until  the  fall  of  1859.  when,  having  succeeded  in  put- 
ting the  property  on  a  paying  basis,  he  disposed  of  it 
and  established  a  general  mercantile  and  stock  business 
at  the  village  of  Unionville  in  the  the  adjoining  county 
of  Appanoose,  which  he  profitably  continued  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  In  18C1  he  enlisted  and 
was  commissioned  captain  of  a  company,  which  was 
organized  into  Colonel  Edwards'  Independent  Iowa' 
Regiment,  of  which  he  was  elected  major,  and  with 
this  command  served  through  the  critical  times  of  1861 
in  Missouri,  driving  the  forces  under  General  Patton 
from  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  lie  was  assigned 
by  General  Prentiss  to  the  command  of  St.  Joseph, 
holding  the  position  at  the  time  of  Col.  Mulligan's  sur- 
render to  General  Price  at  Lexington,  and  defending 
the  attack  on  St.  Joseph  soon  afterwards. 

At  the  organization  of  the  36th  Iowa  Infantry,  in 
1S62,  he  was  made  lieutenant  colonel,  and  in  the  mili- 
tanr  history  of  the  three  years'  hard  and  efficient  ser- 
vice of  that  regiment,  his  name  stands  conspicuous. 
He  took  prominent  part  in  the  campaign  of  General 
Steele  from  Little  Rock  to  reinforce  General  Banks  on 
his  Red  River  expedition  in  Louisiana  in  1SG4,  and 
rendered  important  service.  His  gallant  defense  at 
Elkins'  Ford  on  the  Little  Missouri  river,  while  in  com- 
mand of  a  detachment  of  five  hundred  men,  against 
General  Mannaduke's  division  of  three  thousand,  result- 
ing in  holding  the  ford  after  a  severe  engagement  last- 
ing from  daylight  in  the  morning  until  near  noon,  was 
highly  commended  by  his  superior  officers,  and  he  was 


soon  after  placed  in  command  of  his  brigade.  On  the 
25th  of  April,  1864,  at  the  "bloody  battle  of  Marks' 
Mills,  while  in  command  of  his  brigade  of  less  than 
1,500  men,  and  arrayed  against  the  combined  cavalry 
forces  of  Kirny  Smith,  about  6,000,  commanded  bv 
Major  General  Pagan,  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
left  thigh  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The 
wound  was  pronounced  mortal,  the  thigh  bone  being 
slightly  fractured  by  a  Belgian  ball  weighing  one  and 
a  halt'  ounces,  the  bone  splitting  the  ball  and  the  pieces 
being  afterwards  extracted  from  different  parts  of  the 
bodv,  excepting  about  a  drachm  of  lead  (juried  in. the 
bone,  where  it  still  remains.  Owing  to  the  severity  of 
the  wound  he  was  not  held  a  prisoner,  and  after  a  con- 
finement of  near!}'  six  months,  his  wounds  being  suf- 
ficiently healed,  he  in  October  following,  by  the  aid  of 
crutches,  rejoined  his  command  at  Little  Rock.  He 
was  soon  afterwards  recommended  for  promotion  on 
account  of  special  gallantry,  hard  and  efficient  service, 
and  brevetted  brigadier  general  of  United  States  vol- 
unteers and  assigned  for  duty  commensurate  with  his 
rank.  He  relieved  General  Thayer  of  his  command 
at  St.  Charles  on  White  river,  and  later  commanded  a 
brigade  in  the  division  of  General  Shaler  and  the  post 
of  Duval's  Bluffs,  Ark.,  until  his  muster  out  of  service 
in  1865. 

After  the  war  he  resumed  the  mercantile  business, 
but  by  reason  of  his  wounds  was  unable  to  give  it  his 
active  personal  attention," and  became  associated  with 
Judge  Amos  Harris  in  the  practice  of  law,  with  whom, 
and  afterwards  with  General  A.  J.  Baker,  he  success- 
fully practiced  the  legal  profession  for  about  six  years. 
He  acquired  the  reputation  of  being  a  good  criminal 
lawyer,  and  though  having  retired  from  practice,  was 
prevailed  upon  in  1879  to  engage  with  General  Baker 
n  defense  of  the  notorious  Bill  Young,  of  Missouri, 
who  was  accused  of  murdering  the  Spencer  family, 
and  who  after  aquittal  was  lynched  by  the  infuriated 
citizens  who  believed  him  guilty. 

For  the  past  twenty-five  years  General  Drake  has 
been  engaged  in  the  railroad  and  banking  business ; 
has  projected  and  constructed  and  put  in  operation 
five  railroads.  He  is  president  of  the  Indiana,  Illinois 
&  Iowa  Railroad  and  Albia  &  Centerville  Railroad 
Companies  ;  a  director  of  the  Keokuk  &  Western  Rail- 
road Company,  and  president  of  the  Centerville 
National  Bank.  He  is  also  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  Drake  University,  Des  Moines,  la.,  which 
bears  his  name  as  one  of  its  founders  and  its  most  lib- 
eral benefactor.  He  has  also  been  a  liberal  contributor 
to  other  educational  institutions,  to  the  building  of 
scores  of  churches,  to  the  missionary  societies  and 
church  extension  fund  of  the  Christian  or  Disciple 
church,  with  which  he  stands  prominently  connected, 
and  is  now  serving  his  fifth  yearly  term  as  president  of 
the  Iowa  State  board.  He  has  been  honored  with  the 
presidency  of  the  national  board  for  the  term  of  one 
year.  In  the  spirit  of  public  enterprise  and  improve- 
ment in  his  town,  county  and  State,  he  has  not  only 
been  a  leader,  but  one  of  the  most  liberal  contributors. 


66 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


He  is  kind  hearted  and  a  true  friend  to  the  poor, 
the  afflicted  and  the  persecuted. 

He  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow  since  185-i  ;  is  a  Past 
Noble  Grand  and  a  member  of  the  encampment.  lie 
has  been  a  Mason  since  1859,  ranks  as  Sir  Knight  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In  both  Odd  Fel- 
lowship and  Masonry  he  is  held  as  an  honorary  mem- 
ber, exempted  from  dues  in  the  lodges  to  which  he 
belongs  because  of  his  liberal  benefactions  in  freeing 
them  from  indebtedness  incurred  in  the  building  of 
their  halls. 

general  Drake  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
although  he  has  been  one  of  the  prominent  leaders  of 
that  party  in  Iowa  in  the  support  and  advocacy  of  its 
principles,  he  has  not  been  an  aspirant  for  official 
position.  He  has  been  honored  as  a  delegate  from 
Iowa  to  three  Republican  national  conventions  and  as 
many  more  national  conventions  of  the  Republican 
League. 

He  was  married  December  24,  1855,  to  Mary  Jane 
Lord,  of  Ohio,  (although  born  in  New  Brunswick, 
Canada,)  and  who  died  at  Centerville,  Iowa,  June  22, 
1883.  Mrs.  Drake  was  a  woman  of  superior  intelli- 
gence ;  a  leader  in  society  and  in  the  church.  Her 
character  for  sincerity  was  especially  marked  as  was  also 
her  kindness  and  liberality,  and  she  was  universally 
loved  and  admired  by  her  associates.  She  was  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living, 


George  Hamilton  having  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  months  in  1870.  The  living  are  two  sons,  Frank 
Ellsworth  and  John  Adams  Drake,  and  four  daughters, 
Amelia  ('-Milla''),  Jennie,  Eva  and  Mary,  all  of  whom 
are  married  except  the  latter. 

Frank  resides  in  Centerville;  is  president  of  the 
Centerville  Coal  Company  and  extensively  ensraged  in 
the  production  and  merchandise  of  bituminous  coal. 
He  was  married  to  Flora  Bissett  at  Momf>nce,  Illinois, 
in  1883  and  has.  one  son,  Francis,  about  four  years  of 
age.  John  is  a  resident  of  Chicago;  is  the  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Indiana,  Illinois  &  Iowa  R.  R. 
Co.,  and  was  married  on  the  26th  of  January,  1893,  to 
Dula  Heisel  Rae,  the  adopted  daughter  of  Col.  Robert 
Rae  of  Chicago.  Milla  tesides  in  Chicago;  is  the  wife 
of  T.  P.  Shouts,  general  manager  of  the  Indiana, 
Illinois  &  Iowa  -Railroad.  They  were  married  in 
1881  and  have  two  daughters.  Marguerite  and  Mary 
Theodora,  aged  respectively  eight  and  six  years  of  age. 
Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  L.  Sawyers,  an  eminent 
physician  and  surgeon,  and  resides  in  Centerville. 
They  were  married  in  1883  and  have  two  daughters, 
Mary  and  Hygiene,  aged  respectively,  eight  and  six 
years.  Eva  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Goss  a  boot  and  shoe 
merchant  of  Centerville.  They  have  one  son,  Joseph 
Marion,  seven  years  of  age.  Mary  is  the  youngest 
child  now  twenty  years  of  age  and  makes  her  home 
with  her  father  at  Centerville,  Iowa. 


HON.  JOHN  COMSTOCK, 


HUDSON,  WISCONSIN. 


JOHN  COMSTOCK,  son  of  Elkanah  and  Sarah 
(Greene)  Comstock,  was  born  in  Owasco,  Cayuga 
count}',  New  York,  on  the  19th  day  of  december,  1812. 
His  father  was  a  Baptist  minister  who,  in  1S2J-,  was 
appointed  by  the  Baptist  Convention  of  New  York,  to 
preach  in  Michigan  and  was  the  first  minister  of  that 
denomination  to  preach  in  that  State.  .  His  mother 
was  adescendant  of  General  Nathaniel  Greene,  the  hero 
of  Revolutionary  fame. 

Young  Comstock  attended  the  public  schools  in 
New  York  until  his  twelfth  year,  and  after  that  time  at 
Pontiac,  Michigan.  From  his  earliest  youth  he  dis- 
played a  marked  talent  for  mechanics  and  after  leaving 
school  was  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter  and  cabinet 
maker  for  three  years.  He  worked  at  this  trade  until 
1813,  when  he  went  into  the  mercantile  and  millin^ 

o 

business  at  Commerce,  Michigan,  where  he  carried  on 
a  prosperous  and  highly  successful  business  until  1856, 
when  he  went  to  Hudson,  Wisconsin,  and  engaged  in 
contracting  and  in  the  sale  of  real-estate.  When  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Hudson,  was  organized,  in  1863, 


Mr.  Comstock  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  and  in  1870  was  made  president,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  January 
3rd,  1S90. 

Politically, Mr.  Comstock  was  a  staunch  Republican 
and  served  his  party  in  office  on  several  occasions,  chief 
of  which  were  two  terms  as  mayor  of  Hudson  and  one 
term  as  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Wisconsin. 
He  was  active  in  church  and  charitable  work  and  in  early 
life  became  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  church, 
but  later  adopted  the  views  of  the  Baptists,  though 
never  formally  uniting  with  that  denomination. 

On  the  15th  of  October.  1841,  Mr.  Comstock  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Lydia  F.  Seymour,  a 
daughter  of  Hon.  Theodore  Booster  of  Rhode  Island,  a 
prominent  lawyer,  and  for  thirteen  years  a  member  of 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  This  sketch  cannot 
be  better  closed  than  in  the  words  of  Judge  Humphrey, 
a  personal  friend  of  Mr.  Comstock  and  one  who  knew 
well  his  many  good  qualities  and  sterling  worth: 

"  Hon.  John  Comstock    was    not   only  a  very   able 


*p 


*** 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


man,  but  was  also  possessed  of  varied  abilities.  Possess- 
ing excellent  judgment  his  advice  was  sought  in  all 
departments  of  business.  The  merchant,  the  farmer, 
the  banker,  the  lawyer,  the  contractor,  the  projector 
of  railroads  and  other  large  enterprises,  sought  his 
views  and  placed  much  reliance  on  his  judgment.  Slow 
and  deliberate  in  all  matters  of  moment,  when  his  con- 
clusion was  reached  it  stood  as  his  judgment  in  the 
case;  and  seldom,  if  ever,  did  he  have  reason  to  modify 
or  change  it.  He  was  a  successful  business  man,  far- 
sighted,  energetic  and  uns'werving.  His  benefactions 
will  never  be  known  ;  his  liberality  and  large  hearted- 
ness  were  proverbial.  There  was  no  enterprise  which 
looked  to  the  advancement  of  his  city  that  did  not 
command  his  attention,  and  if  necessary  his  time  and 


69 

• 

money.  He  never  deviated  from  the  path  of  duty, and 
could  not  bear  with  patience  those  that  did.  To  young 
men  he  was  ever  ready  to  give  counsel  and  to  give  aid 
if  needed  and  they  merited  it.  Organizing  the  First 
National  Bank,  in  1863,  he  was  its  president  (with  the 
exception  of  two  years)  to  the  time  of  his  death,  and 
to-day  it  is  numbered  among  the  most  substantial  in 
the  country.  As  his  impress  is  left  on  that  institution 
so  did  he  leave  his  impress  on  every  undertaking  with 
which  he  was  connected.  None  ever  failed  ;  all  were 
highly  successful.  This  can  be  said  of  but  few  men. 
Mr.  Comstock  possessed  rare  abilities,  unnumbered 
virtues,  and  his  adopted  city  reveres  his  memory  and 
holds  him  in  sacred  remembrance  as  her  mavor, 
represenative,  citizen  and  friend." 


HON.  THEODORE  W.  BURDICK, 

SAULT  STE    MARIE,  MICHIGAN. 


THEODORE  W.  BURDICK  was  born  Octobet-7,1836, 
at  Evansburg,  Crawford  county,  Penn.,  and  spent 
his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  meantime  attending 
the  public  school  and  academy.  In  1853  he  was 
fitted  for  college,  and  a  scholarship  purchased  for  him 
at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio.  His  father,  however,  decided 
to  move  West  and  young  Theodore  was  obliged  to 
stifle  this  ambition.  He  accompanied  his  father  to 
Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  and  assisted  him  in  opening 
up  a  new  farm  near  Decorah.  In  the  winter  of  the 
same  vear  he  was  appointed  teacher  of  the  first  public 
school  opened  in  the  village  of  Decorah. 

The  following  year  his  father  was  made  treasurer, 
and  recorder  of  the  county,  and  he  appointed  his  son 
Theodore,  then  eighteen  years  of  age,  as'deputy,  which 
position  he  filled  until  he  was  twenty-one,  when  he 
himself  was  elected  to  both  offices.  He  gave  such 
general  satisfaction  that  he  was  elected  to  the  offices 
for  three  successive  terms.  Shortly  after  the  com- 
mencement of  his  third  term,  he  resigned  to  enlist  for 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  being  the  fifth  of  his 
brothers  to  volunteer.  He  served  three  years  as  cap- 
tain in  the  Sixth  Iowa  Cavalry,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  in  the  fall  of  1865;  three  of  his  five 
brothers  having  in  the  meantime  given  their  lives  for 
their  country. 

In  February,  1866,  Mr.  Burdick  was  elected  cashier 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Decorah,  in  which  office 
he  remained  until  1881,  when  he  was  made  vice-presi- 
dent. The  bank  under  Mr.  Burdick's  administration 
was  very  prosperous,  and  he  soon  became  connected 
with  other  financial  institutions,  one  of  which  was  the 
Savings  Bank  of  Decorah,  established  in  1873. 

In  connection  with  lion.  Howard  Graves  and 
others,  Mr.  Burdick  incorporated  and  established  the 
Esthervilie  State  Bank  of  Iowa,  of  which  institution 
he  is  vice-president  and  director:  He  also  aided  in  the 


incorporation  of  the  Bon  Ilomme  County  Bank  in 
South  Dakota,  of  which  he  is  still  a  large  stockholder. 
He  has  from  time  to  time  made  profitable  investments 
in  real  estate  in  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas.  He 
is  one  of  the  incorporators  and  a  director  of  the  North 
Dakota  Coal  Mining  Company,  which  owns  valuable 
coal  lands  and  mines  in  McLean  county,  N.  Dak. 

Mr.  Burdick  is  not  a  man  of  political  ambition, 
nevertheless,  in  1876,  he  was  nominated  for  Congress 
for  the  third  (then  Dubuque)  district  of  Iowa  by  the 
Republicans  of  that  district.  At  the  time  of  his  nomi- 
nation the  district  was  represented  by  a  Democrat  and 
was  considered  as  a  strongly  Democratic  district.  Mr. 
Burdick  was  elected  by  an  unprecedented  majority 
after  one  of  the  most  thorough  canvasses  of  the  district 
ever  made.  He  served  his  constituents  with  abilitv  and 
gave  such  general  satisfaction,  that  he  was  tendered  a 
renomination  without  opposition,  by  his  party,  which 
on  account  of  business  interests  he  declined.  In  1884, 
Mr.  Burdick  was  elected  State  senator  from  the  Win- 
neshiek county  district,  again  overcoming  a  strong 
Democratic  majority. 

Mr.  Burdick  went  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich,  in  the 
spring  of  1887,  attracted  by  the  evident  advantages 
that  place  enjoys,  and  invested  largely  in  real  estate. 
In  company  with  Mr.  James  H.  Easton,  of  Decorah, 
la.,  and  several  of  the  leading  business  men  there,  he 
organized  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  National  Bank,  with  a 
paid-up  capital  of  $100,000,  of  which  he  was  elected 
cashier  and  executive  officer,  later  becoming  president, 
a  position  he  now  holds.  Like  all  men  of  great  ability 
Mr.  Burdick  is  modest  and  unassuming,  and  his  agree- 
able manners  and  reputation  for  sincerity  and  integrity 
make  him  very  popular  wherever  known. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  the 
youngest  daughter  of  Hon.  Gay  lord  Graves,  of  White- 
water, Wis.,  who  died  in  1889.  The  children  of  this 


;o 


fROMfNENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


marriage  were  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  of 
whom  two  sons  and  two  daughters  are  now  living. 
His  eldest  son,  Nelson  A.  Burdick,  is  assistant  cashier 
of  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  National  Bank,  and  is  a 
voung  man  of  fine  ability  and  great  promise.  The 
youngest  son,  Weld.  T.,  is  now  in  college.  The  eldest 
daughter,  Mary  A.,  married  Charles  T.  Bailey,  Esq., 
of  Decorah,  la  .  late  cashier  and  manager  of  the  New- 
berry  Bank,  of  Newberrv.  Mich.  His  youngest  daugh- 
ter, Harriet  E.,  is  married  to  Charles  C.  Younglove,  a 
prominent  and  prosperous  merchant  of  Newberry, 


Mich.  Mr.  Burdick's  second  wife,  now  living,  is  the 
youngest  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  Burnham.  of 
Concord,  N.  H.,  and  widow  of  the  late  John  II.  More, 
Esq.,  of  "New  York  City.  Mr.  Burdick  has  always  been 
extremel-v  happy  in  his  domestic  and  family  relations. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  ;  is 
open-handed  in  all  charitable  and  benevolent  enter- 
prises, popular  with  his  friends,  and  taken  all  in  all,  an 
excellent  specimen  of  a  distinctively  Western  self-made 
man  of  great  force  of  character  and  acknowledged 
personal  worth. 


JOSEPH  DEAN, 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


JOSEPH   DEAN,  son  of  John  and  Mary  Dean,  was 
born    near  the   city   of   Enniskillen,   County    of 
Fermanagh,  in   western   Ireland,  on    the  10th  day  of 
Januarv,  1826.      When   he   was  still   but  a  child  his 

»    ' 

father  emigrated  to  the  New  World,  and  settled  for  a 
time  in  the  vicinity  of  Sherbrooke,  Canada,  where  the 
family  remained  until  1836,  when  they  moved  to 
Belvidere,  111.  Here  Joseph  passed  his  boyhood  days 
and  grew  to  manhood,  working  upon  a  farm  and 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  making  the  most  of  his 
few  opportunities  for  obtainingan  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  He  worked  at  his  trade  in  various  places,  a 
part  of  the  time  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  in  1850 
located  in  Minnesota.  Isaac  Atwater,  Edward  Murphy, 
Allen  Harman,  Joel  B.  Bussett  and  W".  W.  Wales 
located  in  Minnesota  in  the  same  year.  Most  of 
these  gentlemen  settled  in  Minneapolis,  but  Mr.  Dean 
went  to  Oak  Grove  (now  called  Bloomington)  on  the 
Minnesota  river,  where  he  engaged  .in  running  a 
ferry,  and  two  years  later  took  a  claim  there.  Besides 
his  business  at  Oak  Grove,  Mr.  Dean  devoted  much 
time  to  other  business.  During  the  summer  of  1851  he 
superintended  the  building  of  a  store  at  St.  Anthony 
for  John  H.  Stevens  and  Franklin  Steele,  and 
was  also  employed  by  Mr.  Steele  to  oversee  building 
operations  at  Fort  Snelling. 

When  Hennepin  county  was  organized  in  October, 
1852,  Mr.  Dean  was  elected,  with  two  others,  unani- 
mously, to  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  which 
board  located  the  county  seat  and  entered  upon  the 
records  of  the  location  the  name  of  ';Albion."  This 
name  proved  unsatisfactdr}',  and  after  much  discussion 
the  name  "Minneapolis"  was  decided  upon  and  the 
records  altered  accordingly.  Mr.  Dean  served  upon  the 
above  board  for  three  years,  was  a  member  of  the  first 
grand  jury  of  Hennepin  county,  impaneled  in  1853, 
and  was  appointed  upon  the  Whig  committee  for  the 
precinct  of  St.  Peter  (now  known  as  Bloomington.)  In 
the  act  incorporating  the  Hennepin  county  Agricultural 
Society,  passed  February  20,  1S53,  Mr.  Dean  was 
named  as  one  of  the  incorporators.  On  the  first  day  of 


January.  1854,  he  received  the  appointment  of  post- 
master of  Bloomington,  which  was  the  first  post-office 
established  in  Hennepin  county,  outside  of  Fort 
Snelling,  preceding  the  establishment  of  that  at  Minne- 
apolis by  only  a  few  days. 

In  the  Spring  of  1856,  Mr.  Dean  moved  to  Minne 
apolis,  where  he  engaged  in  business  as  a  contractor 
and  builder,  and  shortly  afterwards  purchased  the 
planing  mill,  and  sash  and  door  factory  at  the  Falls, 
which  he  operated  in  connection  with  his  business  as 
a  builder.  He  continued  in  this  line  of  business  until 
1863,  when  he  became  associated  with  T.  A ,  H.  G. 
and  Win.  M.  Harrison,  under  the  firm  name  of  Joseph 
Dean  &  Co.,  in  the  lumber  business.  This  venture 
was  a  decided  success,  and  was  carried  on  until  they 
retired  from  business,  as  a  firm,  in  1877.  Their  first 
purchase  was  the  Stanchfield  saw  mill  at  the  mouth  of 
Bassett's  Creek,  which  they  enlarged,  rebuilt,  and 
operated  until-  it  was  burned,  when  they  purchased 
the  large  mill  known  as  the  Pacific  mill,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river,  just  above  the  suspension 
bridge.  This  was  one  of  the  largest  and  most  complete 
saw  mills  in  that  section,  and  thev  operated  it  until 
1877. 

In  the  summer  of  that  year,  Mr.  Dean  was  appointed 
cashier  of  the  State  National  Bank,  which  position  he 
filled  until  the  business  was  merged  into  that  of  the 
newly  organized  Security  Bank  of  Minnesota,  when  he 
became  cashier  of  the  latter  institution,  and  was  a 
member  of  its  board  of  directors.  This  enterprise  was 
a  pet  scheme  of  3fr.  Dean's,  to  succeed  the  long  and 
pleasant  partnership  of  Joseph  Dean  &  Co.  When 
the  Security  Bank  of  Minnesota  was  first  organized, 
almost  the  entire  stock  was  held  by  T.  A.  Harrison, 
II.  G.  Harrison  and  Joseph  Dean,  the  then  surviving 
partners  of  Joseph  Dean  it  Co.  Thomas  A.  Harrison 
was  president  of  the  bank,  and  H.  G.  Harrison  its  vice- 
president,  and  its  rapidly -acquired  popularity  and 
success  fully  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of  the  under- 
taking. Mr.  Dean  remained  with  the  bank  as  cashier 
until  the  summer  of  1882,  when  he  was  compelled  to 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


resign  owing  to  ill  health.  He  afterwards  returned  for 
a  time  as  its  general  manager,  and  was  afterwards  its 
vice-president.,  but  continued  ill  health  compelled  him 
to  finally  retire  from  all  active  work  for  the  bank,  and 
seek  relaxation  in  travel. 

In  the  spring  of  1850,  Mr.  Dean  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Nancy  II.  Stanley  of  Belvidere,  111. 
Seven  children  blessed  this  union  and  of  them  four 
survive,  who  are  to-day  well  known  and  successful 
business  men,  enjoying  the  honor  and  respect  of  the 
entire  community.  Mrs.  Dean  died  in  187-1.  and  in 
1876  Mr.  Dean  was  again  married,  this  time  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Stevens  of"  Baileyville,'  III.,  a  highly 
accomplished  and  lovable  woman,  who  survives 
him. 

Politically,  Mr.  Dean  was  at  first  a  Whig  and 
afterwards  a  Republican.  His  immense  business 
interests  would  not  permit  of  his  active  participation 
in  politics,  although  in  the  fall  of  1859  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  Hennepin  county,  having  allowed  his 
name  to  be  used  only  after  much  solicitation  from  his 
personal  and  political  friends,  lie  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  from  1856  was 


73 

of  that  church,  and  always  liberal;  was  one  of  the 
church's  chief  supporters,  and  a  generous  friend  of 
every  project  advanced  for  the  relief  of  the  unfortunate 
and  distressed. 

Mr,  Dean's  death  occurred  while  he  was  awav  from 
home.  He  had  gone  to  Eureka  Springs,  Ark.,  in  the 
hope  of  re-establishing  his  health,  which  had  been 
failing  for  some  time,  and  on  the  20th  day  of  May, 
1890,  he  peacefully  passed  away.  Mr.  Dean  will  lono- 
live  in  the  memory  of  his  old  friends  in  Hennepin 
county,  where,  after  assisting  at  the  county's  birth,  he 
watched  and  helped  its  development  until  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  owed  his  prosperity  to  his  own 
earnest  endeavor  and  his  naturally  great  business 
ability.  He  started  in  life  with  a  clear  brain  and  a 
pair  of  willing  hands,  and  any  success  achieved  by 
him  was  directly  connected  with  his  own  hard  work. 
Instead  of  building  his  fortune  upon  the  misfortunes 
of  others,  he -was  chiefly  noted  for  his  ever  ready 
assistance  to  any  man  who  was  willing  to  make  the 
most  of  it.  Modest  and  unostentatious  in  demeanor, 
he  was  ever  ready  to  do  his  part,  and  his  quiet 
liberality  and  charity  will  cause  him  to  be  long 


actively  and    prominently    connected    with  the    work  .   remembered  as  a  noble  man. 


JOHN    P.  DAVIDSON, 

NACOGDOCHES,  TEXAS. 


JOHN  P.  DAVIDSON,  son  of  Lamer  B.  and 
Hariett  B.  Davidson,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Limestone  county,  Ala.,  on  the  19th  day  of  September. 
1842.  His  father  was  a  prosperous  'farmer,  and  gave 
his  son  a  good  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Texas, 
to  which  State  the  parents  moved  when  he  was  seven 
years  of  age,  locating  in  Nacogdoches  county,  where, 
with  the  exception  of  four  years  in  the  city  of  Gal- 
veston,  and  three  years  in  Dallas,  Mr.  Davidson's  home 
has  been  up  to  the  present  time. 

,  When  young  Davidson  left  school  he  entered  the 
ranks  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  and  then  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  entered 
the  ranks  of  the  great  army  in  the  battle  of  life,  with  no 
capital  save  a  pair  of  willing  hands,  a  clear  and  calcu- 
lating brain,  and  an  earnest  determination  to  succeed. 
He  commenced  as  driver  of  an  ox-wagon  between 
Nacogdoches,  Tex.,  and  Shrevesport,  La.  This  work 
he  continued  for  a  few  months,  and  then,  with  the 
small  capital  that  he  had  saved  from  his  earnings,  he 
married,  and  devoted  himself  to  agriculture,  raising 
corn  and  cotton.  By  working  rt'ith  his  laborers,  and 
by  the  closest  economy,  he  saved  enough  monev  to 
commence  his  commercial  career,  and  in  September, 
1869,  he  inaugurated  his  first  business  enterprise  by 
starting  a  small  general  store  in  Cherokee  county, 
Tex.  •Since  that  time  he  has  been  continuously  in  the 
business,  which  has  increased  perceptibly  in  volume. 


He  also  conducted  the  only  bank  in  Cherokee  at  that 
time.  In  1883,  he  went  to  Galveston,  where  he 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hamilton,  Longine  & 
Co.,  wholesale  dealers  in  gentlemen's  furnishing  goods, 
hats,  caps,  etc.,  with  which  he  continued  for  three 
years,  and  then  sold  out  his  interest  and  went  to  Dallas, 
where  he  and  Captain  B.  N.  Boren  formed  a  partner- 
ship, and  started  a  wholesale  grocery  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Boren  &  Davidson.  From  the  first 
this  firm  has  handled  a  large  and  continually  growing 
business,  and  is  at  the  present  time  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  in  the  West.  In  1890,  Mr.  Davidson 
withdrew,  and  returned  to  Nacogdoches,  the  home  of 
his  youth,  and  there  organized  the  first  National  Bank 
of  Nacogdoches,  of  which  he  was  elected  president. 
He  also  conducts  a  large  general  merchandise  business 
in  Nacogdoches,  and  now,  in  the  prime  of  his  manhood, 
can  look  back  on  a  successful  and  highly  honorable 
business  life.  With  many  years  presumably  yet  before 
him,  and  judging  by  the  results  of  his  past  career,  Mr. 
Davidson  can  scarcely  fail  to  add  still  more  laurels  to 
the  crown  of  his  success. 

At  the  outset  of  his  career,  or  as  soon  as  he  had 
saved  what  he  deemed  sufficient  to  justify  him  in  so 
doing,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mariah  A. 
Sutphen,  one  of  the  sweetest  flowers  that  bloomed  on 
the  soil  of  the  Lone  Star  State,  on  the  llth  of  January, 
1866.  She  has  ever  since  been  to  him  a  loving  wife 


74 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


and  a  valuable   helpmate,  materially  aiding   him  both 
in  his  social  life  and  business  career. 

Mr.    Davidson    is,  in   every  sense   of   the   term,  an 
active,  energetic  business  man.     Socially  lie  is  a  genial 


his  glowing  personality  gives  a  genuine  satisfaction, 
softens  the  asperities  of  life,  and  induces  one  to  forget 
for  a  time  the  hurried  process  of  money-getting. 
These  qualities  have  made  him  hosts  of  friends,  every 


and  agreeable  gentleman,  one  whom  it  is  a  true  pleasure     one   of   whom    delight  to  do    him  and   his   estimable 
to  meet.     To  shake  his  hand,  and  feel  the  warmth  of     wife  honor. 


JOSIAH  LEE  DABBS, 


UVALDE,  TEXAS. 


JOSIAH  LEE  DABBS,  son  of  J.  W.  and  Sarah  E. 
Dabbs,  was  born  in  Titus  county,  Texas.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Texas,  and  later  entered 
Eastman's  National  Business  College,  at  Poughkeep- 
sie,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  graduated  before  he  reached 
his  twentieth  year,  and  immediately  entered  the  arena 
of  business  life,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Dabbs 
Brothers,  who  were  doing  a  large  business  in  each  of 
the  three  towns,  Sulphur  Springs,  Black  Jack  and 
Commerce,  Texas,.and  with  which  firm  he  remained  un- 
til 1889,  when  he  became  connected  with  the  City 
National  Bank  of  Sulphur  Springs,  being  a  director  in 
1891  and  1892. 

When  the  National  Bank  of  Uvalde  was  organized 
in  1891,  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency,  thus  becom- 
ing a  bank  president  at  the  age  of  twenty  four.  He 


has  since  acted  in  that  capacity,  and  the  rapid  growth 
of  the  business  of  the  bank  has  amply  justified  the 
wisdom  of  the  stockholders  in  placing  the  management 
of  its  affairs  in  his  hands,  notwithstanding  his  extreme 
youthfulness.  The  bank's  net  earnings  since  its  organ- 
ization, less  than  three  years  ago,  have  reached 
forty-eight  per  cent,  of  the  capital  stock,  and  this 
accounts  for  the  fact,  which  is  not  a  surprising 
one,  that  it  is  impossible  to  find  any  of  the  stock  for 
sale. 

Judging  entirely  from  the  rare  business  sagacity  and 
able  management  shown  by  him  thus  far.  Mr.  Dabbs 
evidently  has  a  brilliant  future  before  him,  and  having 
in  mind  his  past  record,  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  he  will 
in  the  future  rank  second  to  none  in  the  West  as  an 
able  financier. 


LOUIS   BRUNI, 

LAREDO,  TEXAS. 


LOUIS  BRUNI,  son  of  Signer  Matteo  and  Dominica 
(Eugalli)  Bruni,  was  born  in  1849  in  Bedonia,  a 
beautiful  and  picturesque  city  situated  at  the  foot  of 
the  Apennine  mountains  in  the  ancient  Ducade  of 
Parma  and  Placencia,  in  Italy.  Both  of  his  parents 
were  descended  from  old  and  highly  respected  families, 
and  were  universallv  esteemed  by  their  neighbors  and 
fellow-citizens.  The  father  was  remarkable  for  his 
extreme  frankness  and  liberality,  and  thus,  though  it 
endeared  him  to  his  friends,  the  attention  of  the  Gov- 
ernment,, remarkable  only  for  its  tyranny  and  despot- 
ism, was  drawn  to  him,  and  to  avoid  his  enemies  he 
was  obliged  to  take  up  his  residence  in  France.  He 
went  alone,  leaving  his  young  wife  and  family  in  Ital\7, 
and  took  up  a  formal  residence  in  Artemps,  Department 
of  Aisne,  where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  in 
which  he  remained  for  more  than  twenty  years,  visit- 
ing his  wife  secretly  and  at  uncertain  intervals,  as  he 
was  forced  to  exercise  the  greatest  caution  to  avoid 
awakening  the  suspicions  of  his  enemies. 

Young  Louis  remained  at  home  with  his   mother 
until  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  when  he  was  placed  in 


the  house  of  one  Gaetano  Bianchini,  an  old  friend  of 
his  father,  who  was  at  that  time  a  priest  and  a  school 
teacher.  In  the  home  of  this  good  priest  our  subject 
was  given  his  first  insight  into  the  knowledge  taught 
by  books,  and  for  the  next  three  years  he  was  dili- 
gently at  work  striving  to  excel  in  his  studies.  He 
was  then  taken  to  France  by  his  father,  who  placed 
him  in  the  celebrated  college  "  Brunei's  de  Saint 
Quentin."  The  wars  of  1858  and  1859  of  Piedmont 
and  France  against  Austria  and  Hungary,  and  those  of 
'60  and  '61  of  Garibaldi,  by  which  Italy  was  set  free, 
enabled  the  elder  Bruni  to  return  to  his  native  country. 
This  he  did,  but.  unfortunately,  he  contracted  a  fever, 
and  after  a  long  illness,  died  in  May,  1864-,  leaving  his 
wife  and  three  young  children  to  mourn  his  loss.  Louis 
Bruni  was  the  eldest  of  the  children,  and  his  mother, 
wishing  to  give  him  a  better  education,  sent  him  to 
Parma  to  complete  his  studies,  but  the  war  between 
Italy  and  Austria  broke  out  soon  afterwards,  the  schools 
were  all  closed,  and  he  was  forced  to  suspend  for  a 
time  the  completion  of  his  education.  After  the  war 
was  over  he  went  to  Florence,  where  he  attended  the 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


75 


''Real  Technical  Institute."  When  the  heroic  General 
Giuseppe  Garibaldi  organized  the  famous  expedition  of 
Mentana,  taking  for  his  motto  those  memorable  words, 
"  Rome  or  death,"  young  Bruni,  with  many  other 
students,  cast  his  books  aside  in  order  to  follow  the 
great  leader,  Duce.  After  the  unfortunate  battle  of 
Mentana,  he  returned  to  Florence,  whence,  after  several 
years  spent  in  study,  he  returned  to  his  native  city, 
determined  to  remain  with  his  mother  as  long  as  she 
lived.  This  was  in  1870,  and  two  years  later  the 
mother  was  called  to  join  her  husband,  leaving  Louis 
with  a  younger  brother  to  provide  for,  his  sister  having 
been  married.  After  turning  the  matter  over  in  his 
own  mind  and  carefully  studying  all  the  circumstances, 
he  determined  to  leave  his  native  land  and  come  to 
America  in  search  of  fortune,  hoping  that  new  faces 
and  scenes  in  the  land  of  the  free  might  make  him  at 
least  partially  forget  his  great  loss.  According!}',  early 
in  the  vear  of  1873  he  and  his  brother,  Antonio,  took 
passage  at  Havre  on  a  steamer  bound  for  New  Orleans, 
from  which  city  they  traveled  by  rail  and  stage  to  San 
Antonio,  Tex.,  where  the  brother  found  employment 
in  a  mercantile  establishment  owned  by  an  uncle  in 
that  town.  Louis  then  went  to  Mexico,  and,  after  a 
minute  and  careful  study  of  that  country,  her  customs 
and  people,  he  wrote  and  published  a  book  in  the 
Italian  language,  "Attraverso  il  Messico,"  which  was 
well  received  and  widely  read  throughout  Europe. 

Being  fond  of  archa?  >logical  studies,  Mr.  Bruni 
made  quite  a  collection  of  relics  of  the  Ancient  Aztecs, 
one  of  which,  a  particularly  beautiful  specimen,  he 
sent,  as  a  present,  to  the  Ethnological  Museum  at 
Rome.  When  the  Diaz  revolution  took  place  in  Mexico, 
he  held  a  position  as  lieutenant  under  Generals  Cleto 
Felcon  and  Ipolito  Charles,  but  after  Saltillo  was  taken 
and  Monterey  had  surrendered,  he  resigned  his  com- 
mission and  returned  to  the  United  States,  where  by 
chance  he  met  his  brother  in  Laredo,  Texas.  This 
meeting  was  a  surprise  to  him  as  he  thought  his  brother 
was  still  with  his  uncle  in  San  Antonio.  But  the 
meeting  was  not  the  only  coincidence,  for  both  brothers 
had  gone  to  Laredo  with  the  intention  of  starting  in 
business  there,  so  after  expressing  their  natural  joy  at 
the  meeting,  they  talked  over  their  affairs,  and  decided 
to  go  into  business  together.  Accordingly  in  1877,  they 
opened  a  small  dry  goods  store  in  Laredo,  and  from 
this  small  beginning  they  have,  by  hard  work  and 
great  economy,  amassed  their  present  fortune.  Their 
first  extension  was  in  1880,  when  they  opened  a  branch 
store  in  Laredo,  Mexico,  and  since  'they  so  extended 
their  business  that  now  they  own  many  buildings  in 
Laredo,  Texas,  besides  being  the  possessors  of  three 
large  ranches  ;  i.  e.  "  The  Basaneno,"  "  The  Baeosito  " 
and  the  "Pearl."  These  ranches  are  situated  in  Zapata 
and  Tusinal  counties,  Texas,  about  thirty  miles  from 
Laredo.  The  "Pearl"  is  by  far  the  largest  of  these, 
and  the  best  appointed.  It  has  50,000  acres  of  fine 
land,  square  in  shape,  and  surrounded  by  a  good  wire 
fence.  The  house  is  of  brick,  two  stories  in  height, 
and  comfortably  equipped.  The  water  used  upon  the 


ranch  is  drawn  by  machinery  from  the  Rio  Grande 
river,  and  every  kind  of  improved  agricultural  machin- 
ery is  to  be  found  upon  the  place.  The  ranch  is  in  a 
very  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  among,  other  things 
it  has  the  finest  vineyard  planted  in  that  part  of  Texas. 
It  was  from  this  vineyard  that  the  grapes  exhibited  at 
the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  May  15,  1893,  came. 
They  were  the  first  grapes  to  reach  the  Fair,  and  were 
greatly  admired.  The  other  two  ranches  are  smaller 
in  size  than  the  "  Pearl"  and  are  used  to  raise  horses 
and  cattle,  of  which  they  sold  in  the  month  of  May, 
1893,  nearly  9,000  head  of  different  ages.  In  their 
stores  the  brothers  sell  in  each  a  different  line  of  goods, 
and  in  one  they  keep  everything  that  is  used  upon  a 
ranch. 

Such  has  been  the  business  life  of  Louis  Bruni,  one 
that  has  been  a  credit  alike  to  himself  and  to  the  home 
of  his  adoption.  His  start,  a  small  one^  was  made  not 
many  years  ago,  and  his  present  prosperity  is  due  to 
his  own  efforts  and  great  economy,  and  ali  of  his  deal- 
ings with  men  have  been  characterized  by  fairness  and 
unfailing  integrity.  In  this  his  life  is  like  that  spent 
by  his  father,  who,  on  returning  from  France  to  his 
native  land,  after  an  exile  of  more  than  twenty  years, 
left  none  who  could  complain  of  unfair  or  unscrupulous 
dealings,  but  on  the  contrary,  left  many  friends  who 
loved  him,  and  who  respected  him  for  his  honor  and 
commercial  integrity. 

Young  Bruni's  trials  began  at.  the  early  age  of 
twelve  when  he  crossed  Mount  Cenis  on  foot,  and  five 
years  later  he  crossed  the  Great  St.  Bernard  in  the 
same  way,  and  visited  en  route  the  beautiful  convent 
that  was  founded  by  the  first  Napoleon,  and  where  he 
saw  for  the  first  time  specimens  of  the  noble  breed  of 
dogs  that  take  their  name  from  the  mountain.  Later 
he  visited  Egypt  and  Palestine,  and  made  himself 
familiar  with  the  different  cities  of  those  countries,par- 
ticularly  Alexandria  in  Egypt  and  Jerusalem  in  Pales- 
tine. In  Europe  he  visited  all  the  more  noted  cities 
and  places  before  coming  to  America.  After  reaching 
this  country,  he,  with  his  brother,  crossed  the  San 
Gotardo,  experiencing  cold  so  intense  that  his  brother's 
foot  was  frozen,  notwithstanding  the  heavy  wrappings. 
He  afterwards  traveled  all  over  the  land  of  the  Ancient 
Aztecs,  gathering  material  for  his  book,  and  later  in  the 
year  18814  went  from  Laredo,  Texas,  to  San  Luis  Potosi, 
taking  with  him  only  two  men  as  servants.  At  that 
time  the  trip  took  twenty  days,  as  the  railroad  was  as 
yet  unknown  in  that  region.  In  1886  he  returned  to 
Europe,  visiting  England, 'France,  German}'  and  Italy. 

Mr.  Bruni  on  the  6th  of  August,  1886,  was  honored 
by  a  decree  making  him  a  "  Gentleman  of  the  Cross  of 
the  Crown  of  Italy,"  which  honor  was  conferred  upon 
him  for  his  many  acts  of  benevolence,  and  in  1890  he 
was  made  a"  Gentleman  Salvador  of  First  Class  of  the 
Areopago  of  Nice,"  Maratine  Alps,  France.  He  is  a 
member  of  many  benevolent  societies  and  many  clubs, 
both  in  Italy  and  America,  and  since  an  early  age  he 
has  been  allied  to  the  Fraternity  of  Liberal  and 
Accepted  Masons  of  the  R.  E.  A.  and  A.,  in  which 


76 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


order  he  has  taken  thirty  degrees.  In  this  order  he  has 
acted  in  various  official  positions,  and  was  at  one  time 
"Venerable ''  of  the  Red  Lodge  No.  8,  of  Laredo, 
Mexico. 

Besides  his  great  business  success,  Mr.Bruni  isquitea 
well-known  figure  in  the  world  of  letters  The  book 
published  by  him  shortly  after  coming  to  America  cre- 
ated a  widespread  and  favorable  impression,  and  since 
that  time  many  publications  in  America  and  Europe 
have  been  enriched  by  articles  from  his  pen.  His  life 
has  been  an  eventful  one,  and  he  has  passed  through 
everv  ordeal  with  credit  and  honor.  No  important 
duty  of  man  has  he  slighted,exce;)ting  tliat  of  leaving  to 
the  world  children  to  carry  on  his  good  work,  for  in  his 
busy  life  he  never  married. 

Looking  back  over  his  life.  Mr.  Bruni  regards  as 
the  most  precious  friendships  that  have  been  his,  those 
of  Guiseppe  Garibaldi  and  Ceasar  Cantu,  two  men 
whose  names  shall  live  in  history,  and  of  whose  friend- 
ship any  man  might  well  be  proud. 

Mr.  Bruni  early  learned  after  landing  upon  Ameri- 
can soil  that  though  this  was  a  country  grand  in  all 
things,  the  man  of  business  was  of  more  importance 
than  any  other  and  thus  he  concluded  to  abandon  the 
pen  of  the  writer  for  the  golden  pencil  of  the  merchant. 
To  reach  the  top  round  of  the  ladder  and  to  gain  the 
best  possible  position  in  the  country  of  his  adoption,  he 
substituted  for  the  sweet  language  of  the  "muses" 
mathematical  calculations,  and  though  this  change  was 
not  congenial  to  one  of  his  spirit,  he  has  kept  it  and 


gained    his  point.     However,   he    has  not  ever  quite 
abandoned  "  Belles  Lettres,"  but  occasional!}'  has  put 
on  paper  some  beautiful  gems  of  thought  as  they  occur- 
red to  him  and  we  cannot  better  close  this  sketch  of  his 
life  than  by  quoting  a  poem  in  the  French  language 
written  on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  French  fleet 
to  Genoa,  in  honor  of  the  400th  anniversary  of  Christo 
pher  Columbus. 

RECONNAISSANCE  AUX  FRANCAIS. 

Sur  vos  vaissaux  aili-«. 
De  France  en  ITALIE 
Volez.  Francais  !  volez, 
Et  de  votre  Patrie, 
A  GENES,  notre  soeur, 
Apportez  les  hommages ! 
Pour  vous  bat  noire  coeur  ; 
Un  seront  nos  langages. 

FidtMes  messigers 

D'  une  time  libre  et  fiere, 

Allez,  mes  vers,  h'-gers, 

Dire  a  ce  peuple  fiere 

Que  nous  sommes  heureux, 

Sine  ores  patriotes 

De  ses  vaisseanx  nombreux 

Qui  sinnollent  noscotis. 

Du  mot  divin  de  paix 
Sachons  sentir  les  charmes, 
-  Et,  lies  a  j-imais. 
Mclone  encor  nos  armes. 
Gardens  le  souvenir 
D'un  passe  plein  de  gloire, 
Car  rien  ne  doit  ternir 
Nos  deux  noms  dans  1'  HISTOIBE. 


ALBERT  F.  DICKINSON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ALBERT  F.  DICKINSON,  son  of  Justus  Dickinson, 
was  born  June  28,  1809,  at  Hawley,  Franklin 
county,  Mass.  He  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion in  his  native  county,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  ad- 
vanced far  enough,  taught  school  at  Savoy  and  Adams, 
Mass.  He  then  served  as  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store  at 
Adams  for  a  while,  and  later  went  to  Curtisville,  Mass., 
and  became  agent  for  two  cotton  factories  located 
there.  He  made  the  necessary  trips  to  New  York  to 
purchase  the  raw  cotton  for  the  mills  and  to  sell  the 
manufactured  goods. 

It  was  in  1840  that  he  first  visited  the  West,  com- 
ing to  Chicago,  and  continuing  his  journey  into  Wis- 
consin. Upon  his  return  to  Massachusetts  he  pur- 
chased a  grist  mill  at  Curtisville  (Berkshire  county) 
which  he  operated  for  some  years.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Dickinson,  was  elected  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  selectman,  and  held  other  town 
oftices.  He  was  also  postmaster,  and  later,  in  1848, 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  by  the 
Democratic  party. 

In  1852  he  moved  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged 


in  the  flour  and  commission  business.  Shortly  after- 
wards he  disposed  of  this  business  and  removed  to 
Buffalo,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Chester 
Hitchcock  in  the  same  business,  which  partnership  was 
dissolved  in  1855. 

In  1854,  Mr.  Dickinson  came  to  Chicago  (Mr. 
Hitchcock  continuing  in  the  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  business), 
and  his  family  followed  in  September,  1855.  He  soon 
commenced  to  deal  in  the  grain  and  commission  bus- 
iness, which  he  continued  until  1872,  when,  on  account 
of  his  health,  he  transferred  his  business  to  his  eldest 
son,  Albert.  In  the  previous  year  the  great  fire  of 
1871  occurred,  destroying  his  warehouse  and  nearly 
paralyzing  his  business,  his  insurance  being  worthless. 
This  left  him  in  debt,  which,  after  several  years'  hard 
work  by  the  family,  was,  however,  paid  in  full. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Board  of  Trade  he  became 
a  member,  when  the  membership  fee  was  only  S5.00. 
He  died  in  1881,  and  on  that  occasion  the  Board  of 
Trade  passed  the  following  resolution  of  respect: 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Mr.  Albert  F. 
Dickinson  this  association  has  lost  a  member  who,  in. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


79 


his  long  intercourse  with  us  as  a  business  man,  always 
commanded  our  sincerest  respect  as  a  man  of  excep- 
tionally high  sense  of  commercial  honor,  and  whose 
integrity  was  never  questioned  in  the  many  transact- 
ions in  which  he  was  engaged  during  his  residence  in 
the  city." 

Mr.  Dickinson  was  married  in  Adams,  Mass.,  in 
183G,  to  Miss  Ann  Eliza  Anthony,  daughter  of  Hum- 
phrey Anthony  and  Hannah  (Lapham)  Anthony.  Ten 
children  blessed  this  union,  six  of  whom  are  now  liv- 


ing, viz. :  Hannah,  now  Mrs.  Charles  C.  Boyles  ;  Mel- 
issa, Albert.  Nathan,  Fanny  (Dr.  Dickinson)  and 
Charles  Dickinson.  Albert,  Melissa,  Nathan  and 
Charles  still  continue  together  in  the  business  started 
by  their  father,  which  his  son,  Albert  Dickinson, 
changed  into  an  exclusive  seed  business,  and  under 
their  joint  management  it  has  developed  wonderfully, 
so  that  now  they  have  the  largest  trade  in  their  line 
in  the  country. 


SENECA  D.  KIMBARK. 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


SENECA  D.  KIMBARK  is  one  of -the  pioneers  of 
the  great  iron  and  steel  trade  in  Chicago,  having 
been  actively  engaged  in  that  business  since  1853. 

Mr.  Kim  bark  is  a  native  of  New  York  State,  born 
at  Venice,  Cayuga  county,  March  4, 1832.  His  educa- 
tion was  a  thorough  one  for  those  days,  and  was 
obtained  by  his  own  efforts.  After  graduating  from 
the  district  school  he  attended  the  Geneseoand  Canan- 
daigua  academies,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  paid  his 
tuition  with  money  earned  by  teaching  in  the  country 
schools.  "When  he  was  eight  years  old,  his  parents 
moved  to  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,and  four  years  later 
he  was  set  to  work  on  his  father's  farm.  With  the 
exception  of  the  time  spent  in  attending  and  teaching 
school  in  the  winter  months,  he  worked  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  or  in  the  autumn  of 

1852,  when  Mr.   Kimbark  celebrated    the    event   by 
removing  to  Chicago,  where  he   engaged  in   the  iron 
business,  and  soon  became  junior  partner  of  the  firm 
of  E.  G.  Hall  &  Co.  in  the  iron  trade.  In  1860  the  firm 
name  was  changed  to  Hall,  Kimbark  &  Co.   In  1873  it 
was  changed  to   Kimbark   Bros.  &  Co.,  and   in   1876 
S.  D.  Kimbark  became  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  im- 
mense business.     In  the  great  fire  of  1871  he  was  a 
heavy  loser,  but  his  business  energy  and  tact  brought 
him  through  difficulties  that  would   have  permanently 
hampered  men  of  less  courage  and  sagacity,  and  to-day 
his  establishment  is  one  of   the  largest  of   the   kind  in 
Chicago.     During  all  the  years   since  its  founding,  in 

1853,  its  commercial  integrity  and   high  standing  have 
been  preserved.     Some  years  ago   Mr.  Kimbark  estab- 
lished a  large  factory  for  carriage  woodwork  in  Michi- 
gan, which    was,  in  1891,  removed  to   Elkhart,   Ind., 
where  conditions  were  more  favorable.    It  is  now  one 
of   the  largest  and  most  successful    factories   of  its 
kind  in  the  United  States.     The  factory  proper  is  two 
stories  high,  400x80   feet,  and  the   engine   house   and 
bending  room  is  180x40  feet.     Both  are  equipped  with 
the  finest  machinery  in  the   trade,  most  of  which  is 
original.     In  all  his  business   career  Mr.   Kimbark  has 
worked  hard  for  the  best  interests  of   the    iron  trade, 
and  his  voice  is  potent  for  good  in   national  assemblies 
where  the  iron  interest  is  made  a  subject  for  investiga- 


tion.    His  notions  of  business   honor  are  so  broad  that 
he     never    makes     a  disiinction    between   commer- 
cial and    moral    integrity   and  the   "tricks"  of    th  e  * 
trade  have  never  found  a  place  in  his  transactions. 

Mr.  Kimbark  was  one  of  the  three  commissioners 
appointed  to  locate  the  South  Park  system,  and  it  was 
fortunate  for  the  future  of  Chicago  that  such  a  man 
was  embraced  in  the  commission.  The  park  was 
located  upon  his  notions  of  future  necessity,  though  it 
is  just  to  state  that  the  other  commissioners  were  in 
full  accord  with  his  views. 

Mr.  Kimbark  is  in  no  sense  a  politician,  but  takes 
an  active  interest  in  every  question  of  municipal  reform. 
"While  he  is  a  Republican  he  is  not  a  partisan.  In  his 
early  life  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  was  a  warm  advocate 
of  the  annexation  of  Texas.  The  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise,  however,  made  him  an  ardent  aboli- 
tionist, and  on  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party 
he  became  actively  identified  with  it.  While  one  of 
his  partners  was  in  active  service  in  the  field,  during 
the  civil  war,  his  brother,  George  M.  Kimbark,  at  that 
time  also  a  partner,  was  engaged  in  the  organization  of 
volunteer  companies,  notably  the  "Kimbark  Guards." 
The  business  of  the  firm  of  Hall,  Kimbark  &  Company 
was  meantime  conducted  by  its  senior  members, 
Elbridge  G.  Hall  and  Seneca  D.  Kimbark,  anil  furnished 
its  full  share  of  the  sinews  of  the  war  which  saved 
the  Union  and  the  Constitution!  Mr.  Kimbark  has 
always  refused  all  tenders  of  political  preferment,  and 
declined  many  nominations  offered  him. 

He  is  a  man  of  kindly  and  hospitable  impulses.  He 
has  a  charming  home  circle,  and  is  also  prominent  in 
Chicago's  club  history.  He  has  been  identified  with 
the  Union  League  Club  almost  since  its  organization, 
and  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  its  affairs  and 
advancement.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of 
the  Chicago  Club,  a  charter  member  of  the  Washington 
Park  Club,  and  an  influential  member  of  the  Calumet 
Club. 

Mr.  Kimbark  was  married  September  25,  1856,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Pruyne,  daughter  of  Peter  Pruyne,  at 
one  time  State  Senator  of  Illinois,  and  a  colleague  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Mrs.  Kimbark's  mother  is  a 


8o 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CKEA  T  WEST, 


widow  of  the  late  Thomas  Church,  one  of  Chicago's 
pioneers,  and  a  man  of  great  personal  worth.  Mrs. 
Kimbark  is  one  of  Chicago's  oldest  daughters,  whose 
birthday  was  inauguration  day  of  its  first  mayor.  She 
is  a  woman  of  good  attainments,  genial  presence  and 
engaging  manners.  Her  name  but  seldom  appears  in 
current  society  news  or  in  connection  with  public  insti- 
tutions; but  her  charities  have  been  generous  and  con- 
tinuous, and  bestowed  by  her  own  hand.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kimbark— two  daugh- 
ters aud  two  sons.  The  eldest  son,  Charles  A. 
Kimbark,  is  now  financial  manager  of  his  father's 
business,  and  a  young  man  of  great  promise  in  the 
business  world.  The  younger  son,  Walter,  of  equal 
promise,  is  at  the  head  of  the  carriage  goods  depart- 
ment of  his  father's  establishment.  Mr.  Kimbark's 
younger  brother,  Daniel  A.,  who  was  a  member  of  the 


firm  of  Kimbark  Brothers  &  Company,  died  March, 
18S6.  He  came  to  Chicago  at  the  close  of  the  civil 
war,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  was  identified 
with  the  above  named  house.  Prior  to  1882  he  held 
office  in  the  Apollo  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of 
Chicago,  in  which  he  had  a  host  of  warm  personal  friends; 
but  ill  health  forced  him  into  comparative  retirement. 
He  married,  in  1801,  Miss  Eliza  Underwood,  of  Auburn, 
N.  Y.,  who,  with  five  sons,  survives  him. 

The  history  of  Seneca  D.  Kimbark  is  not  an  unusual 
one  in  Chicago,  and  yet  it  can  be  r,ead  with  profit  by 
all  young  men.  It  is  a  record  of  a  poor  country  bov, 
who  by  pluck,  integrity  and  steadfastness  of  purpose 
and  business  ability  has  become  one  of  the  most  influ- 
ential and  successful  merchants  in  a  great  city.  He 
has  attained  wealth  and  position,  and  is  honored  and 
respected  wherever  his  name  is  known. 


HON.  JAMES   R.  DOOLITTLE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JAMES  E.  DOOLITTLE,  was  born  during  the 
presidency  of  James  Madison,  the  third  successor 
of  Washington.  Living  through  the  successive  terms 
of  the  last  nineteen  presidents,  engaged  in  calling 
conventions,  forming  parties  and  writing  platforms, 
when  Elaine,  Garfiekl  and  Cleveland  were  boys,  he 
stands  to-day  as  lawyer,  jurist  and  statesman  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  seventy-nine,  one  of  the  few  surviving 
links  of  our  earlier  with  our  present  national  history. 
Eanked  amongst  the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  forties, 
appointed  judge  in  the  fifties,  elected  United  States 
senator  in  1857,  and  re-elected  in  1863,  he  holds  an 
honored  place  in  the  history  of  this  country.  Active 
during  two  generations  in  making  and  administering 
law,  earnest  in  the  development  of  the  vast  resources 
of  the  country,  and  enthusiastic  in  the  defense  of  con- 
stitutional liberty,  Judge  Doolittle  enjoys  the  honor, 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

He  was  born  January  3. 1815,  at  Hampton,  Wash- 
ington county,  N.  Y.  His  father,  Eeuben  Doolittle, 
upon  migrating  to  Genessee  county,  in  western  New 
York,  became  a  farmer,  mill  owner,  and  merchant  in 
prosperous  circumstances.  His  mother,  Sarah  (nee 
Eood),  was  an  estimable  lady,  who  devoted  herself  to 
domestic  duties  and  to  the  education  of  her  children, 
instilling  into  their  minds  the  principles  of  honor  and 
virtue.  James  E.  was  the  eldest  son  in  a  family  of  four 
boys  and  two  girls.  After  the  usual  preliminary  edu- 
cation, he  was  sent  to  Geneva  College,  western  New 
York,  and  early  began  to  show  that  ability  which  dis- 
tinguished him  in  after  years.  Gifted  with  a  retentive 
memory  and  a  clear  understanding,  combined  with  a 
genius  for  hard  work  and  diligent  application,  he  easily 
led  his  class  and  graduated  with  honors. 

Having  chosen  the  law  as  a  profession,  young  Doo- 


little studied  its  theory  and  practice  with  the  Hon. 
Harvey  Putnam,  at  Attica,  N.  Y.,  and  with  the 
Hon.  Isaac  Hills,  of  Eochester,  N.  Y.,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  by  the  Supreme  'Court  of  New  York  in 
1837.  It  was  not  long  before  the  young  lawyer  was 
recognized  as  one  of  the  coming  men  of  the  profession. 
His  thorough  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  common 
law  and  his  facility  in  applying  them,  aided  by  an 
extensive  and  varied  cours.e  of  reading,  a  pleasing  and 
musical  voice  and  an  easy  and  fluent  delivery,  marked 
him  as  one  destined  for  certain  and  rapid  preferment. 

About  this  time  he  removed  to  Warsaw,  Wyoming 
county,  N.  Y.,  where  his  ability  was  soon  recognized 
and  rewarded ;  and  although  a  Democrat,  he  was 
elected  district  attorney  by  a  Whig  constituency. 
Having  discharged  the  duties  of  that  important  office 
with  satisfaction  to  the  people  and  credit  to  himself, 
Mr.  Doolittle,  in  1851,  removed  to  Eacine,  Wis.,  where 
he  practiced  his  profession,  and  in  a  short  time  was 
ranked  among  the  ablest  lawyers  of  that  State,  and 
retained  by  Governor  Farwell  in  cases  involving  the 
interests  of  the  commonwealth  and  intricate  questions 
of  law.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  his  practice 
became  large  and  lucrative,  and  that  experience 
developed  the  legal  ability  already  recognized. 

In  1852,  Mr,  Doolittle  was  elected  judge  of  the 
First  Judicial  Circuit  in  Wisconsin.  No  higher  or 
more  pleasing  tribute  can  be  paid  to  a  lawver  than  his 
elevation  to  the  bench.  As  such,  Judge  Doolittle 
accepted  it  and  applied  all  his  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience to  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  In  this  case  the 
office  sought  the  man,  and,  what  is  more,  sought 
the  right  man.  For  three  years  he  discharged  the 
important  duties  of  his  trust  with  ability,  simplicity 
and  dignity.  He  had  the  rare  power  of  combining  the 


4 

c 


^- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


suaviter  in  modo  fortiier  in  re.  When  he  resigned,  in 
March,  1856,  he  received  the  highest  encomiums  from 
the  press,  the  people  and  the  profession.  But  no_ 
sooner  had  Judge  Doolittle  laid  down  one  honor  than 
another  was  given  to  him.  In  January,  1857,  the 
Legislature  of  Wisconsin  elected  him  United  States 
senator,  and  re-elected  him  in  1863  to  the  same 
office.  The  period  during  which  he  was  in  the  Senate 
during  the  administrations  of  Buchanan,  Lincoln  and 
Johnson,  was  the  most  momentous  since  the  founding 
of  the  republic;  and,  may  be  divided  into  three 
epochs:  First,  before  the  war,  when  the  question  was 
the  extension  of  slavery  ;  second,  during  the  Civil  War, 
the  period  of  secession;  third,  after  the  war,  when 
the  issue  was  reinstatement  or  reconstruction.  As  a 
member  of  the  "committee  of  thirteen,''  appointed  by 
the  Senate  to  devise  a  plan  to  prevent  disruption,  he 
labored  for  that  object  with  all  his  powers  of  mind  and 
body.  When  war  became  inevitable,  he  used  his 
whole  strength  to  defeat  the  rebel  arms.  When  the 
war  was  over,  he,  as  a  representative  of  the  people, 
counseled  moderation  and  maguanimity  in  reconstruc- 
tion. He  was  also  chairman,  while  in  the  Senate,  of 
the  joint  committee  appointed  to  inquire  into  the 
condition  of  the  Indians  in  Kansas,  Colorado  and  New 
Mexico.  The  published  report  of  this  committee  is 
the  most  exhaustive  and  valuable  that  has  ever  been 
compiled  on  the  subject. 

It  would  be  trespassing  on  the  domain  of  history 
to  recount  here  the  calls  to  conventions  written,  the 
speeches  delivered,  the  public  men  with  whom  he  has 
worked,  and  the  political  issues  he  has  originated  or 
supported.  It  is  only  necessary  to  add  that  Judge 
Doolittle's  life  has  been  busy,  honorable  and  useful ; 
and,  as  expressed  by  a  friend  of  his:  "  Like  a  clear 
limpid  stream  wherein  you  can  see  the  form  and  color 
of  the  pebbles  at  the  bottom  and  tnrough  whose 
meandering  course  no  sediment  appears." 

Judge  Doolittle  is  a  man  of  fine  physical  develop- 
ment. Even  now,  at  the  age  of  nearly  four-score,  he 
is  a  man  of  powerful  physique,  with  pleasing  and 
expressive  features.  His  voice  is  still  strong  and 
sonorous.  When  a  younger  man  he  had  the  "  powers  of 
speech  which  stir  men's  blood,"  and  he  retains  that 
power  still.  The  annexed  portrait  is  a  good  likeness  of 
the  Judge  at  the  present  time,  and  from  it  one  may 


83 

conjecture  what  he  was  half  a  century  ago.  Yet  it  is 
not  alone  the  features,  the  voice  or  the  figure  that 
challenges  attention  ;  but  there  is  a  force  of  character 
that  impresses,  an  influence  that  impels,  and  a  magnet- 
ism that  attracts.  Few  men  during  the  past  fifty  vears 
have  addressed  larger  masses  of  people,  or  have 
addressed,  on  political  subjects,  as  many  people.  He  is 
a  master  of  the  art  of  rhetoric.  His  language  is  clear, 
simple  and  graceful,  and  he  leads  his  auditors  through 
a  long  argumentative  path,  decked  with  classic  allusions 
that,  like  flowers  on  the  border  cf  a  stream,  seem  to  be 
native  there. 

Ever  since  Judge  Doolittle  retired  from  the  Senate 
in  1869,  though  retaining  his  homestead  and  citizenship 
in  Wisconsin,  he  has  b?en  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  at  Chicago.  His  first  parnership  was  with  Mr. 
Jesse  O.  Norton,  under  the  firm  name  of  Doolittle  & 
Norton.  After  the  great  fire  of  October,  1871,  he 
formed  a  partnership  w.th  his  son,  under  the  firm  name 
of  J.  R.  Doolittle  &  Son.  In  1879,  Mr.  Henry  McKey 
was  admitted  as  a  partner  in  the  business,  and  the  firm 
name  became  Doolittle  &  McKey.  After  the  death  of 
Mr.  James  R.  Doolittle  Jr.,  which  occurred  in  1889, 
Mr.  Edgar  B.  Tolman  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Doolittle,  McKey  &  Tolman.  In  January,  1891,  Mr. 
McKey  died.  In  June,  1892,  Mr.  John  Mayo  Palmer 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Doolittle,  Palmer  & 
Tolman.  They  have  a  large  general  practice. 

Judge  Doolittle  suffered  one  of  the  great  afflictions 
of  his  lifetime  in  August,  1889,  when  his  son,  James 
E.  Jr.,  died.  At  the  time  or  his  death  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  law  firm  of  which  his  distinguished  father 
is  the  head.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Chicago 
board  of  education,  and  devoted  himself  unsparingly 
to  the  interests  of  the  city  and  suburban  schools.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  ability  as  a  lawyer,  highly  accom- 
plished as  a  scholar,  and  his  kindly  gentle  nature  en- 
deared him  to  all.  By  his  early  death  the  bar  of  Cook 
county  lost  one  of  its  prominent  members,  the  school 
board  one  of  its  most  progressive  and  active  workers. 

After  a  pure,  honorable  and  useful  life,  actuated  by 
unselfish  motives,  prompted  by  patriotism  and  guided 
by  truth  and  justice,  Judge  Doolittle  ma}'  in  old  age 
rest  in  the  assurance  that  the  people  of  thiscountr}'  are 
not  unmindful  of  those  who  have  devoted  themselves 
to  their  interests.  "•Palmam  qui  meruit  ferat." 


GEORGE  HARRISON    BARBOUR, 


DETROIT,  MICHIGAN. 


EORGE  HARRISON  BARBOUR,  son  of  Samuel 
vj  and  Phoebe  Barbour,  was  born  at  Collinsville, 
Conn.,  on  the  26th  day  of  June,  1843.  His  first 
experience  in  the  world  of  business  was  in  his  father's 
store,- which  he  entered  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
He  worked  in  the  store  early  and  late,  attending  school 
at  each  available  opportunity,  the  salary  earned  by 


his  first  year's  work  amounting  to  the  munificent  sum 
of  $50. 

A  few  years  later,  his  father  retiring  from  active 
business,  turned  the  store  over  to  George  and  a  young 
man  about  to  become  his  brother-in-law.  The  estab- 
lishment was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
Goodman  &  Barbour.  After  a  few  years  Barbour 


84 

bought  oat  bis  partner  and  conducted  the  business  alone. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years  he  sought  for  greater 
opportunities  than  were  afforded  in  a  small  town,  and 
accepted  the  position  as  secretary  of  the  Michigan  Stove 
Company,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  which  had  just  been 
organized.  Disposing  of  his  old  business  interests,  he 
promptly  entered  upon  a  more  extensive  mercantile 
career  in  his  new  position.  The  business  rapidly 
increased,  and  he  quickly  attained  a  prominent  position 
among  merchants  throughout  the  West. 

Mr.  Barbour  soon  became  vice-president  and  general 
manager  of  the  Michigan  Stove  Company,  now  become 
the  largest  establishment  of  its  kind  in  the  world  ;  a 
director  of  the  Peoples'  Saving  Bank,  of  the  Dime 
Savings  Bank,  the  Union  Trust  Company,  the  Michigan 
Fire  &  Marine  Insurance  Company,  and  the  Buck's 
Stove  &  Kange  Company,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  was 
also  a  director  and  first  president  of  the  Chamber  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Commerce,  and  president  of  the  Detroit  Club  for  a 
period  of  two  years. 

Mr.  Barbour  is  an  active  Democrat,  and  was  for  two 
years  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Aldermen,  and 
its  president  for  one  year.  He  is  a  genial  and  agreeable 
man  in  all  his  business  and  social  relations,  a  hard 
worker,  popular  in  the  trade  and  held  in  high  esteem 
by  his  associates  and  subordinates.  He  was  president 
of  the  National  Stove  Manufactures'  Association  for 
two  years,  from  1888,  being  active  in  its  organization, 
and  was  a  National  Commissioner  of  the  World's  Fail- 
in  1893,  having  reason  to  be  proud  of  his  appointment 
by  a  Republican  governor. 

Mr.  Barbour  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  KateL. 
Hawley,  daughter  of  Wm.  II.  Hawley,  of  Collinsville, 
Ct.,  on  the  23d  day  of  June,  1869,  and  as  a  result  of 
the  union  they  have  four  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters. 


HON.  WILLIAM.  RUSH   MERRIAM, 


ST.  PAUL,  MINNESOTA. 


WILLIAM  BUSH  MERRIAM  was  born  at  the 
village  of  Wadham's  Mills.  Essex  county,  N. 
Y.,  in  July,  1849.  On  the  paternal  side  his  ancestors 
were  Scotsmen.  The  progenitors  of  his  family  in 
America  emigrated  to  this  country  in  the  early  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  first  settling  in  New  Eng- 
land. Their  descendants  dispersed  themselves  among 
the  colonies  and  eventually  the  members  of  the  par- 
ticular branch  of  the  family  to  which  Governor  Mer- 
riam  belongs,  located  in  northern  New  York,  where 
many  of  them  became  prominent  and  well  known  citi- 
zens. His  father,  John  L.  Merriam,  was  also  born  in 
Essex  county.  He  was  a  merchant  at  Wadham's  Mills 
when  his  son  was  born,  was  somewhat  extensively 
engaged  in  the  iron  trade,  and  was  at  one  time 
treasurer  of  the  county.  His  wife,  the  mother  of 
the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was  Mahala  Delano,  who 
came  of  French  ancestry.  The  Merriam  family  has 
numerous  representatives  among  the  citizens  of  the 
county  of  Essex,  which,  it  may  be  stated,  is  or.e 
of  the  most  important  counties  in  northwestern  New 
York.  It  is  not  only  noted  for  its  beautiful  and 
picturesque  scenery  and  its  great  mineral  wealth, 
but  is  renowned  for  its  historic  associations.  Certain 
members  of  the  Merriam  family  have  been  well  known 
proprietors  of  mineral  lands,  iron  forges,  furnaces, 
etc.,  in  this  county. 

It  is  somewhat  embarassing  to  write  of  the  career 
of  a  living  man  standing  at  the  meridian  of  his  man- 
hood, whose  life  so  far  has  been  one  complete  success, 
whose  future  is  so  full  of  promise  and  of  whom  nothing 
but  good  words  can  be  said.  Governor  Merriam  passed 
his  childhood  days  in  his  native  village,  a  place  of 
about  eight  hundred  population,  containing  a  number 


of  iron  mills  and  manufactories,  and  whose  citizens 
were,  in  the  main,  industrious,  intelligent,  and  fairly 
thrifty.  In  1861,  when  he  was  but  twelve  years  of 
age,  his  father  came  to  Minnesota,  with  his  fam- 
ily locating  at  St.  Paul;  and  it  is  this  city 
where  Governor  Merriam  has  grown  from  boy- 
hood to  manhood,  where  he  has  accomplished  his 
life  work  thus  far,  and  where  among  those  who 
have  known  him  longest  and  best,  he  has  won  his 
greatest  successes  and  risen  to  his  chief  distinction. 
His  early  life,  although  uneventful, was  one  of  promise. 
In  St.  Paul,  as  a  boy,  he  was  regarded  as  unusually 
bright  and  intelligent,  and  a  career  of  usefulness  and 
distinction  was  predicted  for  him  by  his  intimates,  even 
when  he  was  of  tender  years.  In  1864,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  he  was  sent  to  school  at  Racine,  Wis. 
After  a  preparatory  course  at  the  academy  he  entered 
the  Racine  College,  and  his  academic  and  collegiate 
courses  comprised  a  period  of  about  seven  years.  In 
college  he  was  well  known.  Assiduous  and  devoted  as 
a  student,  he  was  at  the  same  time  always  animated  and 
buoyant,  fond  of  sport  and  diversion, and  not  averse  to 
participating  in  an  occasional  "lark"  or  escapade.  At 
the  close  of  every  college  year  he  stood  at  the  head  of 
his  class  in  general  proficiency;  and  at  the  same  time 
had  been  one  of  the  leaders  in  college  recreations  and 
sports,  his  fellows  having  chosen  him  captain  of  a 
cricket  eleven.  His  was  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  and 
active  body.  He  cultivated  almost  equally  his  mathe- 
matics, and  his  muscle,  was  equally  proficient  in  cal- 
culus and  cricket,  and  to  uniformly  perfect  recitations 
in  the  classics  and  sciences  he  added  superior  attain- 
ments in  athletics,  being  alike  a  favorite  with  the 
faculty  and  his  classmates.  In  1871  he  was  graduated, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


standing  first  in  his  class  in  the  order  of  general  merit, 
and  receiving  the  chief  honor  in  being  assigned  to  the 
delivery  of  the  valedictory  address. 

Returning  to  St.  Paul  after  his  graduation,  he  at 
once  commenced  his  business  career,  engaging  as  clerk 
in  the  First  National  bank  at  a  salary  of  $50  per 
month.  His  success  was  marked  from  the  start.  He 
soon  mastered  his  duties  and  discharged  them  with 
such  fidelity  and  acceptance  that  his  talents  and  capa- 
bilities attracted  attention  and  secured  for  him  the 
high  commendation  of  the  officers  of  the  bank,  and  the 
business  men  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He 
continued  an  employe  of  the  First  National  Bank 
until  the  year  1873.  Soon  after  the  Merchant's 
National  Bank  of  St.  Paul  commenced  business,  and 
he  was  selected  as  its  cashier.  There  are  no  royal 
roads  to  preferment  in  such  institutions  ;  advancement 
comes  by  desert,  hence  it  was  no  small  compliment  to 
W.  E.  Merriam  that  he  was  elected  cashier.  So  rapidly 
did  the  rare  business  qualities  possessed  by  him 
develop,  that  in  1880  he  was  chosen  vice-president 
and  in  1882  became  president  of  the  same  institution, 
which  position  he  yet  holds.  Of  the  value  of  his 
services  to  the  Merchants  National  Bank,  one  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  institution 
says:  "It  is  due  to  his  work,  his  care,  his  constant 
and  faithful  attention,  and  his  knowledge  of  the 
immense  details  of  the  business,  that  the  bank  has 
grown  to  be  one  of  the  largest  institutions  of  the  kind 
in  the  northwest."  In  commercial  circles  Governor 
Merriam  is  regarded  as  a  clear-headed,  sagacious  busi- 
ness man,  thorough  in  method,  quick  to  discern  and 
prompt  to  decide. 

He  has  ever  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  the  city  of  St.  Paul,  whose  youth  was  his  youth,  and 
whose  maturitv  was  contemporary  with  his  maturity. 
Always  taking  note  of  current  events,  keeping  well 
posted  in  public  affairs,  and  never  without  a  decided 
opinion  upon  the  many  issues  of  the  day,  he  was  led, 
even  early  in  life,  to  manifest  an  interest  in  political 
matters.  Governor  Merriam  has  always  been  a  Re- 
publican. His  first  vote  was  cast  for  General  Grant 
for  President  upon  his  second  election,  in  1872.  He 
identified  himself  with  various  Republican  clubs  and 
other  political  associations  at  home  and  throughout 
the  State,  and  through  his  active  participation  in 
various  campaigns,  he  came  to  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  leading  young  Republicans  in  the  city  and  State. 
In  1882,  he  was  nominated  by  his  party,  and  elected 
by  a  good  majority  to  represent  his  ward  in  the  State 
Legislature  of  1883.  The  district  from  which  he  was 
chosen — then  the  27th — was  composed  of  the  2nd.  3rd, 
4th  and  Gth  wards  of  the  city.  His  colleagues  were 
Hons.  Charles  H.  Stahlman,  W.  D.  Cornish  and  O.  O. 
Cullen.  The  representatives  from  the  other  St.  Paul 
districts,  the  26th,  were  Hons.  Conrad  Gotzian,  James 
Smith,  Jr.  and  P.  Bohland.  In  the  legislature  of  1883, 
he  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  finance  and 
banks,  and  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  public 


87 

expenditures.  He  took  part  in  the  movement  which 
resulted  in  the  election  of  Hon.  D.  M.  Sabin  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  and  made  a  most  excellent  legis- 
lative record.  He  was  described  as  a  "  quiet,  but  very 
earnest  worker,"  and  in  due  time  acquired  large 
acquaintance  and  reputation. 

For  the  two  years  succeeding  the  session  of  1883,  he 
gave  his  time  entirely  to  business  and  private  affairs, 
but  in  1886  he  was  again  elected  a  representative  from 
St.  Paul,  this  time  from  the  26th  district.  Upon 
the  assembling  of  the  legislature  of  1887  he  was 
chosen  by  his  party  caucus  as  its  nominee  for  speaker 
of  the  house,  and  upon  the  organization  of  that  body 
was  duly  elected.  As  presiding  officer  over  the  popu- 
lar branch  of  the  legislative  body,  a  position  requiring 
qualities  of  intelligence,  address  and  discernment,  as 
well  as  executive  abilities  of  a  high  order,  he  attained 
high  distinction.  His  decisions  were  rarely  questioned, 
and  his  conduct  was  uniformly  fair  and  in  all  regards 
commendable.  In  making  up  the  committees  he  gave 
to  the  farmers  of  the  State  a  most  liberal  representa- 
tion, served  their  interests  carefully,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  session  was  personally  thanked  by  numerous  repre- 
sentatives of  the  agricultural  element  for  his  services 
in  their  behalf.  Connected  somewhat  intimately  with 
that  interest — owning  and  conducting  a  large  number 
of  farms  in  different  portions  of  the  State — he  well 
knew  what  was  required  in  its  favor  at  the  hands  of 
the  legislature,  and  used  his  opportunity  wisely  and 
well,  but  without  unjust  discrimination  against  any 
other  interest.  His  administration  of  the  duties  of 
speaker,  on  the  whole  was  well  nigh  universally  popu- 
lar, and  added  very  largely  to  his  growing  reputation, 
politically,  throughout  the  State. 

At  the  State  convention  of  the  Republican  party  of 
Minnesota,  held  at  St.  Paul  in  the  early  part  of  Sep- 
tember, 1888,  he  was  nominated  as  its  candidate  for 
governor,  on  the  fourth  regular  ballot.  He  had 
engaged  to  stand  for  the  nomination  at  the  solicitation 
of  legions  of  his  friends,  mainly  as  the  representative 
of  the  young  and  progressive  element  of  his  party  and 
of  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  State.  The  contest 
for  the  nomination  had  been  long  and  exciting,  and  to 
those  who  saw  through  a  glass  darkly,  it  promised  to 
be  protracted  in  the  convention.  Delegates  in  favor 
of  other  gentlemen  had  been  chosen  from  St.  Paul  and 
Minneapolis,  and  the  outlook  for  the  selection  of  the 
young  ex-speaker  as  the  standard  bearer  of  the  party 
was,  to  the  vision  of  many,  very  doubtful.  But  when 
the  convention  began  to  ballot,  the  rural  districts  were 
heard  from,  and  Merriam  led  in  the  contest  from  the 
first.  County  after  county  joined  his  column,  and  on 
the  fourth  ballot  he  was  triumphantly  nominated  over 
all  opposition.  His  nomination  was  mar.ifestlv  the 
work  of  the  plain  people,  the  farmers  and  agriculturists 
of  the  State.  Out  of  270  votes  he  received  on  the 
decisive  ballot,  all  but  ten  came  from  country  delegates. 
The  successful  general  is  he  who  relies  mainly  upon 
the  bravery  and  fidelity  of  his  common  soldiers;  and 


88 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


in  this  republic  of  ours  no  man  may  safely  hope  for 
important  political  preferment  unless  he  have  the  yeo- 
manry of  the  country  at  his  back.  In  accepting  the 
nomination  Gov.  Merriam  said  he  did  so  without  a  per- 
sonal pledge  or  obligation  of  service  to  any  individual. 
He  was  simply  the  candidate  of  the  great  Republican 
part}'. 

In  the  canvass  which  followed,  the  gubernatorial 
nominee  took  an  active  working  part.  Under  the 
instruction  of  the  authorities  of  his  party,  he  took  the 
field,  speaking  in  various  parts  of  the  State  for  the 
Republican  cause  at  large,  making  special  exertions  for 
the  election  of  the  congressional  candidates,  and  con- 
tributing very  substantially  to  the  complete  victory 
which  was  won  at  the  pojls  in  November.  When, 
after  the  election,  the  votes  were  counted  his  plurality 
over  his  Democratic  competitor,  the  Hon.  E.  M. 
Wilson,  of  Minneapolis,  a  most  worthy  gentleman  of 
recognized  ability,  and  a  very  popular  and  strong 
candidate — was  in  excess  of  24,000.  The  vote  he 
received  (134,355)  exceeded  by  more  than  25,000  that 
ever  before  given  for  any  gubernatorial  candidate  in 
the  history  of  the  State.  From  the  position  of  bank 
clerk  to  that  of  governor,  from  an  office  stool  to  the 
chair  of  State  is  a  good  distance  to  be  compassed  by  a 
young  man  in  seventeen  years. 

Upon  his  inauguration,  Governor  Merriam  at  once 
addressed  himself  earnestly  to  his  duties.  The 
occasions  have  been  very  rare  in  the  history  of  Ameri- 
can commonwealths,  when  the  people  of  a  great  State 
have  chosen  as  their  governor  a  young  business  man, 
without  much  previous  public  and  official  experience, 
and  in  this  instance  the  action  of  the  voters  of  Minne- 
sota was  regarded  by  many  as  somewhat  experimental. 
But  Governor  Merriam  rose  to  the  occasion,  and  from 
his  accession  has  fulfilled  the  highest  expectations  of 
his  most  ardent  and  hopeful  friends.  He  brought  to  his 
high  office  an  intelligent  conception  of  its  requirements 
and  responsibilities,  a  knowledge  of  the  history,  condi- 
tion and  resources  of  the  State  wherein  the  greater 
portion  of  his  life  had  been  passed;  a  natural  adaptation 
for  executive  duties;  a  mind  vigorous,  clear  and  com- 
prehensive; purposes  broad  and  liberal,  and  above  all, 
a  determination  to  adhere  to  the  letter  of  his  sacred 
official  oath  to  take  care  that  the  laws  should  be  faith- 
fully executed.  His  inaugural  address  to  the  legisla- 
ture of  1889,  made  manifest  his  qualifications  for  his 
position.  Its  recommendations  were  all  practical  and 
salutary.  Many  of  his  sentences  read  like  axioms. 
Written  with  an  unaffected  spirit  of  patriotism,  there 
was  naught  of  suggestion  in  it  that  did  not  contemplate 
the  promotion  of  the  general  welfare  and  the  advance- 
ment of  the  future  destiny  of  the  State.  Said  its 
author  in  concluding:  ''Let  the  fame  of. Minnesota 
still  further  spread ;  further  and  wider  let  it  become 
known  that  .her  laws  are  humane  and  just;  that  her 
educational  and  civilizing  influences  are  carefully 
guarded  and  fostered  ;  that  her  people  as  individuals, 
are  amply  protected  in  their  homes  and  in  their 


vocations;  that  industries,  manufactories  and  corporate 
enterprises  are  heartily  encouraged,  yet  firmly  with- 
held within  those  limits  beyond  which  they  became 
oppressive,  and  the  future  we  hope  for  is  assured  to 
us." 

The  administration  of  Governor  Merriam  was  in  all 
respects  for  its  own  credit  and  for  the  benefit  of  the 
people,  successful  to  a  pre-eminent  degree.  There  were 
no  ruptures  in  its  councils,  only  the  gentlest  criticisms 
of  its  policies,  and  not  a  word  of  impeachment  of  its 
high  character.  The  laws  enforced,  the  people  pro- 
tected, all  interests  subserved.  The  governor  himself 
pursued  an  unvarying  course  of  plain  purpose  and 
honorable  conduct.  His  action  in  the  asylum  investi- 
gations was  prompt,  fair  and  thorough,  and  was  uni- 
versally commended.  His  appointments  to  office  have 
all  been  received  with  great  general  favor.  His  exer- 
cise of  the  pardoning  power  was  discriminative  and 
careful,  just  and  merciful,  but  controlled  by  the  prin- 
ciple that  the  most  exact  justice  is  oftentimes  the  truest 
mercy.  His  multifarious  and  exacting  duties  in  con- 
nection with  the  details  of  the  State  government,  were 
always  promptly  and  intelligently  discharged.  He  has 
given  his  personal  attention  to  matters  commonly  en- 
trusted to  subordinates.  There  was  never  an  instance 
of  unreasonable  delay  in  the  transaction  of  his  official 
business.  His  table  was  regularly  cleared  each  day  of 
its  accumulations.  He  was  uniformly  accessible,  frank 
and  unreserved  toward  everybody,  absolutely  without 
affectation  or  assumption  of  a  false  dignity,  and  the 
humblest  visitor  at  the  executive  office  was  always 
accorded  an  audience  and  his  business  given  most  re- 
spectful attention.  He  mingled  freely  with  the  people 
in  all  parts  of  the  State,  in  response  to  their  invitations, 
and  no  man  had  a  larger  acquaintance  with  them,  or 
understood  their  sentiments  and  condition  better. 
Next  in  years  to  the  youngest  governor  in  the  Union, 
and  the  youngest  the  State  of  Minnesota  has  ever  had, 
Governor  Merriam  is  one  of  the  most  popular  ;  and  it 
is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  his  administration  may 
await  with  unconcern  the  approach  of  the  future  his- 
torian of  Minnesota,  and  rest  satisfied  with  his  estima- 
tion of  its  character  and  with  his  judgment  upon  its 
influence  and  general  worth. 

Among  the  citizens  of  St.  Paul,  Governor  Merriam 
has  ever  been  regarded  as  one  of  its  worthiest  and 
most  valuable.  He  was  treasurer  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation during  the  years  1887  and  1888.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  a  vestryman  of  St. 
Paul's  church,  and  has  been  connected  with  various  bus- 
iness enterprises  and  associations.  Quietly,  and  avoiding 
notoriety  and  publicity  of  every  and  any  sort,  he  has 
been  a  most  liberal  contributor  to  the  various  charitable 
institutions  and  organizations  of  the  city,  notably  to 
the  Orphan  Asylum,  St.  Luke's  hospital,  the  Y.  M.  C. 
A.,  and  to  numerous  churches.  His  private  benefac- 
tions have  been  and  still  are  most  frequent  and  liberal, 
and  indigent,  suffering  humanity  has  no  more  earnest 
sympathizer  or  better  friend  than  Minnesota's  noble 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


89 


young  ex-governor.  For  many  years  past.  Governor 
Merriara  has  been  prominently  interested  in  agricul- 
tural matters.  As  previously  stated,  he  owns  a  num- 
ber of  farms  in  the  State,  which  he  has  managed  quite 
successfully.  He  was  vice-president  "of  the  State  Ag- 
ricultural Association  in  1886,  and  in  1887  and  1888 
was  president.  The  successful  fairs  and  exhibitions  of 
the  Association  in  1887-88  were  attributed  by  his  asso- 
ciates and  others  largely  to  his  methods  and  manage- 
ment. 

Personally,  Governor  Merriam  is  a  typical  Ameri- 
can citizen  of  the  present  age,  and  of  the  civilization  of 
the  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century.  He  is 
earnest,  self-reliant  and  confident,  and  has  never  been 
identified  witli  a  failure.  His  nature  is  a  combination 
of  the  ideal  and  the  substantial.  His  tastes  may  be 
aesthetic,  but  all  iiis  ideas  and  his  conduct  are  entirely 
practical.  Of  a  scholarly  and  literary  turn  of  mind, 
he  is  unexcelled  as  a  business  man,  and  thoroughly 
informed  on  all  questions  of  trade  and  commerce.  He 
is  of  a  genial  and  social  temperament,  fond  of  field 
and  athletic  sports  and  diversions,  was  one  of  the  first 
presidents  of  the  Minnesota  Boat  Club,  is  an  admirer 
and  owner  of  good  horses,  and  enjoys  life  sensibly  and 
thoroughly.  His  ambition  has  been  to  acquit  himself 
of  his  life's  duties  honorably  before  all  men,  to  improve 
his  capabilities  and  opportunities,  and  become  of  use 
in  the  world,  and  it  is  this  spirit,  mainly,  which  made 
the  schoolboy  of  St.  Paul,  the  governor  of  Minnesota. 

Governor  Merriam  has  a  beautiful  and  happy  home, 
presided  over  by  his  estimable  and  accomplished  wife, 


nee  Laura  Hancock,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1872, 
while  he  was  a  bank  clerk,  in  St.  Paul.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  their  union.  Mrs.  Merriam  is  a 
native  of  Philadelphia.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Hancock  of  that  city,  and  the  distinguished  soldier,  the 
late  Major  General  Winfield  Scott  Hancock,  was  her 
father's  brother.  The  governor  is  devoted  to  his  family, 
subordinates  every  other  consideration  to  the  felicity 
and  well  being  of  his  home  and  household  and— 

To  make  a  li<ippy  fireside  clime 

For  weans  and  wife 
Is  the  true  pathos  and  sublime 

Of  human  life. 

Governor  Merriam  was  re-elected  in  1890.  the  oppos- 
ing candidates  being  Thomas  Wilson,  Democrat,  and 
II.  M.  Owens,  alliance,  and  his  second  term  in  office 
added  new  laurels  to  the  brilliant  record  made  in  his 
first  term.  Upon  his  retirement  from  office  on  the  first 
of  January,  1893,  he  took  with  him  into  private  life  the 
commendation  and  heartfelt  good  wishes  of  the  entire 
people  of  Minnesota.  He  immediately  returned  to  the 
duties  in  the  bank  which  h.e  had  laid  down  four  years 
previously  to  direct  the  ship  of  State,  and  while  now 
but  a  private  citizen  he  has  only  to  signify  his  willing 
ness  to  again  serve  his  fellow  citizens  in  office  to  have 
them  lay  the  best  that  they  can  offer  at  his  feet.  Not 
withstanding  his  present  intentions  such  a  man  cannot 
long  remain  away  from  public  life,  and  we  may  soon 
look  to  see  him  again  in  the  field  and  again  serving 
those  whom  he  has  served  so  well  in  the  past. 


JOSEPH  BOND, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOSEPH  BOND  was  born  at  Ware,  Mass.,  on  the 
13th  day  of  February,  1852.  He  is  the  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Louisa  (Eaton)  Bond  and  a  descendent 
of  one  of  the  earliest  families  that  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts. They  occupy  a  position  in  all  of  the  early 
records  of  that  State,  and  the  old  Bond  homestead, 
which  still  stands  at  Ipswich,  was  built  only  about  a 
decade  after  the  landing  of  the  "Pilgrim  Fathers,"  and 
is  one  of  the  historic  landmarks  of  the  State. 

Joseph  Bond  was  born  and  spent  his  early  life  on  a 
farm,  attending  the  public  schools  for  which  Massachu- 
setts is  so  justly  famous,and  later  took  acourse  at  Kimball 
Union  academy,  at  Meriden,  N.  H.  His  studies  were 
pursued  with  the  sole  object  of  fitting  himself  for  a 
commercial  life,  for  which  he  felt  that  he  was  pecu- 
liarly suited,  and  the  correctness  of  his  views  have 
been  amply  demonstrated  by  his  subsequent  career. 
Even  during  his  life  on  the  farm,  though  the  conditions 
there  were  very  favorable  for  comfort  and  enjoyment, 
they  were  not  congenial,  and  his  desire  and  aptness 


for  all  things  pertaining  to  commerce   found  frequent 
expression  both  at  home  and  at  school. 

After  graduating  from  the  academy,  in  order  to 
get  a  start  in  his  commercial  career  and  also  in  order 
to  have  something  to  rely  upon  in  the  event  of  future 
misfortune,  he  learned  the  trade  of  mason.  He  worked 
at  this  trade  until  1872, when  he  went  into  a  stove  store 
at  Ware,  Mass.,  as  clerk,  remaining  one  year,then  going 
toWaltham,  Mass.,  where  he  occupied  a  similar  position 
with  Richardson  Brothers  until  1875,  when  he  became 
a  partner,  the  firm  being  known  as  Richardson  &  Bond. 
He  remained  in  this  business  until  1880,  when,  on 
account  of  impaired  health,  he  retired  from  the  firm 
and  from  business  until  1881,  in  which  year  he  went  to 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
heating  apparatus  with  J.  B.  Peirce,  until  the  spring  of 
1882,  when  the  Peirce  Steam  Heating  Company  was 
organized.  The  business  of  this  company  grew  very 
rapidly,  and  in  March,  1889,  was  incorporated  with  a 
capital  of  $150,000,  Mr.  Bond  being  elected  treasurer. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


This  position  he  held  until  January  1,  1892,  when  the 
business  was  sold  to  the  American  Radiator  Company, 
Mr.  Bond  being  then  elected  president  of  this  company, 
which  position  he  still  holds.  They  do  the  largest 
business  in  their  line  in  the  world, having  offices  located 
in  New  York,  Boston,  Denver,  Minneapolis,  St.  Paul 
and  Chicago,  the  general  offices  being  located  at  111- 
113  Lake  street,  in  the  latter  city,  and  the  works  at 
Detroit  and  Buffalo. 

Mr.  Bond  has  traveled  extensively  in  the  United 
States,  having  visited  the  principal  cities  both  for 
pleasure  and  business,  and  in  1889  he  and  his  wife 
made  a  trip  through  Europe. 

He  was  reared  in  the  Baptist  faith  and  has  always 
adhered  to  his  early  teachings,  being  active  in  church, 
Sunday  school  and  charitable  work,  not  alone  from  a 


sense  of  duty,  but  because  of  a  genuine  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  others.  Politically  he  is  conservative, 
casting  his  ballot  for  the  man  that  bethinks  best  fitted 
for  the  position  sought,  though  leaning  toward  the 
candidates  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was  married 
June  18,  1879,  to  Miss  Mary  Adelia  Olney,  at  Waltham, 
Mass.  They  have  two  daughters. 

Joseph  Bond  is  one  of  Chicago's  self  made  men. 
Instinctively  choosing  the  career  for  which  he  was  best 
fitted,  he  has  pushed  every  opportunity  to  a  successful 
ending,  and  has  made  the  farmer's  son  of  twenty  years 
ago,  one  of  the  best  known  business  men  of  the  country 
to  day.  Retiring,  in  everything  but  business,  he  finds 
his  truest  enjoyment  in  the  society  of  his  family  and  in 
doing  what  he  deems  to  be  his  duty  in  advancing  the 
cause  of  Christianity. 


CHARLES    FREDERICK  GUNTHER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  men  who  have  visited  most  quarters  of 
the  globe  and  made  use  of  the  artistic,  scientific  and 
practical  knowledge  that  they  have  thus  obtained, 
for  the  benefit  of  their  fellowmen,  none  is  more  favor- 
ably known  nor  has  made  better  use  of  the  advantages 
thus  obtained  for  the  city  of  Chicago  and  its  inhabi- 
tants, than  has  the  subject  of  this  biography.  He  was 
born  in  Wildberg,  a  beautiful  town  located  in  the  cele- 
brated "  Black  Forest. "  district  of  Wurtemberg,  South 
Germany,  on  March  6,  1837.  When  a  lad  of  five  years, 
his  parents  immigrated  to  the  United  States,  the  ocean 
voyage  occupying  fifty-two  days  between  Havre  and 
New  York.  They  finally  settled  at  Columbia,  Lancas- 
ter county,  Penn.  In  1848,  the  family  moved  to  the 
mountain  district  in  Somerset  county,  and  it  was  here 
and  in  the  place  of  their  previous  residence  that  Charles 
obtained  his  elementary  education,  by  attending  private 
schools.  He,  early  in  life,  showed  those  traits  of  inde- 
pendence, and  love  of  adventure  and  travel  that  have 
characterized  his  later  life,  and  when  but  a  mere  child 
he  made  daily  journeys  over  the  mountains,  carrying 
the  United  States  mail.  His  daily  trip  wa»  twenty 
miles  and  return.  For  this  service  he  received  twenty- 
five  cents  per  diem. 

In  the  spring  of  1850  the  family  removed  to  Peru, 
Illinois,  journeying  by  the  Pennsylvania  canal  to  Pitts- 
burg  thence  by  the  rivers  to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  up  to 
the  headwaters  of  the  Illinois  river.  Here  young  Gun- 
ther  attended  private  and  public  schools,  and  at  an 
early  age  began  his  business  career  in  a  general  store, 
at  the  munificent  salary  of  $2.50  per  month  and  board, 
which  he  soon  left  to  accept  a  position  in  a  drug  store. 
He  became  a  competent  drug  clerk,  and  also  studied 
the  rudiments  of  medical  science.  His  next  position 
was  in  the  post-office  at  Peru,  where  he  became 
manager  of  the  office.  Following  that  he  became  an 


employe  in  the  bank  of  Alexander  Cruikshank,  who 
represented  the  famous  banking  house  of  George 
Smith,  &  Co.,  of  Chicago.  He  remained  with  this  firm 
five  years,  and  after  three  years  in  their  employe,  was 
made  cashier  of  the  bank.  In  those  days  Peru  was  a 
great  ice-packing  depot,  whence  large  quantities  of  this 
commodity  were  shipped  to  Southern  cities.  Young 
Gunther,  though  his  business  relations,  became  intima- 
tely acquainted  with  prominent  business  men  of  the 
South,  which  at  that  time  offered  great  opportunities 
to  an  ambitious  young  man.  Resigning  his  position  in 
the  early  fall  of  1860,  he  went  thither  and  after  visiting 
all  of  the  leading  cities  of  the  Southern  States,  settled  in 
Memphis,  accepting  a  position  with  Messrs.  Bohlen, 
Wilson  &  Co.,  the  leading  ice  firm  in  the  South.  The 
opening  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  about  this  time 
paralyzed  mercantile  business  in  the  South.  After  the 
firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  and  the  proclamation  by 
President  Lincoln  closing  the  ports  of  all  Southern 
cities,  a  majority  of  the  population  of  the  South 
enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  many  of  the 
"  sons  of  the  North  "  fled  from  the  Southern  territory. 
Not  so  with  Mr.  Gunther;  he  believed,  with  many 
others  in  the  South,  that  the  trouble  would  be  short- 
lived, and  remained  faithfully  at  his  post.  When  the 
blockade  became  effective  and  all  mercantile  pursuits 
practically  dead,  he  accepted  a  position  on  the  Arkan- 
sas river  steamer  "  Rose  Douglas,"  in  the  service  of 
the  Confederate  Government,  as  purchasing  steward 
and  subsequently  as  purser.  He  navigated  all  of  the 
southern  rivers  tributary  to  the  Mississippi,  transport- 
ing troops,  conscripts  and  supplies.  By  the  capture  of 
Memphis  and  New  Orleans,  this  steamer,  while  up  the 
Arkansas  river,  was  blockaded,  and  afterward  was 
captured  and  burned  at  Van  Buren,  Ark.,  by  General 
Blunt's  army,  consisting  principally  of  Kansas  troops. 


Blag  Pub  Co  CtacM" 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


93 


Mr.  Gunther,  upon  being  liberated,  was  courteously 
entertained  at  the  headquarters  of  the  commanding 
general,  and  also  at  the  headquarters  of  his  successor, 
General  Scofield.  lie  next  journeyed  northward  to 
Fort  Scott,  and  thence  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  traveling 
partly  on  horseback  and  partly  on  a  captured  coach, 
there  being  then  no  railroads  in  that  part  of  Missouri 
and  Kansas.  Eeturning  to  his  old  home  in  Peru,  he 
remained  there  three  days  and  then  accepted  a  position 
for  a  short  time  in  a  bank  at  Peoria,  made  vacant  by 
the  temporary  illness  of  an  employe. 

He  next  accepted  a  situation  as  traveling  salesman  for 
the  wholesale  confectionery  of  C.W.  Sanford, of  Chicago, 
and  became  one  of  the  first  representatives  of  Chicago 
to  sell  goods  throughout  the  South  and  East.  He  placed 
large  amounts  of  goods  in  the  cities  of  the  reconstructed 
South,  and  he  also  represented  the  firm  in  the  States 
of  Ohio,  Michigan,  Indiana,  West  Virginia  and  Ken- 
tucky. It  was  while  employed  as  a  traveling  salesman 
that  he  made  his  first  trip  to  Europe  and  so  familiar- 
ized himself  with  European  languages  and  customs 
that  he  was  afterwards  enabled  to  converse  fluently 
with  those  of  his  customers  who  had  been  reard  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Tempted  by  an  increased 
salary,  he  next  entered  the  employ  of  Thompson, 
Johnson  &  Co.,  wholesale  grocers  on  South  Water 
street.  He  represented  the  house  in  the  West  for  two 
years,  but  finding  the  business  uncongenial,  he  re- 
turned to  the  line  in  which  he  had  become  so  promi- 
nent, and  became  the  Chicago  representative  of  Messrs. 
Greenfield,  Young  &  Co.,  the  leading  New  York 
confectioners,  for  whom  his  travels  covered  the  New 
England,  Middle  and  Western  States. 

In  the  fall  of  1868  he  opened  a  retail  store  at  No. 
125  Clark  street,  Chicago,  on  his  own  account,  it  being 
the  first  establishment  opened  in  Chicago  introducing 
high  grade  confections.  Mr.  Gunther  was  the  first 
confectioner  to  manufacture  and  introduce  the  famous 
caramels  as  now  made  and  sold  throughout  the  United 
States  and  Europe,a  fact  in  which  he  takes  a  justifiable 
pride.  The  general  conflagration  of  1871  totally 
destroyed  his  establishment  and  left  him  absolutely 
without  resources,  but  with  characteristic  enterprise 
he  immediately  reopened  business  in  a  small  way,  and 
soon  recuperated  his  losses,  and  was  rewarded  with 
great  subsequent  success. 

Mr.  Gunther  has  a  decided  inclination  for  adven- 
ture and  travel  and  has  visited  all  the  expositions  of 
note  in  Europe  since  1867,  and  he  has  traveled  in  every 
country  from  the  land  of  the  "  midnight  sun"  to  Con- 
stantinople and  Damascus  ;  he  has  also  journeyed  to 
the  Holy  Land,  through  Egypt',  Syria  and  the  countries 
lying  adjacent  to  the  Mediterranean,  including  Mor- 
occo, Algeria,  Tripoli,  Spain,  Portugal,  Italy  and  Tur- 
key. He  speaks  French,  German  and  Spanish  fluently, 
and  is  perfectly  at  home  in  all  the  capitals  of  Europe. 
In  1879  Mr.  Gunther  was  one  of  the  commission  organ- 
ized to  make  a  tour  of  Mexico  with  a  view  to  opening 
trade  relations  between  the  two  republics  that  up  to 
that  time  had  been  very  inconsiderab.'e.  On  that  tour, 


which  was  one  continual  ovation,  he  acquired  much 
useful  information.  The  result  of  the  commission's 
work  was  to  call  the  attention  of  our  merchants  to  the 
advantages  derivable  from  trade  relations  with  this 
sister  republic,  which  at  that  time  had  no  railroad  con- 
nections with  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Gunther  has  indulged  his  innate  love  for  his- 
torical and  scientific  research  to  the  fullest  extent,  and 
has  secured  the  finest  historical  collection  in  the  United 
States.     This  collection  comprises  manuscripts  of  the 
most  ancient  writings  of  the   world,  from  the  stone 
rolls  of  the  Assyrian  of  the  Babylonian  period,  and  in 
fact,  parchments  and  writings  on  papyrus  from  the 
days  of  the  earliest  Pharaohs  down  to  modern  times. 
He  undoubtedly  possesses  the  rarest  and  finest  col- 
lection of  Bibles  in  the  world,  including  the  famous 
Martha  Washington  Bible,  also  that  of  Washington's 
sister  Betty,  also  the  first  New  Testament  printed  in 
the  English  language  at  Worms,  Germany,  by  Tindal, 
about   1528,   and   all  of  the   first   Bibles   printed  on 
the  American  continent,  including  the  Elliott  Indian 
Bibles,  and  the  first  German  Bible,  by  Sauer,  1743, 
and  the  first  American  Bible,  by  Atkinson,  1782.     He 
also  owns  historical  manuscripts  of  all  nations  of  many 
centuries  past,  including  an  autograph  of  Shakespeare, 
and  original  manuscripts  of  Goethe,  Schiller,  Tasso, 
Michael  Angelo,  Gallileo,  Moliere,  and  many  others; 
also  original  manuscripts  of  all  the  world's  famous 
writers,  poets,   musicians,   kings,    queens,   clergymen 
and    politicians,   including   the   original    manuscripts 
of  "Home,  Sweet  Home,"  "Old  Lang  Syne,"  "Old 
Grimes,"  and  "  Lead  Kindly  Light."     He  also  has  the 
earliest  maps  of  America  from  1507  up,  and  the  first 
edition  of  the  Cosmographie  of  Martin  Waldsemuller, 
which   was   the   first    book   that  gave   the   name   of 
America  to  the  New  World  ;  also  a  large  number  of 
relics  of  George  Washington,  covering  his  entire  career, 
as  well  as  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  of  all  other  American 
historical  characters.     His  collection  also  includes  the 
famous  portrait  of  Columbus  by  Sir  Antonio  Moro, 
painted  about  1552,  from  two  miniatures  then  in  pos- 
session at  the  Palace  of  Pardo,  Spain.     Washington 
Irving  pronounced  this  the  best  and  truest  likeness  of 
Columbus  extant,  and  used  an  engraved  copy  of  it  as 
a  frontispiece  for  his  second  revised  English  edition  of 
his  "  Life  of  Columbus."     The  collection  also  contains 
six  original  portraits  of  Washington,  including  the  first 
ever  made  of  him.  by  the  elder  Peale,  and  the  only 
portrait  in  existence  of  Washington's  sister  Betty  and 
her  husband ;  also  the  portrait  of  Benj.  Franklin,  by 
Kobert  Fulton. 

One  of  the  greatest  attractions  that  is  at  present 
on  exhibition  in  Chicago,  and  one  that  will  doubtless 
excite  the  interest  of  the  many  thousands  who  visit 
the  city,  is  the  War  Museum  contained  in  the  cele- 
brated Libby  Prison,  that  was  several  years  ago 
removed  to  Chicago  from  Jiichmond,  Va.  This  vast 
undertaking  was  successfully  accomplished  by  Mr. 
Gunther,  associated  with  Mr.  W.  H.  Gray,  and  other 
public-spirited  men  of  Chicago,  and  to  them  Chicago 


94 

is  indebted  for  the  finest  collection  of  war  relics  on 
the  American  continent.  The  great  collection  of  in- 
teresting and  historical  war  relics  with  which  the 
Libby  Prison  is  filled  is  the  private  property  of  Mr. 
Gunther,  and  is  loaned  by  him  to  the  association. 

Mr.  Gunther  is  president  of  the  Libby  Prison  War 
Museum  Association,  also  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society,  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Academy  of  Science.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  and  Iroquois  Clubs.  He  became  a  Master 
Mason  in  Peru,  111.,  in  1860,  and  during  his  thirty-one 
years'  membership  he  has  passed  through  many 
degrees,  including  the  Knights  Templar,  Oriental  Con- 
sistory (thirty-second  degree),  and  Sovereign  Grand 
Inspector  General  of  the  thirty-third  and  last  degree 
of  the  Northern  Jurisdiction,  U.  S.  A.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

In  1869.  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  Burnell,  of 
Lima,  Ind.  They  have  two  sons — Burnell,  now  a  stu- 
dent at  Berlin,  Germany,  and  Paris,  twenty-one  years 
old;  and  Whitman,  aged  nineteen.  Mrs.  Gunther  is 
a  highly  educated  and  refined  woman,  active  in  char- 


MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  IVEST. 


itable  and  religious  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gunther  are 
active  members  of  Grace  Episcopal  church. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Gunther  had  been  for  many  years 
affiliated  with  the  Republican  party,  but  being  fully  in 
sympathy  with  Mr.  Cleveland's  views  on  the  tariff, 
supported  that  gentleman  for  the  presidency.  lie  be- 
lieves in  "tariff  for  revenue  only." 

As  a  business  man  Mr.  Gunther  has  been  enterpris- 
ing, energetic,  and  always  abreast  of  the  times,  and 
has  been  rewarded  by  an  ample  fortune.  His  business 
motto  has  always  been,  "  Not  how  cheap,  but  how 
good?"  He  undoubted!}'  has  the  largest  retail  trade 
in  fine  confections  of  an}7  house  in  the  United  States, 
and  his  store  is  not  surpassed  in  beauty  or  arrangement 
by  that  of  any  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Mr.  Gunther 
lias  attained  to  a  position  of  prominence  through  his  own 
exertions,  and  may  justly  be  proud  of  what  he  has 
wrought.  He  is  a  man  of  generous  impulses  and  gives 
liberally  of  his  time  and  money  to  all  worthy  causes, 
and  in  everything  that  he  does  he  tries  to  make  the 
world  brighter  and  better.  He  is  loved  by  his  friends 
and  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow  citizens. 


NATHAN   DICKINSON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


NATHAN  DICKINSON,  treasurer  of  the  Albert 
Dickinson  Cornpany,  the  large  seed  firm  on  the 
corner  of  Clark  and  Sixteenth  streets,  Chicago,  is  the 
son  of  Albert  F.  Dickinson  and  Ann  Eliza  (Anthony) 
Dickinson,  and  \Vas  born  at  Curtisville.  Berkshire 
county/  Mass.,  in  1848.  His  father  was  the  son  of 
Justus  Dickinson,  a  prominent  man  of  Hawley, 
Massachusetts. 

The  Dickinson  family  came  to  Chicago  in  1855, 
where  young  Dickinson  received  a  common  public 
school  education.  He  afterwards  attended  high 
school,  but  left  before  graduating,  as  he  was  needed 
in  his  father's  store,  where  he  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  clerk  under  the  instructions  of  his  father. 
Here  he  remained  until  1871,  when  the  great  fire 
swept  over  Chicago  and  left  nothing  of  their 
business.  After  the  fire,  Mr.  Dickinson,  Sr.,  retired 
from  the  business,  his  eldest  son,  Albert,  brother  to 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  continuing  the  same.  Mr. 
Nathan  Dickinson,  together  with  his  other  broth- 
ers and  sisters,  determined  to  aid  their  elder 
brother  in  his  laudable  undertaking,  of  attempt- 
ing to  bring  the  firm  back  to  its  old  standing  by 
paying  all  the  outstanding  debts.  The  insurance 
carried  at  the  time  of  the  fire  proving  worthless, 
their  loss  was  a  total  one,  and  it  badly  crippled 
them.  The  failure  to  collect  this  insurance,  as  was 
the  case  with  so  many  other  unfortunate  Chicagoans 


on  their  destroyed  property  was  a  severe  blow,  hard 
to  withstand. 

Mr.  Nathan  Dickinson  continued  as  partner  and 
helper  to  his  brother  Albert  until  1888,  when  the 
business  was  incorporated,  and  he  was  chosen  treas- 
urer, with  h'is  brother  Albert  as  president,  Charles  as 
vice-president,  and  his  sister,  Melissa,  as  secretary. 

The  house,  since  its  incorporation,  has  done  a  large 
and  constantly  growing  business;and  it  is  now  generally 
recognized  as  one  of  the  largest  seed  houses  known 
anywhere  in  that  business. 

Although  he  is  of  liberal  views  politically,  Mr. 
Dickinson  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party,  and  is 
uniformly  found  voting  to  sustain  its  principles.  Mr. 
Dickinson  has  been  a  hard  worker  all  his  life,  and  that 
his  labor  has  not  been  in  vain  is  shown  by  results,  for 
success  has  attended  his  efforts,  and  that  it  ever  ma}' 
continue  to  do  so,  is  the  expressed  wish  of  his  many 
friends.  His  life  has  been  ever  manly  and  sincere,  and 
his  manners  unaffected  and  pleasant.  He  has  not  only 
many  friends  in  Chicago,  but  throughout  the  entire 
West.  In  appearance,  Mr.  Dickinson  is  of  medium 
height  and  weight,  affable,  kind  and  courteous  toward 
all,  and  of  gentlemanly  deportment. 

He  was  married  on  July  17,1889,  to  Miss  Louisa  H., 
daughter  of  George  J.  W.  Boyd,  Esq.,  of  Wisconsin. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Ruth,  and  a  pleasant  home  at 
Lake  Geneva,  Wisconsin. 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of  THE  GREAT  WEST. 

JOHN  ADAMS  DRAKE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


95 


JOHN  ADAMS  DRAKE,  son  of  General  F.  M. 
Drake  and  Mary  (Lord)  Drake,  was  born  atCenter- 
ville,  la.  His  father,  General  Drake,  is  president  of  the 
Centerville  National  Bank,  president  of  the  Indiana, 
Illinois  &  Iowa  railway,  and  its  principal  owner.  The 
General  also  endowed  the  Drake  University,  at 
Des  Moines,  and  he  stands  as  sponsor  to  that 
institution. 

Young  Drake,  after  attending  public  school, 
entered  the  high  school  at  Centerville,  Iowa,  where, 
after  graduating,  he  took  a  scientific  course  at  Drake 
University,  graduating  therefrom  in  1886.  In  1887 
he  attended  the  Eastman  Business  College,  at  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  finished  his  education  there. 

Upon  leaving  school,  Mr.  Drake's  first  position  was 
that  of  general  superintendent  of  the  Centerville  Coal 
Company,  at  Centerville,  la.  Later  he  accepted  the 


position  of  private  secretary  to  the  general  manager 
of  the  Indiana.  Illinois  &  Iowa  railway,  with  offices  at 
Chicago,  and  was  still  later  appointed  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  same  road,  which  position  he  holds  at 
the  present  time. 

Mr.  Drake  is  a  lieutenant  under  General  II.  II. 
Wright,  brigadier  general  of  the  first  brigade  of  Iowa. 
He  is  still  a  member  of  the  regiment.  He  has  traveled 
quite  extensively  both  in  the  United  States  and  Cuba. 
Mr.  Drake  is  a  loyal  Republican,  in  politics,  and  is 
usually  found  voting  with  the  party  of  his  choice. 

He  was  married  on  January  26,  1893,  to  Miss  Dula 
H.  Rae,  daughter  of  Col.  Robert  Rae,  one  of  Chicago's 
leading  attorneys.  Mr.  Drake  is  of  medium  height,  of 
genial  and  pleasant  manner,  and  a  man  whom  it  is  truly 
a  pleasure  to  know.  Those  who  know  him  best  testify 
to  his  energy,  activity  and  business  enterprise. 


HENRY  W.  KING. 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  among  the  foremost 
business  men  of  Chicago.  A  native  of  Martins- 
burg,  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  he  was  born  on  December 
18,  1828.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  later  graduated  from  the  State  Acad- 
emy at  Lowville,  N.  Y.,  preparatory  to  entering  Ham- 
ilton College.  After  leaving  the  academy,  however, 
he  changed  his  purpose,  and  instead  of  entering  college 
accepted  a  position  in  his  father's  store  at  Martins- 
burg,  where  he  remained  until  1854. 

During  that  year,  being  then  twenty-six  years  of 
age,  he  removed  to  Chicago  and  began  that  business 
career  in  which  he  has  achieved  a  most  enviable  suc- 
cess and  made  for  himself  a  reputation  of  which  any 
man  might  justly  be  proud.  Mr.  King  was  first  .asso- 
ciated with  S.  L.  Barrett  and  P.  V.  Kellogg,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Barrett,  King  &  Co..  and  opened  a 
wholesale  clothing  house  at  189  South  Water  street. 
In  1857  the  business  was  removed  to  Nos.  205-207 
South  W^ater  street,  and  three  years  later  to  Nos.  25- 
27  Lake  street.  In  1863  the  firm  name  changed  to 
King,  Kellogg  &  Co.,  by  the  withdrawal  of  Mr. 
Barrett.  This  firm  continued  until  1868,  when  it  was 
dissolved  by  mutual  consent,  and  Mr.  King  associated 
himself  with  Messrs.  W.  C.  Browning  and  Edward  W. 
Dewey,  of  New  York,  under  the  style  of  Henry  W. 
King  &  Co.,  opening  a  store  at  the  corner  of  Lake 
street  and  Michigan  avenue.  Since  1868  the  name  and 
personnel  of  the  firm  have  remained  unchanged.  Dtir- 
ing  the  great  fire  of  October  9,  1871,  the  house  sus- 
tained a  loss  of  $550,000;  but,  through  the  courtesy  of 
the  late  Mr.  Wirt  Dexter,  then  solicitor  for  the  Michi- 


gan Central  Railroad  Company,  who  placed  at  their 
disposal  a  train  of  freight  cars,  they  were  enabled  to 
save  a  hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  stock,  which 
they  shipped  to  Michigan  City  and  stored.  With 
characteristic  enterprise,  while  the. ruins  of  the  burned 
city  were  still  smoking,  the  firm  secured  temporary 
quarters  at  the  corner  of  Canal  and  Washington 
streets,  and  re-shipping  the  goods  from  Michigan  City 
and  bringing  others  from  their  large  manufactingestab- 
lishment  in  New  York  city,  they  were  enabled  at  the 
end  of  two  weeks  after  the  fire  to  reopen  their  business. 
The  business  was  removed  in  the  following  year, 
1872,  to  the  Farwell  block  on  Market  street,  and  was 
continued  there  until  1875,  when  it  was  changed  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  Madison  and  Franklin  streets.  The 
house  is  now  located  at  the  corner  of  Adams  and  Market. 
From  the  beginning  the  volume  of  the  business  has 
steadily  grown,  and  during  the  ten  years  last  past  the 
firm  has  established  flourishing  retail  houses  in  New 
York,  Philadelphia,  Cincinnati,  Milwaukee,  Minne- 
apolis, St.  Paul,  Omaha,  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis  and 
Chicago.  These  branch  houses  are  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  Browning,  King  &  Co.,  and  their 
annual  business,  with  that  of  the  wholesale  house, 
aggregates  about  $5,000,000.  Mr.  King's  original 
firm  in  1854  did  an  annual  business  not  to  exceed 
8150,000. 

Mr.  King  has  been  called  to  many  positions  of 
trust.  For  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  one  of  the  di- 
rectors of  the  Commercial  National  Bank,  of  Chicago, 
and  has  been  called  to  act  as  executor  in  many  large 
estates.  Aside  from  his  business,  Mr.  King  has  taken 


96 

an  active  interest  in  all  public  matters  relating  to  the 
welfare  of  his  cit}',  and  been  closely  identified  with 
many  public  enterprises.  From  1871  to  1873  he  was 
president  of  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  which 
disbursed  during  that  time  the  enormous  sum  of 
$5,000,000,  mostly  contributed  for  the  relief  of  those 
who  suffered  in  the  great  fire.  The  ability  and  fidelity 
displayed  in  the  distribution  of  this  magnificent  and 
timely  bounty  attracted  attention  far  and  wide,  and 
the  Chicago  society  became  the  model  for  societies  of 
a  similar  character  in  many  parts  of  the  world.  Since 
1873,  Mr.  King  has  served  as  treasurer  of  this  society. 
He  is  also  vice-president  of  the  Chicago  Nursery  and 
Half-Orphan  Asylum,  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Old  People's  Home.  He  is  also  a  director  in  several 
commercial  institutions. 

In  his  religious  faith,  Mr.  King  is  a  Presbyterian, 
and  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Fourth  Presbyterian 
church,  of  Chicago,  and  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary.  He 
takes  an  active  part  in  all  the  affairs  of  his  church 
and  in  charitable,  benevolent  and  philanthropic  enter- 
prises generally,  ever  standing  ready  to  contribute 
generously  of  his  time,  energy  and  money. 

In  political  sentiment  he  is  a  Republican.  Though 
in  no  sense  a  politician,  and  invariably  declining  the 
honors  of  official  positions,  he  takes  an  earnest  and 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


active  part  in  the  proper  conduct  of  public  affairs,  and 
in  casting  his  ballot  often  votes  for  a  candidate  who 
differs  from  himself  in  political  faith,  if  he  believes 
him  better  qualified  for  the  office  sought  than  the  can- 
didates of  his  own  party,  his  belief  being  that  men  and 
principles  are  higher  and  should  carry  more  weight 
in  deciding  one's  course  in  such  matters  than  loyalty 
to  party. 

Mr.  King  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Aurelia 
Case,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  John  R.  Case,  one  of  Chicago's 
early  citizens,  now  deceased.  They  have  one  son  and  two 
daughters,  viz.,  Francis,  now  associated  with  his  father 
in  business;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Bentley, 
an  attorney  at  law,  of  Chicago,  and  Christine,  the  wife 
of  Mr.  S.  H.  Pomeroy,  of  Pittsfield,  Mass. 

In  closing  this  sketch,  it  is  but.  just  and  fitting  to 
say  that  Mr.  King  has  achieved  his  remarkable  success 
by  patiently  and  persistently  following  a  fixed  purpose 
in  the  line  of  his  business,  never  entering  on  the  alluring 
field  of  speculation.  Conservative  in  his  ideas,  he  has 
yet  kept  pace  with  the  progress  of  events,  and  wher-' 
ever  known,  has  been  recognized  as  a  man  of  unusual 
energy,  clear  foresight  and  unwavering  business  fidel- 
ity. He  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  qualities,  kind- 
hearted,  genial  and  companionable,  and  enjoys  the 
high  regard  and  esteem  of  many  warm  personal  friends 
and  the  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 


CYRUS  HALL  MCCORMICK, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


HALL  McCORMICK,  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  Ann  (Hall)  McCormick,  was  born  in  Rock- 
bridge  county,  Va.,  on  the  15th  day  of  February, 
1809.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Virginia,  and 
people  of  wide  influence.  They  were  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  and  their  strong,  self-reliant  characters  were 
early  impressed  upon  and  developed  in  their  seven 
children,  of  whom  Cryus  H.  was  the  eldest. 

Robert  McCormick,  the  father  of  Cyrus,  was  a  farmer, 
and  a  man  of  great  mechanical  skill,  and  no  small 
development  of  inventive  genius.  His  son  received 
every  possible  advantage  to  be  derived  from  the  avail- 
able country  schools,  as  well  as  many  not  to  be  had  in 
any  school.  Upon  ^he  farm  was  a  blacksmith  and  a 
carpenter  shop,  in  which  such  work  as  was  necessary 
on  the  farm  was  done,  and  in  these  shops  young  Cyrus 
showed  his  aptness  for  mechanical  and  inventive  work. 
When  only  fifteen  years  of  age  he  made  with  his  own 
hands  a  cradle  which  enabled  him  to  keep  pace  with 
grown  men  in  the  harvest  fields,  and  seven  years  later 
he  constructed  a  plow,  after  an  original  design,  for  use 
in  plowing  upon  steep  hillsides.  This  plow,  patented 
in  1831,  was  so  made  that  it  could  be  changed  from  a 
right  to  a  left  hand  plow  at  the  will  of  the  operator. 
Its  superiority,  however,  was  completely  overshadowed 


by  another  plow  called  the  self-sharpening  horizontal 
plow,  invented  and  patented  in  1833.  This  plow  was 
strong,  simple  and  easily  operated,  and  could  *be  used 
with  like  good  results  on  either  level  or  hill}'  ground, 
and  even  had  Mr.  McCormick  not  invented  his  reaper. 
this  plow  would  have  made  for  him  name  and  fame  as 
an  inventor.  The  invention  of  a  reaper  by  which  grain 
could  be  more  easity  garnered  had  long  been  experi- 
mented upon,  and  Mr.  McCormick's  father  was  one 
who  had  given  a  great  deal  of  study  to  this  problem. 
In  1816  he  made  a  machine  for  this  purpose  which  was 
tried  in  the  harvest  fields;  found  not  equal  to  the  task 
that  it  was  designed  for,  and  was  consequently  aban- 
doned. Thus  it  was  not  strange  that  young  McCor- 
mick's mind  should  turn  in  that  direction,  and  though 
urged  not  to  waste  his  time  in  a  useless  undertaking, 
he  studied  out  the  reasons  for  the  failure  of  his  father's 
effort,  and  conceived  the  idea  of  the  horizontal  blade 
operated  back  and  forth  through  the  standing  grain. 
He  carefully  studied  out  the  details  of  his  plans,  and 
with  his  own  hands  shaped  each  part  of  his  first 
machine,  which  consisted  of  a  vibrating  blade  to  cut,  a 
platform  to  receive  the  falling  grain,  and  a  reel  to 
bring  the  grain  within  reach  of  the  blade.  The  machine 
was  first  tried  upon  a  field  of  oats  near  the  McCormick 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


99 


homestead  in  the  slimmer  of  1881,  and  on  that  day  of 
trial,  young  McCormick  demonstrated  that  he  had  made 
it  possible  for  the  United  States  to  take  its  present 
leading  rank  among  the  grain-producing  countries  of 
the  world.  Mr.  McCormick  did  not  at  once  commence 
the  manufacture  of  his  machines,  but  entered  into  a 
partnership  in  the  iron  smelting  business,  and  continued 
in  the  business  of  reducing  irons  until  1837,  when  the 
panic  of  that  year  forced  him  to  suspend  business,  and 
all  of  his  property,  including  the  farm  given  him  by 
his  father,  had.  to  be  sold  to  make  good  his  share  of  the 
indebtedness. 

He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  manufacture 
and  introduction  of  his  reaper,  the  first  patent  on 
which  had  been  granted  in  1834.  The  first  reapers 
were  made  on  the  McCormick  farm  in  Virginia,  that 
is,  all  of  the  parti  were  made  there,  excepting  the 
sickles,  and  these  were  made  at  a  point  twenty  miles 
distant,  and  delivered  to  the  McCormick's  in  lots  of  a 
dozen  or  less.  In  1846,  '47  and  '48,  the  machines  were 
manufactured  by  parties  in  Brockport,  N.Y.,  who 
paid  Mr.  McCormick  a  royalty  on  each  one  sold,  and 
in  1846,  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  manu- 
factured his  machines  in  increased  quantities.  Many 
valuable  improvements  were  made  which  added  greatly 
to  the  value  of  the  reaper,  and  its  popularity  increased 
more  and  more  each  year.  Foreseeing  that  Chicago 
was  destined  to  become  the  metropolis  of  the  West, 
Mr.  McCormick  came  to  this  city  in  1847,  and  during 
the  following  year  he  erected  in  Chicago  substantial 
reaper  works,  in  which  were  built  during  that  year  700 
machines,  and  in  1849,  1,500  machines  were  turned 
out.  This,  of  course,  was  not  much  of  an  output  as 
compared  with  the  great  works  of  to-day,  but  taking 
into  consideration  the  fact  that  at  that  time  there  was 
none  of  the  present  improved  machinery  for  working 
wood  and  iron,  the  output  was  large,  and  one  that 
would  have  been  impossible  for  a  man  who  was  not 
endowed  with  Mr.  McCormick's  supemr  business 
ability  and  indomitable  will.  Having  thoroughly 
established  the  success  of  his  invention  at  home,  Mr. 
McCormick  turned  his  attention  to  introducing  it  to 
agriculturists  abroad,  and  in  1851,  his  reaper  was  ex- 
hibited at  the  World's  Fair  in  London.  It  was  sub- 
jected to  the  most  severe  tests  in  England  in  the 
harvest  fields,  and  though  at  first  it  was  not  highly 
thought  of,  it  fulfilled  the  claims  made  for  it  so  well, 
that  it  commanded  general  admiration,  and  the  Grand 
Council  Medal  was  awarded  to  the  inventor,  on  the 
ground  "  of  the  originality  and  value  of  the  reaper." 
From  that  date  the  history  of  the  McCormick  reaper 
is  one  long  list  o'f  triumphs.,  and  it  has  received  the 
highest  awards  at  every  great  exposition  since  that 
time,  the  latest  addition  to  this  list  of  laurels  having 
been  bestowed  by  the  "World's  Columbian  Exposition 
of  1893.  From  the  very  beginning,  Mr.  McCormick 
had  to  fight  a  hard  battle  for  his  just  rights  and  the 
success  of  his  inventions,  and  though  the  obstacles 
encountered  were  many,  and  such  as  would  have 


deterred  most   men,  he   pushed   steadily  forward,  and 
his  triumph  was  complete. 

Although  Mr.  McCormick  is  best  known  to  the 
world  as  an  inventor  and  manufacturer,  he  would  be  as 
widely  known  had  he  never  built  a  single  reaper;  as 
such  men  are  brought  to  notice  no  matter  what  their 
achievements  in  any  one  line  of  life  may  be,  and  though 
the  invention  of  the  McCormick  reaper  was  so  great  a 
boon  to  humanity,  the  inventor  was  a  man  truly 
great  in  many  other  fields  of  usefulness.  A  firm  be- 
liever in  the  precepts  taught  by  the  immortal  Sage  of 
Monticello,  he  stood  high  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  convention  held 
in  Baltimore,  and  was  one  of  the  strongest  opponents 
of  the  dismemberment  of  the  party  which  so  shortly 
afterwards  proved  to  be  such  an  unparalelled  disaster. 
For  many  years  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Demo- 
cratic national  conventions,  and  was  chairman  of  the 
State  central  committee  of  Illinois,  when  his  friend 
Samuel  J.  Tilden  was  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency, 
lie  also  took  an  active. and  prominent  part  in  religious 
and  educational  matters  and  many  institutions  of  such 
character  have  been  benefited  by  his  donations.  The 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  was  founded 
by  him  and  he  also  endowed  a  professorship  in  Wash- 
ington College,  Virginia,  and  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  of  Virginia,  besides  making  many  gifts  to 
other  similar  institutions.  A  member  and  steadfast 
friend  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  his  efforts  to  extend 
the  influence  of  that  church  were  untiring,  and  no  man 
is  more  gratefully  remembered  for  the  good  that  he 
has  done. 

In  1858,  Mr.  McCormick  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Nettie  Fowler,  daughter  of  Melzar  Fowler,  of 
Jefferson  county.  N.  Y.,  and  a  niece  of  Judge  E. 
G.  Merrick,  of  Detroit,  Mich.  Seven  children,  four 
sons  and  three  daughters,  blessed  the  union,  and 
all  survive  excepting  one  son  and  one  daughter,  who 
died  in  infancy.  In  Mr.  McCormick's  death  on  the 
13th  day  of  Ma}7,  1884,  one  of  humanity's  best  friends 
passed  to  the  better  life. 

The  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  and  his  election 
to  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences,  as  a  corresponding 
member,  were  fitting  expressions  of  the  regard  in 
which  he  was  held  abroad,  and  the  reason  given  for 
conferring  these  honors  upon  Mr.  McCormick  was  that 
"  he  had  done  more  for  the  cause  of  agriculture  than 
any  other  living  man."  Early  in  his  career  as  a  manu- 
facturer, Hon.  Iteverdy  Johnson  said  of  him,  that  to 
Mr.  McCormick  and  to  his  invention  the  country  owed 
an  annual  increase  of  $55,000,000  to  her  income,  and 
that  that  amount  must  increase  each  year  as  time  went 
on.  There  is  no  successful  harvesting  machine  built 
to  day,  in  any  part  of  the  world,  that  does  not  contain 
the  essential  elements  of  the  first  McCormick  reaper, 
and  the  annual  increase  spoken  of  by  Mr.  Johnson  has 
accrued  to  the  whole  world,  not  only  in  material  pros- 
perity, but  in  a  lightening  of  the  labors  of  the  husband- 
men that  has  made  him  their  great  benefactor. 


IOO 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 
EDWARD   S.  DREVER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EDWARD  S.  DREYER,  son  of  August  and  Louisa 
(Piper)  Schoettelnclreyer,  was  born  in  Bukeburg, 
Schaumburg,  Lippe,  Germany,  on  the  5th  day  of 
August,  1844.  By  an  act  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  and 
by  order  of  the  court,  the  name  was  changed  for 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  from  Edward  Schoetteln- 
dreyer  to  Ed  ward  S.  Dreyer.  His  father's  family  held 
the  hereditary  right  to  the  title  of  government  forester, 
to  which  Edward  was  entitled  to  succeed  upon  reach- 
ing his  majority.  His  mother  had  also  come  from  a 
family  that  had  gained  honor  and  distinction  under  the 
old  kingdom.  On  account  of  the  prominence  of  the 
family  to  which  he  belonged,  young  Dreyer  though 
left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  received  a  liberal  edu- 
cation at  Hameln  in  Hanover,  the  government  paying 
the  expenses  thus  incurred.  Until  he  had  attained  the 
age  of  fifteen  years  he  lived  with  relatives  and  spent 
his  time  hard  at  work  in  school.  When  his  education 
was  nearing  completion,  he,  in  accordance  with  the 
law  of  the  land,  learned  a  trade,  choosing  that  of 
carriage  trimmer. 

When  twenty  years  of  age,  Mr.  Dreyer  determined 
to  visit  America  in  search  of  a  desirable  place  in  which 
to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  casting  aside  all 
the  hereditary  honors  that  were  his,  he  took  passage 
for  New  York,  where  he  landed  in  1864.  He  did  not 
spend  any  time  in  that  city,  however,  but  came  directly 
to  Chicago,  where  he  had  an  aunt  living,  and  immedi- 
ately set  about  learning  the  language  and  customs  of 
the  country,  and  acquiring  a  business  education.  Two 
years  sufficed  for  this,  and,  according!}',  in  1866,  he 
entered  the  employment  of  Knauer  Bros.,  real  estate 
dealers,  in  whose  service  he  remained  until  January 
1st,  1870,  when,  as  a  reward  of  merit,  he  was  taken 
into  the  firm  as  a  partner.  For  over  three  years  Mr. 
Dreyer  continued  as  a  member  of  this  firm,  when, 
severing  his  connection  with  it,  he  established  an 
independent  real  estate  business  under  the  name  of  E. 
S.  Dreyer  &  Co.  His  first  office  was  located  at  72 
Dearborn  street,  but  the  rapid  growth  of  the  business 
soon  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  remove  to  more 
commodious  quarters,  and  he  went  to  98  Dearborn, 
and  then  to  88  Washington  street,  where  he  remained 
until  1878,  when  his  business  forced  another  removal, 
and  he  occupied  his  present  spacious  quarters,  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Washington  streets. 
From  the  time  that  he  established  an  independent 
business,  in  1873,  Mr.  Dreyer  has  exhibited  a  marked 
aptitude  for  predicting  future  trade  conditions,  and 
for  making  profitable  investments  and  disposals.  He 
always  carefully  studies  the  real  estate  market,  and 
allows  nothing  to  escape  his  attention.  He  watches 
with  great  care  the  interests  of  investors,  and 
has  ever  been  quick  in  arriving  at  his  decisions 
and  at  closing  a  bargain.  lie  has  grown  steadilv 
in  wealth  and  popular  favor,  and  his  reputation 


for  both  honor  and  good  judgment  is  of  the  highest. 
During  the  time  that  he  has  been  in  the  business  helms 
invested  for  others  over  $100,000,000.  It  may  be 
stated  as  most  creditable  to  Mr.  Dreyer's  firm  that 
during  its  entire  business  career,  it  has  never  allowed 
an  investor  to  foreclose  a  mortgage  and  take  the  prop- 
erty. The  firm  has  ever  stood  between  mortgagor  and 
mortgagee,  and,  protecting  the  interests  of  both 
parties,  has  neither  allowed  the  one  to  foreclose  nor  the 
other  to  prove  finally  delinquent.  This  record  is  one, 
it  is  safe  to  assert,  that  cannot  easily  find  a  parallel  in 
Chicago.  Mr.  Robert  Berger  is  a  partner  of  Mr. 
Dreyer,  and  has  been  since  1878.  In  1877,  Mr. 
Dreyer  started  his  mortgage  banking  business  in  con- 
nection with  his  real  estate  business  and  it  has  since 
grown  to  enormous  proportions,  extending  not  only  to 
all  parts  of  the  United  States,  but  to  parts  of  Europe 
as  well.  The  real  estate  business  is  correspondingly 
large,  and  lately  the  firm  has  been  handling  only  its 
own  property.  It  has  managed  and  owned  many 
valuable  acre  tracts  of  city  property,  many  of  which 
have  been  subdivided  and  sold.  At  present  it  owns 
valuable  property  in  all  portions  of  the  cit37,  and 
since  the  year  1873  has  built  over  two  hundred  build- 
ings in  different  parts  of  Chicago.  The  firm  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  company  which  erected 
and  prepared  the  panorama  of  the  Battle  of  Gettys- 
burg, -which  was  the  first  exhibition  of  its  kind  in  the 
West  and  one  of  the  first  in  the  world. 

In  Januar\r,  1892,  Mr.  Dreyer  was  elected  president 
of  the  Chicago  real  estate  board,  an  organization  in 
which  he  has  taken  the  greatest  interest.  He  has  also 
taken  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  movement  having  for 
its  object  the  establishment  of  a  national  real  estate 
association,  and  was  one  of  the  most  active  workers 
among  the  men  to  whose  efforts  Chicago  owes  the 
location  of  the  World's  Fair. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Dreyer  is  a  strong  Democrat,  and 
stands  high  with  the  leaders  of  his  party,  but  his  great 
business  interests  will  not  permit  him  to  actively  enter 
the  political  arena,  although  at  times  he  has  consented 
to  the  demands  of  his  friends,  and  served  the  public  in 
an  official  capacity.  Thus,  in  December,  1884,  Mr. 
Dreyer  was  selected  from  among  thirty-two  candidates 
for  the  position  of  collector  of  taxes  of  North  Chicago, 
and,  being  appointed,  readily  gave  the  required  bond 
of  $2,800,000.  In  1888,  he  was  appointed  school 
treasurer  of  Lake  View,  which  position  he  continued 
to  occupy  until  the  annexation  of  that  suburb  to 
Chicago.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Cook  County 
board  of  equalization  for  some  time,  and  is  now 
director  and  vice-president  of  the  public  library  board, 
and  a  member  of  the  building  committee  of  the  new 
public  library. 

During  the  campaign  in  the  spring  of  1885,  when 
Carter  II.  Harrison  was  elected  mayor,  Mr.  Dreyer 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


IO' 


was  president  of  the  Democratic  campaign  committee, 
and  so  skillfully  and  successfully  managed  the  cam- 
paign, that  as  a  partial  recognition  of  his  services, 
Mayor  Harrison,  in  July  following,  appointed  him  a 
member  of  the  city  board  of  education.  This  honor- 
able position  he  was  forced  to  decline,  however,  as  he 
has  declined  man}'  others  of  similar  or  greater  import- 
ance, owing  to  the  pressing  needs  of  his  business 
interests.  Mr.  Dreyer  has  for  many  years  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  all  enterprises  having  for  their  object 
the  amelioration  of  the  sufferings  of  humanity,  and 
has  given  not  a  little  of  his  valuable  time,  as  well  as 
his  generous  contributions  in  money,  toward  the 
support  of  local  charitable  institutions.  lie  is  treasurer 
of  the  State  Institute  for  the  Blind,  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  German  Old  People's  Home,  at  Oak 
Park.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  State  Bank  Associa- 
tion, vice-president  of  the  State  Banker's  Association  of 
Illinois,  and  a  director  and  treasurer  of  Chicago 
Heights.  He  was  also  one  of  the  first  subscribers  to 
the  projects  for  building  the  Auditorium,  the  Schiller 
Theatre  and  the  German  Club  Building,  and  has  been 
connected  with  many  other  enterprises,  both  public  and 
private  in  their  character.  He  was  appointed  terminal 
-commissioner  on  the  4th  day  of  March,  1893,  by  Mayor 


Washburne.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the 
Schiller  monument,  at  Lincoln  Park,  and  the  Reuter 
monument,  at  Humboldt  Park,  besides  taking  a  most 
prominent,  part  in  the  erection  of  the  Grant  monument. 

On  the  26th  day  of  August,  1870,  Mr.  Dreyer  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Augusta  Billingman,  of 
'Keokuk,  Iowa.  They  have  four  children,  Addie,  Lot- 
tie, Edward  S.,  Jr..  and  Florence,  who  make  the  beau- 
tiful home  near  Lincoln  park  even  more  beautiful  by 
their  presence. 

A  spirit  of.  independence  led  Mr.  Dreyer,  when  a 
boy  of  twenty  years,  to  leave  behind  him  his  birth- 
right in  Germany  and  to  seek  the  building  of  his  own 
fortune  in  the  land  of  the  free.  He  reached  this,  the 
city  of  his  adoption  and  choice,  friendless,  unacquainted 
with  the  prevailing  language,  and  in  debt,  but  went 
immediately  to  work,  and,  by  his  own  efforts,  has  risen 
to  his  present  position  of  affluence  and  prominence. 
To  him  alone  is  the  credit  due.  In  business  and  pri- 
vate circles  he  has  no  lack  of  friends,  who,  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  man  and  his  career  and  character, 
delight  to  do  him  honor.  Socially,  Mr.  Dreyer  is  pop- 
ular, and  is  a  member  of  several  clubs,  among  them 
the  Union  League,  the  Iroquois,  Germania  and  the 
North  Shore  clubs. 


ALBERT  DICKINSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ALBERT  DICKINSON,  president  of  the  Albert 
Dickinson  Company,  dealers  in  seeds,  son  of 
Albert  F.  and  Ann  Eliza  (Anthony)  Dickinson,  was 
born  at  Curtisville,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  in  1841, 
where  he  received  a  common  school  education.  He 
afterwards  attended  the  high  school  at  Chicago  for  a 
time,  after  the  removal  of  his  parents  to  that  city  in 
1855.  After  leaving  high  school  he  was  employed  in 
his  father's  store  in  Chicago  until  he  entered  the  army  in 
1861,  enlisting  in  Company  B,  Chicago  Light  Infantry. 
He  enlisted  as  private  and  was  later  made  corporal  in 
the  same  company.  He  was  sworn  into  the  United 
States  service  on  July  16,  1.S61,  and  served  three 
years.  His  company  was  known  as  "  Taylor's  Battery." 
He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Donelson,  Vicksburg, 
Shiloh,  and  many  other  important  engagements.  The 
company  was  mustered  out  July  1,  1864. 

After  leaving  the  army  he  commenced  business  at 
Durant,  Iowa,  but,  on  account  of  the  failing  health  of 
his  father,  he  had  to  change  his  plans,  and  returning  to 
Chicago,  resumed  his  former  duties  in  his  father's  office, 
where,  with  the  exception  of  a  time  spent  in  Iowa 
buying  grain,  he  continued  until  the  Chicago  fire,  being 
at  that  time  the  general  manager  of  the  business. 

After  the  fire,  Mr.  Dickinson,  Sr.  turned  over  the 
business  entirely  to  his  son,  ill-health  necessitating  the 


step.  The  fire  had  made  a  clean  sweep  of  the  territory 
where  Mr.  Dickinson's  business  was  located,  and  when 
Mr.  Albert  Dickinson  took  charge  of  the  business  he 
found  the  assets  merely  nominal  and  the  liabilities  heavy. 
He  decided,  however,  to  take  upon  himself  the  respon- 
sibility of  clearing  up  the  debts,  with  the  co-opera- 
tion of  his  brothers  and  sisters,  who,  though  not  pre- 
pared to  assume  any  financial  risk,  agreed  to  help,  the 
business  being  conducted  in  tbemuneof  Albert  Dickin- 
son. By  their  combined  efforts  and  withagood  deal  of 
hard  work,  with  virtually  no  capital,  but  having  excellent 
credit,  the  business  was  put  upon  a  solid  foundation,  and 
in  a  comparatively  short  time  Mr.  Dickinson  had  realized 
his  praiseworthy  ambition,  paying  all  the  outside  debts 
of  his  father.  By  this  time  he  found  himself  with  a 
well-established  and  paying  business,  and,  deciding  to 
make  it  his  life  work,  he  has  successfully  continued  in 
it  the  principal  figure  ever  since.  There  was  no  change 
made  until  1888,  when  the  company  was  incorporated, 
with  Albert  Dickinson  as  president,  Chas.  Dickinson  as 
vice-president,  Nathan  Dickinson  as  treasurer,  and  his 
sister,  Melissa  Dickinson,  as  secretary.  This  house  is 
now  recognized  as  one  of  the  largest  seed  houses  in  the 
world. 

Mr.    Dickinson    is   a   Republican,   and    though    he 
believes  in  voting  with  his  party,  yet  reserves  the  right 


104 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


to   vote  on  local  issues  for  such  candidates  as  are  in 
his  opinion  best  fitted  for  the  offices  to  be  filled. 


ried.     He  is  a  man  of  medium  size  and  weight,  of  good 
personal  appearance,  affable  in  manner,  and  one  whose 


Mr.  Dickinson  is  a  member  of  the  Geo.  II.  Thomas     society  is  much  prized  by  his  large  circle  of   friends, 
Post,  G.  A.  R.       He  is  a  bachelor,  having  never  mar-     with  whom  lie  is  deserved!}'  popular. 


SAMUEL  ANDERSON   MCWILLIAMS,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  many  men  devoted  to  medical  science 
who  have  risen  to  prominence  in  Chicago,  during 
the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  the  name  which  heads 
this  sketch  easily  takes  a  leading  place.  Dr.  McWil- 
liams  comes  of  excellent  stock,  his  father,  David 
McWilliams,  being  a  brainy  Irish  Presbyterian,  who 
studied  for  the  ministry  and  taught  school  until  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  engage  in  trade.  Newtownards, 
County  Down,  Ireland,  was  his  home,  and  here  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on  the  7th  of  February, 
1837.  His  mother  was  Margaret  Black  Anderson,  of 
Gilnakjrk,  in  the  above  county,  and  the  daughter  of  a 
thrifty  and  intelligent  farmer.  His  mother  is  still 
living  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five,  hale  and 
hearty,  though  the  father  died  when  Samuel  was  com- 
paratively young.  He  is  an  only  child.  In  his  early 
youth  his  mother  secured  for  him  the  advantages 
offered  by  the  best  schools,  where  he  made  rapid 
progress,  standing  at  the  head  of  his  classes  and  bear- 
ing off  the  prizes  when  ten  years  of  age.  At  the  age 
of  twelve  he  was  placed  upon  a  model  farm  near  Saint- 
field,  in  his  native  county,  where  he  remained  for 
nearly  two  years,  devoting  one  half  of  his  time  to 
farm  work  and  the  other  half,  to  the  study  of  mathe- 
matics, thus  securing  the  development  of  both  body 
and  mind. 

On  the  26th  day  of  May,  1851,  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 
young  McWilliams  left  Belfast  for  America  alone,  first 
settling  at  Marysburg,  Prince  Edward  county,  Ontario, 
in  Canada.  After  working  for  a  year  on  a  farm,  he 
served  for  a  time  in  a  dry  goods  store  in  Picton,  and 
afterwards  in  a  grocery  store  in  Milford.  Subsequently 
he  taught  school  for  four  successive  winter  terms  in  the 
same  township,  working  during  the  summer  months  as 
a  carpenter  and  in  the  harvest  field.  In  the  spring  of 
1857  he  attended  the  high  school  at  Picton  and  took 
the  first  prize  for  scholarship.  In  July  of  the  same 
year  he  visited  his  mother,  then  living  at  Pinckney- 
ville,  in  southern  Illinois,  and  on  October  1,  entered 
the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor.  Here  he 
remained  four  years,  graduating  from  the  classical 
department  in  1861,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  In  1864  he  also  received  from  the  University 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  On  leaving  the  Univer- 
sity in  1861,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Dr.  E.  L.  Griffin,  at  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  and 
for  a  year,  during  his  studies,  taught  school  at  Tay-  . 
cheedah,  near  Fond  du  Lac.  During  the  winter  session 
of  1862-63,  he  attended  the  medical  department  of  the 


University  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  in  the  spring  of  1863 
completed  a  full  course  in  analytical  chemistry,  toxico- 
logy, and  urinary  analysis.  Immediately  after  we 
find  this  industrious  young  man  back  at  Taycheedah, 
Wis.,  teaching  the  summer  term  of  school,  and  after- 
wards, for  two  years,  serving  as  principal  of  the  South 
Division  high  school  at  Waupun,  Wis. 

In  June,  1865,  Mr.  McWilliams  came  to  Chicago, 
where  he  entered  the  office  of  Prof.  N.  S.  Davis,  M.  D., 
proving  to  be  a  satisfactory  assistant  to  that  gentleman. 
Meantime  he  attended  lectures  at  the  Chicago  Medical 
College,  then  near  the  corner  of  State  and  Twenty- 
second  streets,  graduating  there  from  on  March  lst,1866, 
and  receiving  the  prize  offered  for  the  best  thesis  upon 
a  medical  subject.  Previously,  Dr.  Davis  made  Mc- 
Williams a  proposition  to  take  him  into  partnership  in 
his  'practice,  which  was  accepted,  the  partnership 
continuing  for  two  years.  Afterwards  he  engaged  in 
practice  on  his  own  account,  which  has  been  continued 
uninterruptedly,  without  loss  of  a  day  by  sickness,  in 
twenty  eight  years.  His  office,  at  166  State  street, 
southwest  corner  of  Monroe,  being  burned  out  in  the 
great  fire  of  1871,  Dr.  McWilliams  opened  an  office  at 
64  West  Randolph  street,  corner  of  Clinton,  until  the 
burned  district  had  been  rebuilt,  when  he  established 
himself  at  70  State  street,  southwest  corner  of  Ran- 
dolph. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  from  the  Chicago 
Medical  College,  (now  known  as  the  Northwestern 
University  'Medical  School)  he  lectured  for  several 
years  during  the  spring  term  in  that  institution  on 
physical  diagnosis  and  renal  diseases.  He  also  assisted 
Professor  J.  S.  Jewell  in  anatomy,  from  1867  to  1869, 
completing  his  lecture  course  for  the  professor  when 
he  went  to  Europe.  From  1869  to  1871,  Dr.  Mc- 
Williams assisted  Professor  R.  N.  Isham  in  the  chair 
of  operative  surgery.  When,  in  1870,  the  Woman's 
Medical  College  was  founded,  he  became  professor  of  an- 
atomy, performing  the  duties  of  the  position  with  great 
credit  to  himself  and  with  profit  to  the  institution, 
serving  also  as  secretary  to  the  faculty.  On  March  5, 
1867,  he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Alumni 
Association  of  the  Chicago  Medical  College,  was  its 
first  secretary  and  afterwards  its  president.  Several 
years  were  given  as  clinical  teacher  on  throat  and 
chest  diseases  in  the  dispensary  connected  with  the 
Chicago  Medical  College,  and  in  July,  1878,  he  was 
appointed  an  attending  physician  to  the  Cook  County 
Hospital,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  1888.  During 


PROMINENT  MEN  CF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


105 


those  ten  years  Dr.  McWilliams  gave  clinics  in  the 
large  amphitheater  of  the  hospital  to  many  large 
classes  of  medical  students. 

During  the  summer  of  1881  he  was  active  in  found- 
ing the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chicago, 
moving  the  adoption  of  its  name,  and  purchasing  for 
$5,000  the  site  (97x100  feet)  on  the  corner  of  West 
Harrison  and  Honore  streets.  The  plans  adopted  for 
the  college  building  were  his,  and  to  the  details  of  its 
construction  he  personally  attended,  until  its  comple- 
tion, in  October,  1882.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
board  of  directors  and  vice-president,  elected  October 
11,  1881.  In  December  of  the  same  year,  he  was 
elected  professor  of  clinical  medicine,  diseases  of  the 
chest  and  phvsical  diagnosis.  All  of  the  above  posi- 
tions he  held  until  June  11,  1891.  On  September  9, 
1881,  Dr.  McWilliams  obtained  also  a  charter  for  a 
dispensary  for  the  gratuitous  treatment  of  deserving 
poor  and  for  the  clinical  instruction  of  medical  students. 
This  charity  took  the  name  of  the  West  Side  Free 
Dispensary,  and  was  located  on  the  main  floor  of  the 
above  named  college  building.  So  popular  did  this 
institution  become  under  his  management  during  ten 
years,  that  the  poor  flocked  to  its  doors  for  relief,  and 
students  from  other  medical  colleges  sought  admission 
to  its  clinics,  arousing  the  jealous}'  of  the  students  of 
the  college  to  such  an  extent,  however,  that  the  faculty 
were  obliged  to  prohibit  the  attendance  of  those  from 
other  institutions. 

In  1S86,  Dr.  McWilliams  helped  to  establish  the 
Chicago  Polyclinic,  at  the  corner  of  Chicago  and  La 
Salle  avenues,  donating  $100  thereto  and  becoming 
one  of  its  first  clinical  instructors  on  diseases  of  the 
heart  and  lungs.  Some  years  later,  Dr.  McWilliams 
and  Dr.  John  E.  Harper  conceived  the  idea  of  estab- 
lishing a  medical  college  and  hospital  in  Chicago,  in 
which  clinical  instruction  would  be  given  for  thirty- 
six  months  before  graduation.  A  site  was  selected, 
and  a  charter  obtained  on  March  18,  1892,  under  the 
name  of  the  Clinical  College  of  Medicine  and  Specialty 
Hospital.  Of  this  college  Dr.  McWilliams  is  professor 
of  clinical  medicine,  diseases  of  the  chest  and  physical - 
diagnosis,  and  also  vice-president,  secretary  and 
a  director.  Still  later,  feeling  the  need  of  a  new  dis- 
pensary where  the  poor  might  have  superior  advan- 
tages of  treatment  by  physicians  of  long  experience, 
who  devote  their  time  to  special  diseases,  the  doctor 
called  a  meeting  at  his  residence  on  November  21, 
1893,  which  was  attended  by  fifteen  well  known  phy- 
sicians. It  was  agreed  to  establish  such  an  institution, 
under  the  name  of  the  Clinical  Dispensary  and  Hos- 
pital. It  has  now  in  its  treasury  $300  in  excess  of  all 
indebtedness. 

Dr.  McWilliams  has  long  been  an  active  member  of 
the  various  medical  societies  and  associations,  such  as  the 
Chicago  Medical  Society,  the  Illinois  State  Medical 
Society,  the  American  Medical  Association,  the  Ameri- 
can Academy  of  Medicine,  the  Ciiicago  Medico:Legal 
Society,  and  the  Doctor's  Club  of  Chicago.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Indiana  Club  of  this  city.  He  is  prom- 


inent in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  in  all  the  various 
bodies— the  Blue  Lodge, Chapter,  Commandery  and  Con- 
sistory of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite.  32nd 
degree,  in  which  body  he  has  been  presiding  officer, 
lie  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Miriam  Chapter, 
No.  1,  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  an  order 
whose  membership  is  confined  to  Masons,  their  wives 
and  daughters.  The  doctor  has  served  in  the  highest 
office,  that  of  "  worthy  patron  "  of  the  chapter  for 
seven  different  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  order  of  Foresters,  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
and  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars,  a 
temperance  organization  of  prominence.  He  has 
always  been  a  strong  temperance  man.  keeping  invio- 
late all  his  life  the  pledge  taken  when  a  lad  seven  or 
eight  years  old.  lie  has  been  presiding  officer  for 
several  terms,  first  of  the  Star  of  Hope  Lodge  of  Good 
Templars,  and  later  of  New  Covenant  Lodge,  to  which 
he  transferred  his  membership,  as  being  nearer  his 
home.  The  doctor  is  also  very  strongh'  opposed  to 
the  use  of  tobacco,  and  outspoken  in  denunciation  of 
the  habit.  Dr.  McWilliams  has  been  twice  married, 
first  at  Waupun,  Wis.,  to  Amelia  Mary  Hobkirk,  eldest 
daughter  of  William  Hobkirk,-  on  February  28,  1869. 
Three  children  were  the  result  of  this  union,  one  boy 
and  two  girls,  all  of  whom  are  dead.  The  boy,  Willie, 
died  October  3,  1870;  the  third  child,  Janet  Imri, 
July  23,  1880,  and  the  second  daughter  July  2,  1893, 
at  a  little  over  eighteen  years  of  age.  The  mother  of 
these  children  died  on  December  31,  1881.  His  second 
marriage  was  contracted  with  Bertha  Scheibel,. eldest 
daughter  of  Mr.  Frank  Scheibel,  of  Chicago,  and  took 
place  on  January  2,  1884.  Four  children  have  been 
born,  two  girls  and  two  boys,  all  of  whom  are  living, 
viz.:  Grace  Maud,  Estella  Margaret,  Samuel  Anderson 
and  Edwin  Frank. 

The  religious  affiliations  of  Dr.  McWilliams  are 
with  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
as  were  his  parents  and  maternal  relatives.  His 
mother,  a  woman  of  great  religious  devotion,  early 
directed  his  education  with  a  hope  that  he  would 
become  a  minister,  but  as  lie  approached  maturity,  the 
bickerings  he  witnessed  in  church  circles  led  him  to 
reject  the  sacred  calling.  Later,  he  was  advised  to 
become  a  lawyer,  but  chose  instead  the  more  humani- 
tarian and  beneficient,  if  less  remunerative,  calling  of 
the  physician.  In  politics  he  was  led,  while  listenino- 
to  the  speeches  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  and  noting  their  respective  followers,  to 
admire  the  principles  enunciated  by  the  former,  to 
which  he  has  remained  loyal  ever  since. 

In  personal  appearance  the  doctor  is  above  the 
average  height,  rather  slender,  of  average  weight,  with 
light  hair  and  expressive  blue  eyes,  and  of  a  generally 
attractive  appearance.  He  has  a  kindly,  genial  dis- 
position, a  warm  social  nature,  firm  convictions  of 
duty,  and  is  recognized  by  his  colleagues  as  an  earnest, 
conscientious  instructor  and  able  practitioner,  while 
all  his  acquaintances  esteem  him  as  agentleman,  whom 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  know. 


io6 


PROMINENT  MEK  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

HON.  WILLIAM   E.   MASON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  representative  men  of  Chicago,  whose 
positions  are  due  solely  to  their  own  efforts,  none 
deserves  more  honorable  mention  than  Williain  E. 
Mason.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Franklinville, 
Cattaraugus  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  7th  day  of  July, 
1850.  His  parents  were  Lewis  J.  and  Nancy  (Winslow) 
Mason,  his  father  being,  at  the  time  of  William's  birth, 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  He  was  a  man  of  high 
character  and  verv  active  in  politics,  and  in  his  early 
manhood  was  identified  with  the  abolitionists.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  he  became 
an  enthusiastic  member  of  that  body,  and  was  an 
ardent  adherent  of  John  C.  Fremont  for  the  presidency, 
in  1856. 

In  1858  the  family  removed  to  Bentonsport,  Iowa, 
and  lived  there  until  the  death  of  the  father  in  1865. 
William  was  thus,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  practically 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources  and  left  to  battle  with 
the  world.  He  had  received  the  rudiments  of  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Franklinville,  and 
later  at  Bentonsport.  He  had  also  studied  two  years 
at  Birmingham  College,  and  was  making  fair  progress 
in  the  way  of  a  liberal  education,  when  called  upon  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  This  shouldering  of 
the  responsibilities  of  life  developed  in  the  boy  a  self- 
reliance  and  strength  of  purpose  which  have  been  dis- 
tinguishing characterises  of  the  man.  He  began 
teaching  school  and  devoted  himself  alternately  to 
teaching  and  studying  until  1868.  During  the  next 
two  years  he  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Des 
Moines,  Iowa.  He  then  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Withrow,  an  eminent  cor- 
poration lawyer,  who  was,  soon  after  this  time,  ap- 
pointed general  solicitor  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
and  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  and  removed  to  Chi- 
cago. Our  subject  accompanied  him,  and  remained  in 
his  office  one  year,  when  he  b.egan  to  study  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  John  N.  Jewett,  where  he  finished  his 
preparation  for  admission  to  the  bar.  ". 

For  several  years  he  remained  in  the  office  of  his 
distinguished  preceptor,  leaving  it  to  form  a  partner- 
ship with  Judge  M.  R.  M.  Wallace,  in  1877.  He  soon 
became  known  as  a  good  lawyer  and  safe  counselor, 
and  especially  as  an  able  and  eloquent  advocate.  Upon 
separating  from  Judge  Wallace  he  became  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Mason  &  Ennis,  with  which  he 
is  still  associated. 

Mr.  Mason  has  always  been  a  staunch-Republican, 
and,  as  his  record  will  show.,  an  enthusiastic  and  effec- 
tive worker  in  the  interests  of  that  party.  Before  he 
was  thirty  years  of  age  he  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  Illinois,  and  in  1882  was  sent  to  the  State 
Senate  from  the  Ninth  Senatorial  District  of  Illinois. 
In  both  the  lower  house  and  the  senate  he  was  conspicu- 
ous for  his  ability,  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his 
constituency,  good  judgment  in  the  consideration  of 


proposed  legislation,  and  close  attention  to  business  at 
all  times. 

In  1888  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Third 
Congressional  District  of  Illinois,and  as  a  member  of  this 
popular  branch  of  the  national  legislature  won  honor 
for  himself  and  reflected  credit  upon  those  who  elected 
him  by  becoming,  in  a  comparatively  short  time,  one 
of  the  most  serviceable  members  of  that  body.  Possess- 
ing oratorical  powers  of  a  high  order,  a  ready  wit  and 
a  broad  knowledge  of  public  affairs,  he  distinguished 
himself  on  the  floor  of  the  house  on  numerous  occa- 
sions. He  was  noted  for  brevity,  conciseness  and 
pointed  ness  of  statement,  and  in  the  debate  on  the 
location  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  made 
the  following  five-minute  speech,  which  is  a  model  of 
its  kind,  and  for  which  he  was  highly  complimented  by 
all,  the  Speaker  (Mr.  Reed)  expressing  his  opinion  that 
it  was  the  best  five-minute  speech  he  had  ever  listened 
to: 

MR-.  SPKAKKR:  When  I  think  of  the  many  things 
that  could  be  said  in  favor  of  the  city  that  I  have  the 
honor,  in  part,  to  represent,  and  of  the  few  moments  in 
which  I  have  to  say  it,  I  feel  much  like  the  boy  who 
sat  down  on  the  inside  of  a  sugar  barrel  and  said,  "  Oh, 
for  time  and  a  thousand  tongues,  to  do  this  thing  jus- 
tice. (Laughter.) 

Five  minutes  in  which  to  speak  of  the- greatest  city 
in  the  world  !  I  wish  I  had  time  to  call  your  attention 
to  the  constitution  of  the  State  of  New  York ;  most  of 
you  have  read  that.  I  wish  I  had  time  to  refer  to  the 
eloquent  speech  of  the  gentleman  from  New  York  (Mr. 
Flower),  who  yesterday  told  us  about  the  display  that 
was  to  be  made  in  the  New  York  harbor,  and  of  the 
Italian  and  Spanish  ships  of  war.  I  would  like  to 
invite  him  and  my  colleagues  here  to  that  great  inland 
sea  on  which  rides  a  large  fleet,  for  there  are  more 
arrivals  and  clearances  in  the  port  of  Chicago  than  in 
anv  other  port  in  the  United  States  of  America,  not 
excluding  New  York;  more  tonnage  and  more  arrivals 
and  departures — not  a  fleet  of  war  but  a  fleet  of  peace, 
of  peaceful  commerce — commerce  between  American 
citizens,  the  profits  thereof  remaining  at  home. 

It  is  one  of  the  grandest  things  to  contemplate 
that  the  discovery  of  Christopher  Columbus  has  led  to 
the  development  on  this  soil  of  a  nation  resting  on  the 
principles  of  self-government,  a  nation  that  needs  no 
army  and  navy;  for  if  every  gun  we  have  were  spiked, 
and  every  ship  were  sunk,  no  nation  on  the  face  of 
God's  earth  would  dare  to  strike  a  blow  at  our  colors 
.  or  invade  our  soil  (applause).  We  cannot  invite  you 
to  see  a  fleet  of  war  ships,  but  we  invite  you  to  witness 
the  victories  of  peace,  greater  than  those  of  war.  You 
invite  us  to  see  the  Spanish  and  Italian  ships  of  war, 
not  a  color  of  which  from  any  mast  stands  for  human 
liberty;  we  invite  you  to  see  the  commercial  fleet  of 
peace* (larger  by  far  than  that),  manned  by  American 
citizens,  and  from  everv  mast  flying  the  colors  that  we 
love  (applause).  I  would  like  to  say  one  thing  further 
during  my  five  minutes,  and  that  is  all  I  ha've  to  say. 
My  brethren  on  the  other  side,  you  have  charged  the 
Republicans  on  this  side  of  the  house  with  most  unfair 
and  ungenerous  criticism  in  matters  of  politics.  The 
gentleman  from  Texas. (Mr.  Mills)  discussed  at  great 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


ICQ 


length  this  morning  the  fact  that  the  negro  has  a  right 
to  vote  in  the  South,  and  has  no  right  to  vote  in  the 
District  of  Columbia.  It  is  true  that  in  the  heat  of 
politics  we  indulge  in  things  of  that  kind.  But  is  it 
not  also  true  that  you  have  criticised  us,  and  have 
given  us  back,  with  interest,  what  we  gave  you? 

But  what  is  the  best  way  to  avoid  such  things?  How 
can  we  do  better  in  future  for  the  people  we  represent 
and  whose  prosperity  we  should  consider  from  a  united 
standpoint?  How  can  we  do  better  than  meet  upon 
common  ground,  at  that  great  central  city  of  Chicago, 
for  a  common  purpose?  Come  to  Chicago  in  1892.  my 
friends,  and  see  whether  our  hospitality  differs  from 
the  hospitality  for  which  you  are  so  justly  noted  in 
Georgia,  Kentucky  and  Mississippi.  Come,  I  say  and 
with  the  shoulder  touch,  let  us  march,  in  1892,  to  a 
better  understanding.  Come,  and  warm  your  hearts  at 
the  forges  of  the  North  as  we  melt  the  ores  of  the 
South,  and,  with  the  anvil  and  hammer  of  personal 
contact,  let  us  beat  out  a  better  friendship  for  the 
North  and  the  South  (applause).  Bring  your  looms 
from  New  England,  bring  your  cotton  from  the  South, 
weave  it  into  cloth  in  the  presence  of  the  world,  and 
into  the  web  and  woof  of  that  cloth  we  will  weave  a 
new  song  for  a  better  and  more  permanent  union  of 
the  States. 

Eighteen  .hundred  and  ninety-two  will  be  a  famous 
year,  my  friends, — famous  for  the  advancement  of  the 
arts  and  sciences,  famous  for  the  advancement  of  agricul- 
ture, famous  for  the  advancement  of  everything  that 
makes  us  great  and  glorious,  but,  better  still,  famous 
because  we  will  begin  to  tear  down  the  walls  that  have 
kept  us  apart;  famous  because  we  will  draw  the  North 
and  the  South  and  the  East  closer  and  nearer  and  more 
truly  together.  Drinking  from  the  same  fountain, 
drawing  our  inspiration  of  patriotism  from  a  common 
source,  we  will  not  be  confined  to  the  old  couplet : 

"  In  fourteen  hundred  and  ninety -two, 
Columbus  crossed  the  Ocean  blue," 

But  with  less  poetry  and  more  sentiment,  we  will  say  :     intelligent  children. 


"  In  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-two, 
We  will  unite  the  gray  and  blue." 


(Loud  applause.) 

Mr.  Mason  is  a  man  of  the  people,  and  from  exper- 
ience knows  their  needs,  their  hopes  and  their  ambi- 
tions, and  enters  heartily  into  any  movement  calculated 
to  better  their  condition.  Personally,  Mr.  Mason  was 
one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  Congress,  being  under 
all  circumstances  a  most  genial  and  affable  gentleman. 
The  courtesy  which  has  characterized  "him  in  his  polit- 
ical and  social  life  has  won  for  him,  in  addition  to  the 
respect  and  admiration  which  men  of  genuine  ability 
always  command,  the  kindly  regard  of  his  associates. 
In  the  presidential  campaigns  of  1888  and  1892,  Mr. 
Mason  became  widely  known  as  an  effective  and  con- 
vincing political  speaker,  and  in  the  campaigns  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  Mass- 
achusetts, Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  in  which  he  partici- 
pated, he  won  renown  as  a  campaign  orator  who  sel- 
dom failed  to  carry  conviction  to  the  minds  of  his 
auditors. 

Since  Mr.  Mason's  retirement  from  public  life  he 
has  again  entered  into  the  practice  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession, and  the  sturdy  stock  of  his  ancestors  is  attested 
by  the  analytical  mind,  executive  ability  and  great 
legal  acumen  of  one  of  the  most  illustrious  of  his 
family. 

In  1873,  about  the  time  he  completed  his  law 
studies,  Mr.  Mason  was  married  to  Miss  Edith  Julia 
White,  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Mr.  George 
White,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and 
now,  twenty  years  after  their  marriage,  they  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  beautiful  family  of  seven  bright  and 


DR.  NATHAN  S.  DAVIS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DR.  N.  S.  DAVIS,  son  of  Dow  Davis  and  Eleanor 
(Smith)  Davis,  was  born  at  Greene,  Chenango 
county,  N.  Y.,  in  1817.  He  received  his  medical 
education  in  Fairfield,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  or  in  1837,  we  find  him  a  practicing  physician 
at  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  Nine  years  later  he  removed  to 
New  York  city,  and  was  soon  made  lecturer  on  medical 
jurisprudence  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons. It  was  in  1849  that  he  came  to  Chicago,  for  in 
that  year  the  faculty  of  Rush  Medical  College  offered 
him  the  chair  of  physiology  and  pathology,  which  he 
accepted.  The  year  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago  he 
lectured  upon  city  sanitation,  and  the  plans  he  sug- 
gested for  the  water  supply  and  the  sewerage  system 
were  those  which  were  afterwards  practically  adopted 
by  the  city.  Dr.  Davis  is.  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Washingtonian  Home;  one  of  the  first  movers  in  the 
origin  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society ;  a  member  of 


the  board  of  Reform  School  commissioners,  and  one  of 
the  earliest  trustees  of  the  Northwestern  University. 

He  took  an  early  interest  in  the  Chicago  Medical 
College,  and  was  a  large  factor  in  the  founding  of  that 
institution,  being  a  member  of  its  first  faculty,  and  to 
his  efforts  may  be  partly  traced  the  existence  of  the 
Mercy  Hospital.  The  money  he  made  from  his  first 
public  lecture  was  given  toward  paying  for  one  of  the 
first  twelve  beds  given  to  the  Illinois  General  Hospital 
of  the  Lake,  which  afterwards  became  the  Mercy.  Dr. 
Davis  is  the  founder  of  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, and  whenever  that  important  body  meets  Dr. 
Davis'  name  is  more  honored  than  all  the  rest.  The 
idea  of  forming  the  association  originally  occurred  to 
him  in  1846,  when  even  then  Dr.  Davis  was  a  noted 
physician.  To  have  seen  the  association  grow  into  its 
present  greatness  is  a  reward  the  like  of  which  is  given 
to  few  founders  of  institutions. 


I  IO 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Dr.  Davis  has  been  a  member  of   the  Methodist 
church  since   his   sixteenth    year,   and    is   an  uncom- 


Jr.j  who  has  also  become  a  prominent  physician   and 
has  an  office  with  his  father.     Dr.  Davis  has  been  an 


promising  advocate  of  temperance.     In  1838  he  was     untiring  worker  since  his  early  youth,  and   his  name 


married  to  Miss  Anna  Maria  Parker,  daughter  of  John 
Parker  of  Vienna,  N.  Y.     Three  children  have  blessed 


has  become  well  known  through  his  great  ability   in 
medical  science.     It  is  safe  to  say  that  every  physician 


this  union — one  only  now  living,  viz.,  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis,     in  America  knows  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  of  Chicago. 


CHARLES  HENRY  FARGO, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


/"MIARLES  HENRY  FARGO,  son  of  Samuel  and 
V_^  Eliza  (Buell)  Fargo,  was  born  at  South  Tyringham, 
Berkshire  count}',  Mass.,  on  the  9th  day  of  November, 
1824.  His  father,  Samuel  Fargo,  was  a  merchant  at 
South  Tyringham,  and,  considering  the  times  and  size  of 
the  town,  had  a  magnificent  business  in  general 
merchandise;  and  it  was  in  this  store,  where,  from  an 
early  age.  he  helped  his  father,  that  young  Charles 
first  acquired  the  knowledge  of  mercantile  affairs, 
which  was  afterwards  so  valuable  to  him. 

He  first  entered  the  store  at  the  age  of  twelve 
and  from  that  time  on  until  he  was  eighteen  was  there 
continuously,  excepting  the  time  spent  in  attending  the 
public  schools.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered 
Westfield  Academy  with  the  intention  of  becoming  a 
physician,  but  remained  only  a  short  time,  it  becoming 
necessary  for  him  to  return  home  to  help  hip  father  in 
the  store,  of  which  he,  but  a  short  time  afterwards, 
tooklalmost  entire  charge.  Though  thus  compelled  to 
give  up  all  thoughts  of  the  profession  of  his  choice, 
it  was  largely  through  this  training  that  he  acquired 
the  valuable  knowledge  that  has  contributed  so  largely 
to  the  success  since  achieved.  Upon  attaining  his 
majority,  young  Fargo  was  admitted  to  partnership 
with  his  father  and  continued  as  such  for  two  years, 
when  he  went  to  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  and  engaged 
in  the  general  merchandise  business  as  junior  partner 
in  the  firm  of  Buell  &  Fargo,  the  firm  afterwards  being 
known  as  Fargo,  Gibbs  &  Lawrence.  Mr.  Fargo 
entered  into  this  business  with  the  same  push  and 
energy  that  has  been  characteristic  of  him  throughout 
his  entire  career,  the  result  being  that  in  a  short  time 
his  firm  had  become  the  leading  one  in  that  place,  and 
handled  the  largest  trade  in  that  city.  He  remained 
in  Great  Barrington  until  the  winter  of  1855,  when 
he  sold  his  interests  and  pushed  out  for  the  We'st, 
locating  in  Chicago,  in  which  place  he  made  his  home, 
and  where  he  has  built  up  the  magnificent  business 
that  has  made  the  name  of  Charles  II.  Fargo 
known  in  every  place  in  the  country  where  shoes  are 
worn. 

From  the  time  that  he  began  business  in  the  East, 
Mr.  Fargo  was  determined  to  be  thoroughly  informed 
in  regard  to  the  various  lines  of  goods  in  which  lie 
dealt,  and  finding  this  impossible  with  so  many  kinds 
as  were  represented  in  a  general  country  store,  he 


came  to  Chicago  intending  to  devote  himself  hence- 
forth to  one  branch  and  to  push  that  branch  to  the 
highest  point  of  success.  The  boot  and  shoe  business 
being  one  of  the  most  important  lines,  he  selected  it 
as  the  business  of  his  life.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he 
opened  a  boot  and  shoe  store  on  Soutli  Water  street, 
in  the  Laflin  Block,  with  two  other  gentlemen  as 
associates.  For  the  first  year  the  firm  was  known  as 
Bill,  Fargo  &  Kellogg,  after  which  it  was  Fargo  «fe 
Bill  for  five  years,  then  until  1870,  it  was  Fargo,  Fales 
&  Co.  and  since  that  time  it  has  been  C.  H.  Fargo  & 
Co.  During  this  entire  time,  Mr.  Fargo  had  never 
allowed  his  attention  to  become  engaged  bv  any  other 
business,  but  devoted  his  entire  energies  to  the  develop- 
ment of  his  chosen  line. 

• 

In  1859  he  commenced  to  manufacture,  in  a  small 
way.  the  best  grades  of  heavy  goods  handled  by  him, 
thus  coming  into  direct  competition  with  the  manu- 
facturers of  the  East,  who  had  heretofore  had  a 
monopoly  of  the  business.  He  created  the  first 
demand  for  western'  made  goods,  and  thereby 
compelled  other  boot  and  shoe  houses  doing  business 
in  Chicago  to  commence  manufacturing  also,  in  order 
to  retain  their  western  trade.  It  can,  therefore,  be 
said,  with  truthfulness,  that  to  Charles  H.  Fargo  and 
his  busines  associates  is  due  the  entire  credit  of 
inaugurating,  in  Chicago,  this  great  industry.  They 
constitute  the  oldest  house  in  Chicago  now  in  business 
in  their  line.  From  the  first  the  advance  of  the  firm 
has  been  rapid,  and  it  has  risen  steady  in  wealth  and 
public  confidence,  until  at  the  present  it  ranks  second 
to  no  firm  not  only  in  the  West,  but  in  the  entire 
country.  In  1870  this  firm  manufactured  about  20  per 
cent,  of  the  goods  sold  by  them,  but  this  percentage 
has  increased  year  by  year,  and  now  over  60  per  cent, 
of  the  goods  sold  by  them  are  of  their  own  make. 

When  the  great  fire  occurred,  in  1871,  the  firm  was 
on  Randolph  street,  near  Wabash  avenue,  and,  not- 
withstanding the  excitement  of  the  time,  the}7  suc- 
ceeded in  removing  about  sl.5,000  worth  of  their  stock 
from  the  burned  district  and  down  to  Mr.  Fargo's 
private  residence,  where  they  were  read}',  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  to  fill  orders  for  goods.  The  balance 
of  the  stock,  worth  about  $150,000,  was  a  complete 
loss,  on  which  was,  however,  recovered  about  60  per 
cent,  of  the  insurance. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


I  II 


Tlie  firm,  though  enterprising,  has  always  been 
conservative  in  its  ventures,  and,  during  the  critical 
times  experienced  in  all  lines  of  business  at  the  begin- 
ing  of  the  civil  war,  it  was  obliged  to  exercise  great 
care  in  making  each  venture,  but,  by  treading  care- 
fully and  on  sure  ground,  it  rapidly  (though  cau- 
tiously) widened  its  field  of  operations  and  improved 
its  facilities  for  manufacturing.  The  results  of  Mr. 
Fargo's  confining  himself  to  one  line  of  business  are 
clearly  apparent,  and  the  great  proficiency  and  wide 
experience  gained  by  him  in  his  many  years  of  active 
business  life  were  appropriately  recognized  by  the 
Boot  and  Shoe  Manufacturers  Association,  when  that 
bodv  elected  him  as  its  president. 

The  same  consideration  that  led  him  to  devote  him- 
self to  one  business  line  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others 
forbade  his  taking  any  active  part  in  politics;  all  his 
energies  were  devoted  to  the  perfection  of  his  manu- 
facturing facilities,  always  striving  to  bring  each 
department  up  to  the  highest  state  of  perfection. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  1848,  Mr.  Fargo  was 
married  to  Miss  Eveline  Sweet,  daughter  of  J.  W. 
Sweet,  Esq.,  of  Tyringham,  Mass.  For  twenty-three 
years  she  was  the  loving  companion  of  his  joys  and 
sorrows,  and,  then,  passing  away,  left  three  sons,  (the 
fourth,  Fred  L..  having  died  in  childhood)  to  help  their 
father  bear  his  great  loss. 

In  his  earlier  years,  Mr.  Fargo  was  of  rather  slight 
build  and  not  as  strong  as  might  be  wished,  but,  with 
his  forty-fifth  year,  his  general  health  began  to 
improve  materially,  and,  from  that  time  to  the  last 
few  months  of  his  life,  he  enjoyed  continued  good 
health,  and  he  was,  during  this  period  of  his  life,  wont 
to  remark  that  he  was  the  youngest  man  in  the 
family. 

Socially  he  was  very  popular,  especially  so  with 
ladies,  always  having  a  smile  and  a  pleasant  greeting 
for  his  friends  and  acquaintances  whether  at  home  or 
abroad,  and  was  equally  sought  after  by  old  and  young, 
all  alike  recognizing  his  congeniality.  His  will  power 
was  great,  and  this,  coupled  with  his  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  his  business  in  every  branch,  helped  him  not  a 
little  in  building  up  and  directing  his  great  establish- 
ment with  the  remarkable  success  that  attended  it 
from  the  very  beginning.  In  the  Fall  of  1890  he  was 
attacked  by  the  malady  la  grippe,  and  though  he 
seemed  to  recover  from  it  he  experienced  another  at 
tack  a  year  later  and  on  the  26th  of  December,  it  de- 
veloped into  pneumonia.  His  condition  became  so 
critical  that  his  son,  Frank  M.  was  sent  for  and  hastened 
home  from  Denver.  He  found  his  father  improved 
somewhat,  which  improvement  continued  throughout 
January,  and  early  in  Febuary  he  felt  able  to  travel 
and  with  his  youngest  son  started  South.  They 
stopped  for  a  time  at  Jacksonville,  Florida,  and 
then  went  further  South  to  Leesburgh,  where  thev 
found  comfortable  and  pleasant  quarters  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Walter  Mclntyre,  who  were  old  friends  of  the 
family.  Here  Mr.  Fargo  failed  to  improve  as  much  as 
he  had  expected  and  his  son,  F.  M.  Fargo,  joined  him  at 


Leesburgh,  to  aid  his  brother  in  determining  upon  what 
had  best  be  done.  For  a  short  time  he  seemed  to  be 
getting  better,  but  the  improvement  was  only  tempor- 
ary: for  on  the  29th  of  March  he  took  a  sudden  turn 
for  the  worse  and  his  eldest  son  was  hurriedly  sent  for, 
but  reached  Leesburgh  too  .late,  his  father  having 
passed  away  between  11  o'clock  and  midnight  on  the 
29th  of  March,  1892. 

While  not  a  member  of  any  denominational  body, 
Mr.  Fargo  was  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Chicago,  and  a  quiet,  unostentatious 
Christian,  who  did  all  that  lay  in  his  power  to 
help  those  in  need,  with  either  his  monev  or  his 
advice. 

To  each  of  his  sons  he  gave  a  good  education  and 
then  took  them  into  his  business.  The  eldest,  Charles 
E.,  was  six  years  of  age  when  his  father  came  to  Chi- 
cago, and  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools,  afterwards  attending  the  Chicago  University 
and  completing  his  education  at  Williams  College.  He 
entered  his  father's  business  in  1871  and  was  elected 
president  of  the  company  in  1892  to  succeed  his  father, 
who  had  been  president  of  the  company  since  its  incor- 
poration in  1889. 

Frank  M.  Fargo  was  born  in  Chicago  in  1859.  He 
too,  attended  the  public  schools  of  Chicago,  was  pre- 
pared for  College  at  Adams  Academy,  Quincy,  Mass., 
and  entered  Yale  College,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1881.  He  had  quite  an  extended  tour  through 
Europe  with  his  father  in  the  summer  of  1879,  and  in 
the  summer  of  1881  he  entered  the  employ  of  C.  H. 
Fargo  and  Company,  and  was  admitted  to  partnership 
two  years  later.  He  is  now  vice-president  and  treasurer 
of  the  company. 

Edward  A.  Fargo,  the  third  son,  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago in  1865.  He  also  attended  the  public  schools, 
was  prepared  for  college  at  Adams  Academy,  and 
entered  Harvard  College  in  188i.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  spent  some  time  in  special  study  at  Paris,  and 
in  1886  made  a  tour  through  Europe  with  his  father, 
visiting  among  other  places  the  "  land  of  the  midnight 
sun."  After  his  return  home  he,  too,  entered  the 
employ  of  his  father's  firm,  and  is  now  secretary  of 
the  company.  Thus  did  Charles  H.  Fargo  rear  his 
sons.  After  giving  them  the  best  educational  advan- 
tages that  the  country  affords,  he  took  them  into  his 
own  business,  and  by  precept  and  example  has  made  of 
them  safe,  conservative  business  men,  progressive  to  a 
marked  degree,  and  to  day  classed  among  Chicago's 
most  valued  citizens.  With  such  training  and  such  an 
example  they  may  be  safely  trusted  to  climb  still  higher 
up  the  pathway  marked  out  for  them,  by  him  who 
planted  the  seed -and  under  whose  fostering  care  the 
tiny  business  plant  has  become  a  vigorous  tree. 

Mr.  Fargo  \vas  a  man  of  cheerful  disposition,  sound 
judgment,  and  the  strictest  integrity.  Ambitious  and 
hopeful  bv  nature,  he  maintained  a  steady  perseverance 
through  all  obstacles, and  as  the  word  "  fail"  had  been 
early  stricken  from  his  vocabulary,  he  met  difficulties 
bravely  and  firmly,  and  in  almost  every  case  compelled 


I  12 


PKOM1NENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


success.  Although  an  earnest  business  man,  devoting 
his  whole  daily  time  and  attention  to  the  further 
development  of  his  business,  he  never  allowed  the  pur- 
suit of  wealth  to  warp  his  kindly  nature,  but  preserved 
his  faculties  for  intellectual  enjoyment  and  the  warmth 


of  his  heart,  being  to  the  end  of  his  life  a  kindly,  genial, 
and  friendly  gentlemen  with  whom  it  was  a  pleasure  to 
meet  and  converse,  and  dying  left  behind  a  large  circle 
of  friends  who  loved  and  esteemed  him  for  his  worth 
of  character. 


LEMUEL  CONANT  GROSVENOR,   M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


LEMUEL  Conant  Grosvenor,  the  eldest  son  of  Dea- 
con Silas  N.  and  Mary  A.  (Conant)  Grosvenor,  was 
born  at  Paxton,  Mass.,  in  1833.  His  father  was 
a  leading  business  man  of  Paxton.  His  mother  was 
the  daughter  of  the  Kev.  Gaius  Conant  who,  for  twenty- 
five  vears  was  the  pastor  of  the  Paxton  Congregational 
Church.  She  was  a  woman  of  rare  piety  and-great  strength 
of  character,  sparing  no  pains  in  educating  her  children 
in  the  ways  of  right  and  virtue.  It  was  her  special  de- 
sire that  her  eldest  son  should  follow  in  the  steps  of  his 
eminent  grandfather,  between  whom  and  the  son  there 
existed  a  strong  attachment.  This,  however,  was  not  to 
be,  the  bent  of  the  boy's  mind  being  in  another  direction, 
and,  true  to  his  instincts,  he  decided  to  fit  himself  for 
the  practice  of  medicine. 

Prior  to  his  thirteenth  year,  young  Grosvenor  atten- 
ded the  Williston  Seminary,  at  East  Hampton,  Mass., 
but,  upon  the  removal  of  his  family  to  Worcester,  in 
1864,  he  entered  the  high  school  in  that  city,  where  he 
remained  for  four  years.  Here  he  was  especially  active 
in  the  literary  societ\T  and  developed  that  taste  and  ta- 
lents for  public  speaking  and  literary  pursuits  that  have 
so  signally  marked  his  subsequent  career. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  his  parents  moved  to  Sauk 
county,  Wisconsin,  an  event  \>  hich  had  much  to.  do 
with  shaping  the  subsequent  course  of  his  life.  Soon 
after  settling  in  Wisconsin  he  taught  the  first  winter 
school  held  at  West  Point,  Columbia  county,  and  here  at- 
tained  great  success  as  a  teacher,  following  the  pioneer 
custom  of  boarding  around  among  his  pupils.  For  this 
winter's  work  he  received  $60  in  gold,  an  amount 
which  to  him  seemed  a  small  fortune.  At  the  end  of 
the  winter's  school  term,  he  obtained  his  father's  con- 
sent, still  being  in  his  minority,  and  started  off  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world,  with  a  pack  on  his  back,  walk, 
ing  100  miles  to  Milwaukee,  and  from  thence  going  to 
Worcester,  his  old  home.  He  re-entered  the  high 
school  and  pursued  a  course  in  higher  mathematics,  sup- 
porting himself  by  manual  labor,  afterwards  by  teach- 
ing school  in  the  evenings.  In  this  way  his  time  was 
fully  occupied,  until  the  following  winter,  1849,  when 
heentered  in  earnest  upon  his  life  as  a  teacher,  continuing 
in  it  for  ten  yeirs.  He  taught  in  the  district  school  of 
Scituate,  then  in  a  select  school  at  Rutland,  the  Union 
High  School  at  Scituate  Harbor,  from  which  position 
he  was  called  to  the  principal  ship  of  the  South  Iling- 
ham  Grammar  School.  After  two  successful  years  there, 


he  received  the  appointment  as  head  master  of  the  old 
Mather  School,  in  Dorchester,  the  oldest  free  school  in 
America. 

He  held  this  position  seven  years,  during  which  time 
he  was  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Instruc- 
tion, and  for  three  years  secretary  of  the  Massachusetts 
State  Teachers'  Association.  It  was  while  here  that  he 
made  it  his  fixed  purpose  to  devote  the  rest  of  his  life 
to  the  study  of  medicine,  it  having  for  him  a  peculiar 
fascination. 

In  order  to  fully  prepare  himself  for  his  chosen 
profession,  he  declined  an  invitation  to  a  chair  in  the 
Brooklyn  Polytechnic  School,  and  returned  to  the 
West,  where  he  pursued  his  medical  studies,  graduating 
at  the  Cleveland  Medical  College,,  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.,  in  1864.  He  was  then  thirty-one  years  of  age, 
and  soon  opened  his  first  office  for  practice  at  Peoria, 
111., 'remaining  there  three  years.  When  fairly  estab- 
lished he  again  went  East,  and  married  Miss  Ellen  M. 
Prouty,  of  Dorchester,  Mass..  a  daughter  of  Lorenzo 
Prouty,  and  grand-daughter  of  David  A.  Prouty, 
inventor  of  the  first  iron  plow  ever  made.  Her  mater- 
nal grandfather  was  John  Mears,  Sr,  the  inventor  of 
the  center-draft  plow,  which  was  awarded  the  first 
premium  at  the  World's  Fair,  at  London,  England. 
All  her  immediate  ancestors  were  noted  agriculturists, 
and  members  of  the  old  firm  of  Prouty  and  Mears. 
Mrs.  Grosvenor,  a  decided  brunette,  was  not  only  a 
woman  of  great  personal  beauty,  but  had.  coupled 
with  this,  those  womanly  graces  and  virtues  that  go  to 
make  up  the  model  wife  and  mother.  She  died  in 
1874,  leaving  two  sons,  Lorenzo  N.  and  Wallace  F., 
and  one  daughter,  Nellie. 

From  Peoria,  Dr.  Grosvenor  went  to  Galesburg, 
111.,  and  built  up  an  extensive  practice  there  among 
the  wealthy  families  of  that  prosperous  city.  In  1870, 
however,  desiring  a  broader  field  for  operation,  he  took 
up  his  residence  in  Chicago,  where  he  found  ample  op- 
portunity for  the  exercise  of  his  abilities.  In  1S71  lie 
was  the  only  physician  in  his  neighborhood  on  the 
North  Side  whose  house  was  not  burned,  it  being  left 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  fire  line,  and  at  that  dreadful 
time  he  rendered  to  the  suffering  and  destitute  people, 
services  that  demand  a  lasting  gratitude.  Day  and 
night,  without  thought  of  remuneration,  he  ministered 
to  those  whose  homes  had  been  swept  away  by  the  flood 
of  flames  that  had  passed  over  the  city,  and  who  were 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


suffering  from  exposure  and  the  nervous  strain  incident 
to  that  terrible  ordeal.  Through  his  personal  efforts, 
many  needy  and  'suffering  ones  were  placed  within 
what  improvised  shelter  could  be  hastily  constructed, 
in  tents,  in  school  houses,  meeting  houses,  police  sta- 
tions' or  wherever  (he  necessary  cover  could  be  found 
from  the  inclement  elements.  He  would  daily  go  his 
round  of  patients,  and  was  compelled  to  pick  his  way 
through  the  blackened  debris  and  broad  fields  of  ruin, 
which,  while  the  sight  was  one  of  a  melancholy 
grandeur  seen  by  few,  was  to  the  pedestrian  and 
citizen  at  once  inconvenient  and  agonizing.  The  task 
undertaken  by  him  was  truly  Herculean,  and,  had  it 
not  been  for  his  magnificent  physique,  forceful  will 
power  and  determination,  he  would  have  been  over- 
powered by  that  great  strain  upon  his  mental  and 
physical  forces.  The  memory  of  his  good  work  will 
live  long  in  the  memory  of  the  many  who  were  subjects 
of  philanthropic  aid,  and  the  account  of  his  deeds  of 
heroic  kindness  during  that  period  of  demoralization 
would  well  fill  a  large  volume. 

From  the  time  Dr.  Grosvenor  established  himself 
in  Chicago,  he  was  freely  given  the  confidence  of  the 
people,  and  he  was  regarded  as  one'of  Chicago's  most 
meritorious  physicians.  His  superior  abilities  were  also 
recognized  b}7  his  professional  colleagues,  and  when  the 
new  Chicago  Homoeopathic  College  was  com  pleted  a  new 
chair  of  sanitary  science  was  created  for  him,  it  being 
the  first  full  professorship  in  that  department  create^ 
by  any  college,  and  it  may  be  well  said  of  Dr.  Grosve- 
nor that  he  was  the  pioneer  in  that  department  of 
medical  science,  which  is  to-day  considered  the  most  es- 
sential and  the  underlying  principle  of  modern  hygiene.  • 
He,  with  characteristic  force  has  brought  the  result  of 
many  years  careful  research  and  study  into  sanitary 
subjects  before  the  colleges  of  the  country,  by  virtue  of 
his  appointment  as  professor  of  that  subject  in  the 
college  where  the  department  had  been  especiallv  cre- 
ated for  him,  and  when  it  is  remembered  that  no  com- 
plete college  is  to-day  without  that  chair,  we  can  real- 
ize the  importance  of  the  achievement  of  Dr.  Grosve- 
nor. Hi  lectures  on  sanitary  science  of  the  home,  the 
sick  room,  the  lying-in-room,  and  especiallv  those  on 
infant  hygiene  and  sanitary  and  hygienic  conditions 
of  maternity,  have  won  for  him  world-wide  renown. 
Mothers  credit  him  with  having  done  more  to  alleviate 
the  sufferings  of  infant  life  and  to  reduce  the  drudgery 
of  motherhood,  than  has  been  accomplished  by  any 
other  man.  The  "Gertrude  suit,"  an  invention  which 
takes  the  place  of  the  old  method  of  swaddling  the 
babies,  which  mothers  all  over  the  world  are  just  now 
praising  without  stint,  and  which  the  most  dignified 
medical  journals  have  thought  it  worth  their  while  to 
commend,  originated  with  this  well-known  Chicago 
physician  and  his  amiable  wife,  who  takes  a  deep  inter- 
est in  matters  pertaining  to  her  husband's  practice. 
This  emancipation  dress  is  not  only  popular  at  home, 
but  has  also  found  a  warm  welcome  even  in  England, 


"5 

Australia,  India  and  South  Africa,  and  is  highly   com- 
mended in  the  medical  journals  of  the  continent. 

For  twenty-two  years,  Dr.  Grosvenor  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  and  has  three  times  been  elected  its  president. 
He  was  for  three  years  president  of  the  American 
Paedological  Society,  and  for  many  years  has  been 
connected  with  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy. 
He  excels  as  a  speaker,  and  his  public  lecture's  and 
parlor  conversations  are  highly  prized.  His  diction  is 
simple,  pure  and  concise ;  his  style  fluent,  his  manner 
graceful  and  his  thought  and  argument  convincing. 
He  has  always  taken  the  deepest  interest  in  voung 
people,  and  has  delivered  several  lectures  for  their 
benefit,  among  which  may  be  mentioned:  "Our  Boys," 
"Value  of  a  Purpose,"  "Stimulants  and  Narcotics," 
'•Our  Girls,"  "Koses  without  Cosmetics,"  and  enjoys 
nothing  more  than  his  class  lectures,  because  of  their 
helpfulness  to  young  men.  He  is  a  man  of  sanguine 
temperament,  exalted  hope,  and  never  recognizes  the 
possibility  of  failure.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Lincoln  Park  Congregational  church,  and  was  for 
several  years  president  of  its  board  of  trustees.  He  is 
also  a  charter  member  of  the  Congregational  Club.  In 
political  sentiment  he  is  a  Republican,  believing  firmly 
in  the  principles  expounded  and  championed  bv  that 
party. 

Three  years  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  the 
doctor  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Naomi 
Josephine  Bassett,  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  a  highjy  educated 
lady,  with  unusual  literary  tastes  and  talents,  and  many 
charming  accomplishments,  and  withal,  a  rare  good 
sense  and  Christian  virtues.  There  has  been  born  to 
this  marriage  four  children,  of  whom  two,  Inez  and 
Gertrude,  died,  at  the  age  of  two  and  three  vears 
respectively.  The  two  surviving  ones,  David  and  Lucy 
Ella,  the  former  now  in  his  12th  year,  and  the  latter  in 
her  10th,  are  two  beautiful  and  interesting  children, 
and  add  their  sweet  influence  to  the  home  of  the  doctor 
and  his  wife. 

The  eldest  son,  Dr.  Lorenzo  N.  Grosvenor,  born  at 
Galesburg,  in  1868,  received  his  preliminary  education 
in  the  schools  of  Chicago,  attending  the  Chicago  High 
School,  and  afterwards  Oberlin  College.  He  then 
pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the  Chicago  Homeopathic 
College,  and  graduating  in  18S9,  took  a  post-graduate- 
course  in  1892,  and  is  now  practicing  in  Edgewater,  a 
beautiful  suburb  of  Chicago.  He  is  a  young  man  of 
high  character,  scholarly  and  refined.  The  second  son, 
Wallace  F.  Grosvenor,  born  at  Galesburg,  January  4, 
1870,  graduated  in  the  class  of  '92  from  Oberlin 
College,  and  also  is  a  matriculate  of  the  Chicago 
Homeopathic  Medical  Coliege.  Ho  is  a  young  man  of 
much  promise,  and  in  scholarship  ranks  among  the  first 
in  his  class,  whose  honors  he  carried  off  in  the  sopho- 
more year.  He  is  now,  1894,  in  the  third  year  of 
his  studies  in  the  Chicago  Homeopathic  Medical 


College. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WF.ST, 


PROFESSOR   ELISHA  GRAY, 

HIGHLAND  PARK,  ILLINOIS. 


PEOF.  ELISHA  GRAY,  son  of  David  and  Christina 
(Edgarton)  Gray,  was  born  near  Barnesville, 
Belmont  count}',  O.,  August  2,  1835.  His  father, 
David  Gray,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry,  and  his  mother  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  of  English  descent.  His  parents  were 
Quakers,  living  on  a  farm,  in  what  is  termed  in  rural 
communities,  moderate  circumstances.  When  young 
Gray  was  but  twelve  years  of  age,  he  had  received 
three  or  four  years  of  district  schooling  and  the  usual 
industrial  training  given  to  farmers'  lads  of  his  age 
and  condition  of  life. 

Over  forty  years  ago  his  father  died,  leaving  Elisha 
in  a  large  measure  dependent  upon  his  own  resources 
for  a  living.  When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  appren- 
ticed himself  to  a  blacksmith,  and  partly  mastered 
that  trade,  but  his  strength  being  greatly  over-taxed, 
he  was  forced  to  give  it  up  and  joined  his  mother,  who 
had  removed  to  Brownsville,  Pa.  Here  he  entered  the 
employ  of  a  boatbuilder,  serving  three  and  a  half  years' 
apprenticeship,  learning  the  trade  of  ship-joiner.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  he  was  a  first-class  mechanic,  and 
began  to  give  evidence  of  his  inventive  genius.  He 
was  handicapped,  however,  by  the  meagerness  of  his 
education,  and  was  little  more  than  able  to  experiment 
with  the  simplest  contrivances.  The  testimony  of  orte 
who  knew  him  intimately  at  this  time,  however,  indi- 
cates that  he  had  a  consciousness  of  his  own  resources, 
and  was  of  the  belief  that  nature  had  destined  him  to 
accomplish  some  important  work  in  life.  He  had  a 
great  desire  to  acquire  that  fundamental  knowledge 
which  would  open  for  him  the  way  to  intelligent 
research,  investigation  and  ultimate  achievements. 

While  working  as  an  apprentice  he  formed  th'e 
acquaintance  of  Professor  II.  S.  Bennett — now  of  Fisk 
University — then  a  student  at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio, 
from  whom  he  learned  that  at  that  institution  excep- 
tional opportunities  were  afforded  to  students  for  self- 
education,  and  immediately  after  he  had  completed  his 
term  of  service  he  set  out  for  the  college  with  barely 
enough  money  in  his  possession  to  carry  him  to  his 
destination.  He  arrived  in  Oberlin  jn  the  summer  of 
1857,  at  once  going  to  work  as  a  carpenter,  and  sup- 
ported himself  by  this  means  during  a  five-year's 
course  of  study  in  the  college.  As  a  student,  he  gave 
special  attention  to  the  physical  sciences,  in  which  he 
was  exceptionally  proficient,  his  ingenuity  being 
strikingly  manifested  from  time  to  time  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  apparatus  used  in  the  class  room 
experiments,  his  cleverness  in  constructing  these  various 
appliances  making  him  a  conspicuous  character  among 
the  students.  While  pursuing  his  cbllege1  course  he 
was  not  fully  decided  as  to  what  profession  he  would 
take  up,  and  at  one  time  is  said  to  have  contemplated 
entering  the  ministry,  finally  deciding,  however,  not 
to  do  so.  Perhaps  the  course  of  his  life  was  decided 


by  a  remark  of  the  mother  of  the  young  lady  who 
afterwards  became  his  wife,  though  said  in  a  joking 
spirit,  to  the  effect  that  it  would  be  "a  pity  to  spoil 
a  good  mechanic  to  make  a  poor  minister."  In  fact, 
to  this  casual  remark  the  now  famous  inventor  has 
declared  himself  to  be,  in  a  great  measure,  indebted 
for  what  he  has  since  accomplished.  Trulv,  the 
worthy  lady  must  have  been  of  a  sound  and  discrimi- 
nating judgment,  to  discover  the  hidden  worth  of  the 
young  man  and  she  doubtless,  more  than  anyone  else 
in  his  earlier  days,  fanned  the  latent  sparks  of  genius 
into  the  flame  which,  in  later  days,  revealed  to  his 
brain  the  contrivances  which  have  made  his  name 
famous  and  which  have  proved  of  inestimable  value  to 
civilization. 

From  1857  to  1861,  the  professor  devoted  himself 
to  unremitting  toil  and  study,  and  the  result  was  that 
his  naturally  delicate  constitution  was  impaired  by  the 
great  strain  upon  his  mental  powers.  In  1861,  just 
when  the  future  was  brightening  with  promise  of  suc- 
cess crowning  his  arduous  labor,  and  when  he  thought 
his  days  of  struggling  were  past,  he  was  stricken  with 
an  illness  from  which  he  did  not  recover  for  five  years 
After  his  marriage,  in  1862,  to  Miss  Delia  M.  Sheppard, 
of  Oberlin,  and,  with  a  view  to  the  betterment  of  his 
health,  Mr.  Gray  devoted  himself  for  a  time  to  farming 
as  an  occupation.  This  experience  was  disappointing, 
both  in  its  financial  results  and  in  its  effects  upon  his 
health,  and  he  returned  to  his  trade,  working  in  Trum- 
bull  county,  Ohio,  until  he  was  again  prostrated  by  a 
serious  illness.  Following  this  came  two  or  three  years 
of  struggle  and  privation;  of  alternate  hope  and  disap- 
pointment, during  which  he  experimented  with  various 
mechanical  and  electrical  devices,  but  was  prevented 
by  his  straightened  circumstances  from  making  any 
headway  in  profitable  invention.  Pressed  by  his 
necessities,  he  was  once  or  twice  on  the  point  of  giving 
up  his  researches  and  investigations  entirely  and  devot- 
ing himself  to  some  ordinary  bread-winning  industry; 
but  he  was  stimulated  by  his  faithful  and  devoted  wife 
and  her  mother,  both  of  whom  had  an  abiding  faith  in 
his  genius,  and  who  aided  him  in  his  work  with  all  the 
means  at  their  command,  and  to  whose  influence  was 
largely  due  the  fact  that  he  continued  his  efforts  in  the 
field  of  invention. 

In  1867  a  more  prosperous  era  dawned  on  him, with 
the  invention  of  a  self-adjusting  telegraph  relay.wbich, 
although  it  proved  of  no  practical  value,  furnished  the 
opportunity  of  introducing  him  to  the  late  Gen.  Anson 
Stager,  of  Cleveland,  then  general  superintendent  of 
the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  who  at  once 
became  interested  in  him  and  furnished  him  facilities 
for  experimenting  on  the  company's  lines.  Professor 
Grav  then  formed  a  co-partnership  with  E.  M.  Barton, 
of  Cleveland,  for  the  manufacture  of  electrical  appli- 
ances, during  which  time  he  invented  the  dial  tele- 


PROMINENT  MEff  Ct<  THE  C,REA  T  WEST. 


graph.  In  1869  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  con. 
tinned  the  manufacture  of  electrical  supplies,  General 
Stager  becoming  associated  with  him.  Here  he  per- 
fected the  type-printing  telegraph,  the  telegraphic 
repeater,  telegraphic  switch,  the  annunciator,  and  many 
other  inventions  which  have  become  famous  within  the 
short  space  of  a  few  years.  About  1872  he  organized 
the  Western  Electrical  Manufacturing  Co ,  which  is 
still  in  existence,  and  is  said  to  be  the  largest  establish- 
ment of  its  kind  in  the  world. 

In  1874  lie  retired  from  the  superintendency  of  the 
Electric  Company,  and  began  his  researches  in  tele- 
phony, and  within  two  years  thereafter  gave  to  the 
world  that  marvelous  product  of  human  genius — the 
speaking  telephone.  Noting  one  day,  when  a  second- 
ary coil  was  connected  with  the  zinc  lining  of  the  bath 
tub — dry  at  the  time — that  when  lie  held  the  other  end 
of  the  coil  in  iiis  left  hand  and  rubbed  the  lining  of  the 
tub  with  his  right,  it  gave  rise  to  a  sound  that  had  the 
same  pitch  and  quality  as  that  of  the  vibrating  con- 
tact breaker,  he  began  a  series  of  experiments  which 
led  first  to  the  discovery  that  musical  tones  could  be 
transmitted  over  an  electric  wire.  Fitting  up  the  nec- 
cessary  devices,  he  exhibited  this  invention  to  some  of 
his  friends  and  the  same  year  went -abroad,  where  he 
made  a  special  study  'of  acoustics  and  gave  further 
exhibitions  of  the  invention,  which  he  developed  into 
the  harmonic  or  multiplex  telegraph.  While  perfect- 
ing this  device,  in  1875,  the^ea  of  the  speaking  tele- 
phone suggested  itself,  and  in  1876  he  perfected  this 
invention  and  filed  his  caveat  in  the  patent  office  at 
Washington.  That  another  inventor  succeeded  in 
incorporating  into  his  own  application  for  a  telegraph 
patent  an  important  feature  of  Professor  Gray's 
invention,  and  that  the  latter  was  thereby  deprived  of 
the  benefits  which  he  should  have  derived  therefrom, 
is  the  practically  unanimous  decision  of  manv  well 
informed  as  to  the  merits  of  the  controversy  to  which 
conflicting  claims  gave  rise;  and  the  leading  scientists 
and  scientific  organizations  of  the  world,  according  to 
a  certain  periodical,  have  accredited  to  him  the  honor 
of  inventing  the  telephone.  In  recognition  of  his  dis- 
tinguished achievements,  he  was  made  a  Chevalier  of 
the  Legion  of  Honor,  at  the  close  of  the  Paris  Exposi- 
tion, of  1878.  and  American  colleges  have  conferred 
upon  him  the  degrees  of  Doctor  of  Laws  and%Docto>- 
of  Science. 

For  several  years  after  his  invention  of  the  tele- 
phone he  was  connected  with  the  Postal  Telegraph 
Company,  and  brought  the  lines  of  this  system  into 
Chicago,  laying  them  underground.  He  also  devised 
a  general  underground  telegraph  system  for  the  citv, 
and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  invention  of  the 
'•  Telautograph,"  a  device  with  which  the  general 
public  is  just  now  becoming  familiar  through  the 
published  accounts  of  its  operation.  On  March  21, 
1893,  the  first  exhibitions  of  the  practical  and  success- 
ful operation  of  this  wonderful  instrument  were  given 
simultaneously  in  New  York  and  Chicago,  and  on  the 
same  day  the  first  telautograph  messages  were  passed 


over  the  wires  from  Highland  Park  to  Waukegan,  111. 
The  exhibitions  were  witnessed  by  a  large  number- of 
electrical  experts,  scientists  and  representatives  of  the 
press,  who  were  unanimous  in  their  opinion  that  Prof. 
Gray's  invention  is  destined  to  bring  .about  a  revolu- 
tion in  telegraphy. 

One  of  the  beauties  of  electrical  science  is  the 
expressiveness  of  its  nomenclature,  and  among  the 
many  significant  names  given  to  electrical  inventions, 
none  expresses  more  clearly  the  use  and  purpose  of  the 
invention  to  which  it  is  applied  than  the  term  "  telau- 
tograph." As  its  name  signifies,  the  instrument  ena- 
bles a  person  sitting  at  one  end  of  the  wire  to  write  a 
message  or  a  letter  which  is  reproduced  simultaneously 
infac  sun  He  at  the  other  end  of  the  wire.  It  is  an 
instrument  which  takes  the  place  of  the  skilled  operator 
and  the  telegraphic  alphabet.  Any  one  who  can  write 
can  transmit  a  message  by  this  means,  and  the  receiv- 
ing instrument  does  its  work  perfectly,  without  the 
aid  of  an  operator.  The  sender  of  a  message  may  be 
identified  by  \\\e facsimile  of  his  hand-writing  which 
reaches  therecipient,and  pen  and  ink  portraits  of  persons 
may  be  as  readily  transmitted  from  one  point  to  another 
as  the  written  messages.  In  many  respects  the  telauto- 
graph promises  to  be  more  satisfactory  in  its  practical 
operations  than  the  telephone.  Communications  can 
be  carried  on  between  persons  at  a  distance  from 
each  other  with  absolute  secrecv.  and  a  message 

•>    '  O 

sent  to  a  person  in  his  absence  from  his  place  of 
business  will  be  found  waiting  him  upon  his 
return.  These  and  many  other  advantages  which 
the  telautograph  seems  to  possess,  warrant  the  pre- 
diction that  in  the  not  very  distant  future  telauto- 
grapliy  will  supplant  in  a  measure  both  telephony  and 
telegraphy.  The  transmitter  and  the  receiver  of  the 
telautograph  system  are  delicately  constructed  pieces 
of  mechanism,  each  contained  in  a  box  somewhat 
smaller  than  a  type-writer  machine.  The  two  machines 
are  necessary  at  each  end  of  a  wire,  and  stand  side  by 
side.  In  transmitting  a  message  an  ordinary  feed  lead 
pencil  is  used,  at  the  point  of  which  is  a  small  collar, 
with  two  eyes  in  its  rim.  To  each  of  these  eyes  a  fine 
silk  cord  is  attached,  running  off  at  right  angles  in  two 
directions.  Each  of  the  two  ends  of  this  cord  is 
carried  round  a  small  drum  supported  on  a  vertical 
shaft.  Under  the  drum,  and  attached  to  the  same 
shaft,  is  a  toothed  wheel  of  steel,  the  teeth  of  which 
are  so  arranged  that,  when  either  section  of  the  cord 
winds  upon  or  off  its  drum,  a  number  of  teeth  will 
pass  a  given  point,  corresponding  to  the  length  of  cord 
so  wound  or  unwound.  For  instance,  if  the  point  of 
the  pencil  moves  in  the  direction  of  one  of  the  cords 
a  distance  of  one  inch,  forty  of  the  teeth  will  pass  any 
certain  point.  Each  one  of  these  teeth  and  each  space 
represents  one  impulse  sent  upon  the  line,  so  that 
when  the  pencil  describes  a  motion  one  inch  in  length, 
eight  electrical  impulses  are  sent  on  the  line.  The 
receiving  instrument  is  practically  a  duplicate  of  the 
transmitter,  the  motions  of  which,  however,  are  con- 
trolled bv  electrical  mechanism.  The  perfected  device 


I2O 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


exhibited  by  Professor  Gray,  and  now  in  operation,  is 
the  result  of  six  years  of  arduous  labor,  an  evolution 
to  which  the  crude  contrivance  used  in  his  earliest 
experiments  bears  little  resemblance.  The  manufac- 
ture of  the  instruments  will  be  carried  on  by  the  Gray 
Electric  Company,  a  corporation  having  offices  in  New 
York  and  Chicago,  and  a  large  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment just  outside  the  limits  of  the  suburban  village 
of  Highland  Park,  111.,  of  which  place  Professor  Gray 
has  been  for  many  years  a  resident.  Here,  in  addition 
to  his  workshop  and  laboratory,  the  renowned  inventor 
has  a  beautiful  home,  and  his  domestic  relations  are  of 
the  ideal  kind. 

The  title  by  which  Professor  Gray  has  been  known 
for  so  many  years  came  to  him  through  his  connection 
with  Oberlin  and  Ripon  (Wis.)  Colleges,  as  non 
resident  lecturer  in  physics,  and  his  general  appear- 
ance is  that  of  the  college  professor  or  the  profound 
student.  He  has  none  of  the  eccentricities  which  are 
the  conspicuous  characteristics  of  some  of  the  great 
inventors  of  the  age,  and  when  not  absorbed  in  his 
professional  work  is  delightfully  genial  and  compan- 
ionable. 

When  the  World's  Congress  of  Electricians  assem- 
bled in  the  new  Art  Institute,  in  Chicago,  on  the  21st 
of  August,  1893,  there  assembled  the  most  noted 
electricians  of  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  congress 
was  divided  into  two  sections,  one  of  which — termed 
the  official  section — was  composed  of  representatives 
designated  by  the  various  governments  of  Europe  and 
the  Americas,  and  was  authorized  to  consider  and 
pass  upon  questions  relating  to  electrical  measurement, 
nomenclature,  and  various  other  matters  of  import  to 
the  electrical  world.  To  the  other  section  of  the 
congress  were  admitted  all  professional  electricians  who 
came  proper!}'  accredited,  and  they  were  permitted  to 
attend  the  sessions  and  participate  in  the  deliberations 
of  the  congress,although  they  were  not  allowed  to  vote 
on  the  technical  questions  coming  before  it. 

A  couple  of  years  since,  when  it  was  determined 
that  the  convening  of  international  congresses  of 
various  kinds  should  be  made  one  of  the  leading 
incidental  features  of  the  Columbian  Exposition,  a 
body,  which  became  known  as  the  World's  Congress 


Auxiliary  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  was 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  and  making 
all  necessary  preparations  for  these  gatherings.  To 
Professor  Elisha  Gray,  of  Chicago,  this  body  assigned 
the  task  of  organizing  the  "Congress  of  Electri- 
cians," and  placed  upon  him  the  responsibility  of  formu- 
lating the  plans  and  making  all  initiatory  preparations 
for  what  was,  unquestionably,  the  most  important  and 
interesting  convention  of  electricians  ever  held  in  this 
or  anv  other  country.  While  the  professor  called  to 
his  assistance  many  distinguished  members  of  his  pro- 
fession, by  virtue  of  his  official  position,  he  has  been 
the  central  and  most  attractive  figure  in  this  great 
movement. 

Professor  Gray  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League 
Club,  of  Chicago.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  traveled  extensively,  not  only  in  this  country,  but 
throughout  Europe.  He  is  now  in  bis  57th  year,  and 
he  stands  as  an  illustrious  example  of  the  general  rule, 
for,  although  not  yet  an  old  man,  he  is  one  of  the  few 
prominent  in  the  early  days  of  electrical  development, 
who  maintained  their  prominence  and  added  to  their 
reputation  in  the  rapid  strides  which  have  been  made 
during  the  last  decade.  But  few  of  the  early  workers 
in  the  electrical  sciences  have  maintained  their  promi- 
nence in  the  later  development.  This  is  undoubtedly 
due  to  the  la.ck  of  plasticity,  which  is  usually  attributed 
to  maturer  years,  the  possession  of  which  in  younger 
men  often  gives  him  the  advantage  in  tne  rush  for 
supremacy  in  new  adaptations  and  under  ever  chang- 
ing conditions.  Where,  however,  this  plasticity  has 
been  preserved  during  maturer  years,  as  has  been  the 
case  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  maturer  judg- 
ment and  riper  experience  which  those  years  have  en- 
abled him  to  bring  to  bear  upon  the  newer  problems 
have  in  many  cases  resulted  in  inventions  and  improve- 
ments of  the  utmost  importance  to  mankind  and  the 
cause  of  civilization.  Prof.  Gray  is  a  man  of  fine  per- 
sonal appearance,  pleasing  address,  commanding  bear- 
ing, and  a  man  who  will  attract  attention  in  any  assem- 
bly, and,  who  on  account  of  his  great  electrical  skill, 
and  general  scientific  attainments,  and  because  of  his 
pleasing  and  affable  manner  has  won  for  himself  many 
friends  and  admirers. 


ROSWELL  ZENAS  HERRICK, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MANY  of  the  hardy  sons  of  Maine,  who  have  made 
Chicago  their  home,  have  become  honored  and 
repected  citizens.  Among  those  that  have  attained  a  high 
position  in  the  business  community,  Roswell  Z.  Herrick 
is  conspicuous.  He  >vas  born  in  East  Corinth,  Maine, 
on  December  28,  18-46.  His  parents,  Joshua  M.  and 
Betsy  (Stinchfield)  Ilerrick,  were  both  descendants  of 
old  colonial  families.  The  paternal  ancestor  from 
whom  the  Herricks  in  the  United  States  are  descen- 


ded, was  Henry  Herrick  who  settled  in  Beverly,  Mass., 
about  the  year  1629.  He  was  born  in  1604  and  was 
the  fifth  son  of  Sir  William  Herrick.  a  celebrated  gold- 
smith and  money-lender  of  London.  Sir  William  was 
born  in  1557.  He  was  a  member  of  Parliament  from 
1601  to  1620.  and  was  knighted  by  King  James  I,  in 
1605.  His  son  Henry,  who  was  delegated  to  investi- 
gate his  mercantile  affairs  in  the  Colony  of  Virginia, 
finally  located  permanently  in  Beverly,  Mass.  Our 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


121 


subject  is  a  descendant  of  Sir  William  in  the  tenth 
generation.  The  grandfather  of  Roswell  settled  in 
East  Corinth,  Maine,  in  1807,  being  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  that  place.  Here  Joshua  M.  Herrick,  our  subject's 
father,  a  hearty,  healthy  old  gentleman  of  76,  still 
resides.  The  Herricks  are  known  as  a  family  of 
prominence  in  England  even  now,  and  Beaumanor 
Park,  Leicestershire,  England,  the  abode  of  the  English 
branch  of  the  family,  is  an  object  of  interest  to  the 
European  tourist.  The  celebrated  British  poet,  Her- 
rick, was  a  nephew  of  Sir  William  Herrick.  Our  sub- 
ject's maternal  ancestors,  the  Stinchfields,  were  promi- 
nent residents  of  Cumberland  county,  Maine,  and  they 
can  also  trace  their  descent  from  the  ancient  Anglo- 
Saxons. 

Roswell  obtained  his  earlier  education  in  the 
academy  at  East  Corinth,  Maine.  His  first  experience 
with  the  business  world  was  in  a  minor  position  in  the 
office  of  the  register  of  deeds  at  Bangor,  Maine,  where 
he  entered  as  copying  clerk,  and  before  retiring  had 
charge  of  the  office.  In  the  winter  of  1868  and  1869 
he  was  engaged  by  the  firm  of  Dwinel  &  Dennett, 
lumber  dealers  at  Bangor,  for  office  work,  but  in  May, 
1869,  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  Upon  his  arrival  in  Chicago  he  obtained  a 
position  as  messenger  in  the  Union  Stock  yards 
National  Bank,  which  had  been  organized  iu  1868, 
with  Mr.  S.  M.  Nickerson,  as  president,  and  the  late 
Mr.  E.  S.  Stickney  as  casbier.  He  adapted  himself  to 
his  new  surroundings,  and  soon  became  book  keeper, 
and  later  pay  ing -teller 

He  occupied  the  latter  position  for  fourteen  years, 
and  then  became  general  man  around  the  bank,  being 
able  to  fill  any  position  in  the  institution.  Upon  the 
organization  of  the  National  Live  Stock  Bank,  which 
succeeded  the  older  institution  on  March  1,  1888,  he 
became  cashier,  and  in  .January,  1890,  was  elected  a 
director  of  the  bank;  both  of  which  positions  he  has 
filled  satisfactorily  ever  since.  Mr.  Herrick  has  inter- 
ested himself  but  very  little  in  matters  outside  the 
bank,  but  was  one  of  the  organizers,  however,  of  the 
Drexel  Building  and  Loan  Association  and  its  presi- 


dent.    He  is  a  member  and  trustee   of   the  Forty-first 
street  Presbyterian  church. 

He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  having  joined  the  Olive 
Branch  Lodge,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  Charleston,  Maine, 
in  1868.  He  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the 
craft  and  is  now  a  member  of  Home  Lodge,  on  the 
south  side,  of  Chicago  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
and  Chevalier  Bayard  Commandery,  Knights  Templar. 
In  all  of  these  bodies  he  has  held  the  highest  official 
positions.  He  also  takes  the  deepest  interest  in  his 
home  and  family  life,  and  does  not  care  to  appear 
prominently  in  social  circles.  However,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Oakland  Club,  Bankers'  Club,  and  one  of 
the  directors  of  "The  Society  of  the  Sons  of  Maine." 

Politically,  Mr.  Herrick  is  a  Republican,  and  for 
two  years,  1880  and  1881,  he  was  elected  by  his  party 
treasurer  of  the  village  of  Hyde  Park.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Hyde  Park  board  of  education  for  two 
terms,  when  hi^s  office  was  discontinued  on  account 
of  the  annexation  of  the  village  to  the  city  of 
Chicago. 

'  On  October  28,  1873,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Martha  E.  Thurston,  daughter  of  Mark  Thurston,  of 
Bangor,  Maine.  The  Thurston  family  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  respected  in  New  Hampshire,  where 
they  have  been  prominent  residents  for  more  than  two 
•  hundred  years.  The  couple  are  blessed  with  one  child, 
a  daughter  named  Gertrude  T. 

Mrs.  Herrick  is  an  esteemed  lady  of  refinement; 
she  was  educated  in  the  high  school  of  Bangor,  Maine, 
and  is  possessed  of  those  many  charms  that  are  so 
desirable  in  a  model  wife  and  mother. 

That  Mr.  Herrick  stands  well  in  the  community  is 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he  is  now  cashier  of  one  of 
the  largest  financial  institutions  of  Chicago,  and  in 
which  he  has  filled  positions  of  trust  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  He  has  always  endeavored  to v 
treat  others  as  he  would  have  them  treat  him,  and 
besides  enjoying  in  a  high  degree  the  conlidence  and 
esteem  of  both  stockholders  and  patrons  of  the  bank, 
he  is  respected  as  an  honorable,  upright  man  by  all 
who  know  him,  and  the  number  is  large. 


LISTON   HOMER  MONTGOMERY,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


LISTON  HOMER  MONTGOMERY,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 
is  a  lineal  descendant  on  the  paternal  side  of  Gen- 
eral Richard  Montgomery,  of  American  Revolutionary 
fame.  The  latter  was  born  at  Convoy  House,  near  Rap- 
hoe,  Ireland,  December  2,  1736.  His  death  is  a  matter 
of  history,  he  having  given  up  his  life  for  his  adopted 
country  before  Quebec,  December  31,  1775.  His  father 
was  a  member  of  parliament  for  Lifford.  Richard  was 
educated  at  Trinitv  College,  Dublin,  and  entered  the 
army  at  the  age  of  18,  fighting  under  Wolfe,  at  the 
siege  of  Lomberg,  in  1756,  winning  the  honor  of 


approval  from  the  commander.  After  its  surrender 
his  regiment  formed  a  part  of  Araherst's  force  that  was 
sent  to  reduce  the  French  forts  on  Lake  Champlain.  in 

1759.  Montgomery  became  adjutant  of  his  regiment  in 

1760,  was  under  Col.  Haviland  in  his  march  upon  Mon- 
treal, when  that  city  was  surrendered.     In  1762  Mont- 
gomery was  promoted  to  a  captaincy  and  served  in  the 
campaign   against   Havana  in  the  same   year.     After 
that    he  resided    in  this  country  a  while,  but   revisited 
England.     In  1772  he  sold  his  commission  and  came  to 
America,   and  the  following  year  he    bought  an  estate 


122 


PROMINENT  MSN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


at  111)  inebeck,  on  the  Hudson,  and  married  a  daughter  of 
R.    R.  Livingston.  .... 

He  \v;is  slain  by  grape  shot  at  twilight  from  a  masked 
battery  while  in  the  act  of  mounting  the  breastworks 
overlooking  the  city  of  Quebec.  lie  was  brave, 
humane,  and  generous,  well  liked  and  respected 
throughout  his  life,  and  after  death  in  such  a  heroic 
manner,  was  buried  in  the  city  where  he  fell,  but  in  the 
year  of  1818  his  remains  were  removed  to  New  York 
citv  and  depositd  near  the  monument  which  the  United 
States  had  erected  to  his  memory  in  front  of  St.  Paul's 
church,  on  Broadway.  Montgomery  county,  Ohio,  is 
.named  in  honor  of  him.  Listen  Homer  is  great  grand- 
nephew  of  the  celebrated  genera],  or  the  fifth  genera- 
tion from  Richard. 

William  Clayton  Montgomery,  the  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Liston  II.  Montgomery,  and 
a  grand-nephew  of  General  Richard  Montgomery,  was 
a  native  of  Red  Stone,  at  that  time  a  small  town  in 
western  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  in  1794. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812  and  helped  to  build 
Fort  Meigs  the  present  site  Perrysburg,  Ohio;  Fort 
Stevenson,  now  Fremont;  Fort  Ball,  Tiffin;  Fort  Defi- 
ance, Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  etc.  He  was  also  a  soldier 
in  the  Mexican  war.  In  1819  he  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Gregg,  of  Jefferson  count}',  Ohio.  Thirty 
years  after  this,  after  retiring  in  perfect  apparent  health, 
one  night,  and  falling  into  a  slumber  which  comes  to 
those  of  health,  hesuddenly  awoke  and  exclaimed  to  his 
wife:  "  Oil  Betsy,  my  heart  has  burst.  "  It  was  thus 
he  passed  away,  leaving  ten  children,  among  whom 
was  John  Montgomery,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  our 
sketch.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gregg  Montgomery,  wife  of 
William  Clayton  Montgomery,  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  February  21,  1800.  She  emigrated 
with  her  parents  to  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  where 
.she  was  married.  Their  honeymoon  consisted  of 
a  ride  on  horseback  to  the  frontier,  to  a  pleasant 
place  just  south  of  Mount  Gilead,  where  they  endured 
the  hardships  incident  to  pioneer  life,  building  them- 
selves a  home  where  they  lived  long  and  happily,  and 
one  which  was  ever  open  to  the  young  folks,  who  fre- 
quently gathered  there  to  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the 
popular  family.  Though  the  house  was  the  social 
center  of  the  community  it  was  indeed  a  perfect  type 
of  the  pioneer  period,  from  the  puncheon  floor  to  its 
clapboarded  roof  and  oil-paper  windows.  Four  cows 
and  two  hogs  composed  the  list  of  their  live  stock. 
Between  the  occupations  of  clearing  the  farm  of  timber, 
hunting  and  some  farming  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery, and  spinning  and  weaving  by  his  wife,  they 
were  enabled  to  bring  up  the  family  of  children  which 
blessed  their  union.  There  were  ten  of  these,  three  of 
whom  only  survived  their  mother — John,  a  respectable 
and  well-known  physician  at  Adrian,  Seneca  county; 
Sarah  H.,  now  Mrs.  W.  R.  Creigh,  of  Johnsville,  and 
Jane,  now  Mrs.  Jenks  Williams  of  Cardington,  Ohio. 
Mrs.  Montgomery  died  at  the  residence  of  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Creigh,  at  Johnsville,  where  she  had,  during  the 
last  year  of  her  life,  been  living  calmly  and  peacefully 


in  her  old  age.  She  died  September  1,  1883,  thirty- 
four  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  at  the  good  old 
age  of  eighty-three  years,  six  months  and  eleven  davs. 
The  funeral  services  were  held  in  the  Methodist  church 
of  Mount  Gilead,  where  a  large  number  of  bereaved 
friends  assembled  to  pay  the  last  tributes  of  respect  to 
her  memory.  Many  were  p'resent  who  remembered 
her  as  one  whose  efforts  were  of  material  aid  in  the 
organization  and  establishment  of  the  early  Christian 
church  of  the  town. 

Liston  Homer  Montgomery  was  born  at  McCutch- 
enville,  Wyandotte  county,  Ohio,  August  21, 1848.  He 
was  the  second  son  of  John  Montgomery,  M.  D.,  and 
Harriet  (Newell)  Willard.  Liston's  father  was  born 
in  Marion  count}-,  now  Gilead  township,  Morrow 
county,  Ohio,  May  21,  1822.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of 
William  Clayton  Montgomery,  and  the  recently 
deceased  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gregg  Montgomery.  The 
following  authentic  necrology  and  history  was  very 
carefully  prepared  and  published  in  the  Tiffin  Trilntne, 
February  5,  1885,  and  Mount  Gilead  papers  of  same 
date,  regarding  Johannes  Montgomery,  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

"A  man's  best  epitaph  is  written  in  his  deeds.  The 
emphasis  of  this  truth  finds  expression  in  the  subjoined 
eulogistic  remarks  and  a  brief  history  of  Dr.  John 
Montgomery,  who  died  at  his  residence  at  Adrian, 
(Seneca  county,  Ohio),  on  the  morning  of  January  29, 
JS85,  aged  sixty-two  years,  eight  months  and  eight 
days.  The  family  is  traced  down  through  a  long  line, 
ennobled  by  race  and  deed.  General_  Richard  Mont- 
gomery, who  was  born  in  the  year  1736,  and  killed  at 
Quebec  in  1775,  while  in  command  of  the  American 
forces  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  was  his 
grandfather's  uncle.  His  parents  removed  from 
western  Pennsylvania  (previously  referred  to)  to 
Marion  county,  Ohio,  in  1819.  They  lived  in  a  log 
cabin,  where  he  was  born,  and  often  was  he  rocked  to 
sleep  with  a  mother's  lullaby  in  a  sugar-trough  cradle. 
His  youth  was  surrounded  by  hardships  and  vicissitudes 
known  only  to  early  frontier  life.  His  father,  the  late 
William  Clayton  Montgomery',  while  serving  the 
United  States  Government  under  General  William 
Henry  Harrison,  was  absent  from  home  during  his 
early  youth  and  manhood,  and  much  devolved  upon 
the  son,  who  was  the  great  factor  in  the  clearing  of  the 
forest  of  their  new  home,  and  which  was  subsequently 
completed  by  younger  sons,  his  brothers,  the  late 
Samuel  and  George  Washington  Montgomery,  who 
have  since  been  transported  to  their  father.  The  sound 
of  the  elder  son's  axe  awakened  new  echoes  within  his 
breast.  He  honored  this  life  of  toil,  however,  which 
awakened  in  his  veins  new  impulses  and  inspired  him 
to  seek  higher  attainments,  for  at  an  early  age,  he  pos- 
sessed a  love  for  study,  and,  by  the  light  of  tallow  dips, 
after  many  a  hard  day's  work,  achieved,  not  only  a 
good  English  education,  but  a  knowledge  of  Latin.  In 
the  pursuit  of  the  latter  study,  he  was  greatly  aided  by 
liis  personal  friend,  Erasmus  Phillips,  long  years  ago 
deceased." 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


123 


"  Dr.  John  Montgomery  chose  the  profession  of 
medicine,  and,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  commenced 
its  study,  and  at  once  applied  himself  with  zeal.  With 
the  earning  saved  by  his  manual  labor,  he  was  enabled 
to  attend  his  first  course  of  lectures  at  the  Western 
Reserve  Medical  College,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  during 
the  winter  sessions  of  1844-45.  To  this  school  of 
medicine  he  walked  the  distance  of  ninety  miles,  from 
his  father's  home,  near  Mt.  Gilead,  Ohio,  as,  at  that 
early  date,  railroads  had  not  been  constructed  in 
central  Ohio.  Soon  after  the  close  of  this  term  of 
lectures,  in  March,  1845,  Mr.  Montgomery,  although 
an  undergraduate,  began  the  practice  of  the  healing 
art  at  West  Millgrove.  Wood  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
soon  acquired  a  lucrative  practice,  at  least,  what  he  so 
considered  at  that  time.  At  that  village  he  met  Miss 
Harriet  Newell  Willard,  daughter  of  John  Griswold 
Willard  and  Melissa  Peabody  Willard,  to  whom  he 
was  wedded  May  19,  1S46,  and  who  was  his  faithful 
Christian  wife  until  his  departure  to  "that  lourne 
ii-ln  in-,  n<>  ti'iii't-ler  return*."  He  practiced  his  pro- 
fession as  an  undergraduate  until  October,  1850,  when 
he  re-entered  the  same  college  to  attend  a  second 
course  of  lectures  and  to  receive  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Medicine,  and,  on  February  9th,  1851,  was 
graduated  at  the  above  named  institution.  He  then 
resumed  the  practice  of  the  healing  art,  and  located  at 
McCutchenville,  Wyandotte  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  several  years  before  he  removed  to  Adrian, 
in  the  adjoining  (Seneca)  county.  After  residing  in 
this  village  for  a  generation,  in  the  Spring  of  (April 
28)  1866  he  removed  to  Apple  river,  a  place  located 
in  almost  the  extreme  northwestern  portion  of  Illinois, 
where,  during  a  residence  of  several  years,  he  labored 
with  a  steadiness  of  purpose  equaled  by  very  few  in 
any  calling.  Prior  to  this,  however,  during  the  years 
1861-65,  he  rendered  his  country  faithful  service  in 
administering  to  the  wants  and  otherwise  alleviating 
the  suffering  of  disabled  and  sick  soldiers  and  their 
families.  Never,  so  it  has  been  said  of  him,  did  lie 
make  a  charge  for  his  professional  services  in  this 
direction.  His  health  not  permitting  him  to  enter  on 
the  field  of  active  service,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  aid  and 
assist  those  that  were  left  behind.  Numerous  kindly 
reminiscenses  of  him  have  been  told,  and  can  be 
vouched  for  by  several  of  his  old  time  neighbors,  who 
have  been  spared  to  survive  him.  Although  nobody 
will  know  how  much  good  he  did  for  the  widows  and 
orphans,  he  was  brave  as  any  soldier  that  went  forward 
in  that  fearful  strife  of  the  days  of  1861-65,  and  often 
was  he  summoned  to  render  them  his  professional  aid. 
It  was  during  his  residence  in  the  West  that  many  of 
his  friends  desired  his  professional  services  and  pre- 
vailed upon  him  to  return  to  Adrian.  This  request  he 
acceded  to  in  December,  186i>,  and  there  he  continued 
to  practice  until  the  time  of  his  fatal  illness." 

'•He  was  a  man  of  pure  character,  of  broad  culture, 
and  was  always  deeply  impressed  with  the  responsibil- 
ities of  his  profession.  lie  was  a  diligent  student  to 
the  end  of  his  life.  He  loved  truth,  worth  and  learn- 


ing, and  denounced  show,  pretense  and  quackery  with 
quixotic  vehemence.  In  the  study  of  history  he  never 
wearied.  In  the  literature  of  medicine  he  was  a  dili- 
gent searcher  and  a  profound  scholar.  In  some  of  the 
branches,  of  which  he  was  particularly  fond,  was  the 

,  nervous  system  and  surgery.  An  extensive  practice 
made  his  duties  at  times  very  onerous,  and,  although 
often  greatly  fatigued,  he  was  ever  ready  to  respond 
to  a  call  for  the  benefit  of  a  sick  patient.  To  the 
indigent  sick  he  was  especially  an  ever  welcome  bene- 
factor, and  with  this  class  particularly  will  his  death 

-  be  deeply  mourned." 

"In  February,  1882,  Dr.  Montgomery  suffered  from 
a  severe  attack  of  pneumonia,  from  which  he  never 
fullv  recovered.  And,  though  often  importuned  to 
avoid  inclement  weather,  he  braved  the  storm  and 
elements,  with  fidelity  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  his 
duties  in  the  daily  pursuit  of  his  calling.  Nearly  one 
year  ago  (January  11,  1885)  he  had  a  second  attack  of 
pneumonia  and  laryngitis.  The  disease,  although  fully 
developed,  after  the  lapse  of  a  fortnight,  gave  evidence 
of  subsiding,  and  his  recovery  was  looked  forward  to, 
but  its  invasion  was  insidious,  and  had  taken  a  deeper 
hold  than  was  at  first  thought,  and  resulted,  with  com- 
plications in  a  prolonged  and  painful  struggle  of  the 
sufferer.  Knowing  fcr  months  that  he  was  the  victim 
of  an  incurable  malady,  he  kept  steadily  and  calmly 
on  in  the  usual  routine  of  his  life,  seeing  patients  and 
pursuing  his  studies  until  a  short  time  before  his  death. 
Loving  hands  and  sympathetic  friends  left  nothing 
undone  in  their  power  to  prolong  his  life  of  usefulness, 
but  the  venerable  physician  passed  away  while  yet  in 
the  harness,  a  patient,  weary  sufferer,  whom  it  was  sad 
to  look  upon.  One  whose  once  fine  physique  and 
activity,  now  bo.th  departed,  reminds  us  of  the  inevit- 
able. He  was  a  man  who  possessed  an  excellent  voice 
and  an  exceptional  command  of  language.  He  had  a 
memory  of  unsurpassed  excellence,  and  we  have  lost, 
as  has  been  said  of  him,  a  firm  and  steadfast  friend. 

''He  leaves  a  widow,  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 
The  latter  are  married  and  live  in  remote  sections  from 
the  old  homestead,  in  this  and  other  States.  Their 
names  and  residences  are:  Mrs.  Lillie  Melissa  Brayton, 
Leipsic,  Ohio;  Mrs.  Harriet  Agusta  Presler,  Tiffin, 
Ohio,  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Victoria  Hall,  Los  Angeles, 
Cal.  Of  his  sons,  it  may  be  stated  that  upon 
one — Liston  Homer — ths  professional  mantle  has 
fallen.  He  is  a  popular  and  well-known  physician  of 
Chicago.  His  brother.  Eugene  Willard  Montgomery, 

o  CT  D  «r  ' 

is  a  resident  of  Galena,  111.,  where  he  is  engaged  as 
a  successful  banker  and  lumber  merchant.  Both  these 
gentlemen  were  present  at  their  father's  demise." 

'•The  obsequies  were  held  in  the  Evangelical  church, 
at  Adrian,  on  Saturday,  January  31st,  conducted  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Dustman,  of  Carey,  Ohio,  assisted  by  the 
village  pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Ilowey.  A  large  concourse  of 
friends  were  in  attendance  from  Tiffin,  Fosioria, 
Findley,  West  Millgrove,  Johnsville,  Carey,  Carding- 
ton,  La  Porte,  Indiana,  and  elsewhere,  to  listen  to  the 
eloquent  words  of  condolence  and  wisdom  from  the 


124 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


worthy  ministers.  When  the  last  opportunity  was 
given  the  sorrowing  friends  to  view  for  the  last  time 
the  face  of  their  departed  neighbor  and  physician,  and 
whose  mortality  will  be  known  no  more,  the  remains 
were  interred  in  theBrayton  cemetery,  two  miles  south 
of  the  village  where  the  deceased  had  resided  for  t\vo 
score  years.  His  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Sarah  Harriet 
Creigh,  of  Johnsville,  and  Mrs.  -Jane  Williams,  of 
Cardington,  survive  him.  Vale  to  all  that  was  mortal 
of  Johannes  Montgomery,  M.  D." 

On  his  maternal  side  Listen  is  a  descendant  of 
Major  Simon  Willard,  who  was  born  at  Horsmonden, 
England,  in  the  year  1605,  and  baptized  at  St.  Mar- 
guerite's (Episcopal)  Chapel,  at  Horsmonden,  April  7, 
1605.'  The  Willards  for  many  generations  lived  in 
England  (traced  back  to  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centu- 
ries). 

The  immediate  ancestor  of  Simon  Willard  resided 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  Kent,  in  the  hundred 
of  Brenchley  and  Horsmonden.  Simon  Willard,  it  is 
supposed,  beyond  a  doubt,  descended  from  William 
or  John  Willard,  who  resided  at  Hailsham,  in  Sussex, 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  the  III  (1341).  Richard  Wil- 
lard was  a  ';Baron  of  Cinque  Ports,1'  probably  in  the 
reign  of  Richard  II.  Richard  Willard,  Sr..  died  at 
Horsmonden,  England,  in  June  1577.  Elizabeth,  his 
widow,  died  September,  1592.  Of  his  sons  one  was 
named  Richard,  and  now,  casting  aside  for  the  present 
all  speculation  as  to  preceding  generations,  we  arrive 
at  a  determinate  point  in  the  latter  part  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  when  we  find  Richard  Willard,  Jr., (II), 
established  in  the  pleasant  and  secluded  village  of 
Horsmonden,  married  and  giving  hostages  to  fortune, 
and  there  residing  until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1616.  His  will  was  proved  March  14th  following. 
He  was  buried  February  20lh.  This  corresponds  to 
March  2,  1617,  new  style. 

While  at  Horsmonden  he  had  gathered  around 
him  a  considerable  family.  At  least  ten  children, 
seven  of  whom  survived  him.  He  was  thrice  married, 
his  last  wife  surviving  him  only  a  few  days,  and  was 
buried  on  the  25th  of  the  month  at  the  same  place.  Of 
his  children  who  came  to  New  England,  Margery  and 
Simon  were  of  the  second  and  George  was  of  the  third 
marriage. 

This  brings  us  now  to  Simon,  who,  as  above  stated 
was  born  at   Horsmonden,  probably  early  in   the  year 
1605.     The   record   of    his   baptismal   consecration,  as 
recorded  in  the  parish  register,  runs  thus: 

"Anno  Dni.     Anno  3  R.  Jacobs. 
1605  The  VII  day  of  April,  Simon  Willarde,  sonne 
of  Richarde  Willarde,  was  christened. 

Edward  Alchine,  Rector." 

Baptism  in  the  Episcopal  church  follows  pretty 
closely  on  birth.  We  may  reasonablv  infer  that  Simon 
was  born  early  in  1605.  Parting  from  his  rural  village 
and  ancestral  associations  impressed  upon  him  by  a 
thousand  memories,  he  crossed  the  perilous  ocean  to 


the  forest-covered  and  savagely-populated  continent, 
establishing  for  himself  new  relations,  and  surrounding 
himself  with  nature's  own  solitude  and  dreariness,  when 
neither  the  spirit  of  adventure  or  desire  for  wealth 
cheered  the  heart  or  influenced  the  mind.  When 
he  was  twenty-nine  years  of  age  he  took  upon  himself 
this  great  step,  which,  when  repeated,  laid  the  founda- 
tions for  this  great  nation.  His  wife  was  Mary  Sharpe, 
born  at  Horsmonden  in  1614,  baptized  October  16, 
^  1614,  at  that  place.  Mrs.  Willard  was  twenty  years 
of  age  when  she  accompanied  her  husband  to 
America. 

Simon  Willard  and  his  wife,  Mary,  in  company  with 
his  sister,  Margery,  and  her  husband,  Captain  Dolor 
Davis,  embarked  from  England  in  April,  1634,  and  ar- 
rived at  Boston  about  the  middle  of  May.  Major  Simon 
Willard  was  father  of  Rev.  Samuel  Willard,  who,  for 
twenty-seven  years,  was  pastor  of  the  old  South  church, 
in  Boston,  and  who,  succeeded  Cotton  Mather.  He 
was  for  several  years  also  the  first  vice-presi- 
dent of  Cambridge  University,  during  which  time  he 
was  the  acting  president  of  this  great  institution  of 
learning. 

As  written  in  the  preceding  pages,  Listen  Homer 
Montgomery  on  his  maternal  side  is  a  direct  descendant 
(twelve  generations  intervening)  of  Major  Simon  Wil- 
lard. Major  Willard  was  the  father  of  seventeen  chil- 
dren, having  three  wives,  and  it  may  well  be  said  of  him 
that  he  was  the  progenitor  of  the  Willard  family  in  the 
new  world. 

Harriet  Newell  Willard,  mother  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  April  22, 1831,  at  Holland  Patent, 
Oneida  county,  N".  Y.  She  came  with  her  parents, 
when  a  mere  child  to  the  wilderness,  to  a  town  which 
even  to-day  merits  only  the  dignity  of  a,  small  village, 
in  Wood  county,  Ohio.  She  died  in  her  residence  at 
Adrian.  Seneca  county,  Ohio,  September  11, 1889,  aged 
fifty-eight  years,  four  months  and  nine  days.  As 
stated  before  she  was  the  daughter  of  John 
Griswold  Williard,  deceased  February  28,  1858, 
and  of  Melissa  Peabody  Willard.  Her  immediate 
ancestors  on  her  mother's  side  descended  from 
the  old  Peabody  stock,  well  known  in  advanced 
educational  circles,  and  formerly  connected  with  the 
colonial  history  of  Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Melissa 
Peabodv  Willard  was  a  venerable  Christian  lady 
and  departed  this  life  on  January  5,  1894,  at  her 
daughter's  rural  village  home  in  Ohio,  aged  90 
years.  Her  remains  were  interred  in  the  family  lot 
beside  her  husband,  Sunday,  January  7th,  following. 

The  town  of  Liston  Homer  Montgomery's  birth 
(already  mentioned),  when  he  first  saw  the  light  of  day, 
was  a  small  unimportant  village,  situated  near  the  San- 
el  usky  river,  and  a  few  miles  from  Broken  Sword  and 
Tvmoctee  Creeks  and  Crawford's  Run.  It  has  since 
grown  to  be  a  thriving  town  on  the  line  of  the  Toledo 
and  the  Ohio  Central  Railroad.  He  moved  with  his 
parents  from  his  native  village  when  under  five  years  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T   WEST. 


He  was  under  a  rigid  anil  careful 
time    he    attained   ten   years  of 


age  to  Adrian,  Ohio, 
training  up  to  the 
age. 

The  rudiments  of  his  education  he  had  already 
received,  and  the  three  years  following  he  attended 
the  Mount  Gilead  high  school.  At  the  expiration 
of  this  period  he  entered  Heidelberg  College  at 
Tiffin,  where  he  took  a  literary  course  of  two  years, 
leaving  Heidelburg  in  November,  1863.  His  liking 
for  medicine  manifested  itself  at  an  early  period  of 
his  life  by  the  unmistakable  fondness  for  the  read- 
ing and  study  of  the  literature  of  medicine,  and  of 
kindred  sciences. 

While  he  was  in  attendance  at  the  high-school  above 
mentioned,  he  lived  with  his  grandmother,  and  she 
often,  at  late  hours  of  the  night,  found  him  engaged 
perusing  and  studying  her  works,  on"  Domestic  Medi- 
cine," "  The  Family  Doctor,"etc.,  on  which  occasions  she 
would  administer  a  slight  chastisement  and  send  her 
studious  grandson  to  bed.  He  afterwards  became 
acquainted  with  other  sources  from  which  he  obtained 
books  on  medicine.  His  happiest  times  were  when  he 
was  poring  over  some  work  of  worth.  . 

The  first  of  December,  1863,  young  Montgomery 
engaged  himself  as  teacher  in  a  country  school  for  a  four 
months  winter  term,  adjacent  to  his  native  place,  and 
soon  won  the  reputation  of  triumphing  over  J,he  larger 
and  older  boys  than  himself,  who  had  in  former  terms 
ruled  the  teachers.  At  the  close  of  th  is  term  he  returned 
to  Tiffin,  where  on  the  following  April  a  situation  was 
tendered  and  accepted  by  him  as  clerk  in  a  dry  goods 
store.  Although  the  position  was  in  the  largest  dry 
goods  store  in  the  city,  the  remuneration  did  not  exceed 
$3  a  week,  and  he  remained  there  less  than  one  month, 
for  on  May  2,  1864,  he  surprised  his  employers  and 
friends  by  enlisting  in  Company  G.  164th  Regiment 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  to  serve  during  the  remainder 
of  the  war. 

At  the  time  of  his  enlistment  he  was  fifteen 
vears  old.  It  was  his  third,  though  first  successful, 
attempt  to  enter  the  service,  being  rejected  the  two 
previous  times,  on  account  of  his  evident  extreme 
youth.  He  saw  active  military  service  in  the  army  of 
the  Potomac,  during  the  few  months  following  his 
enlistment,  and  was  mustered  out  with  an  honorable 
discharge.  August  27,  1864.  It  was  said  of  him  that 
he  faithfully  performed  his  duties  as  a  soldier,  and  was 
known  as  the  smallest  and  youngest  of  his  regiment 
throughout  the  entire  brigade.  In  addition  to  his 
honorable  discharge  he  was  the  recipient  of  an  hono- 
rarium, for  meritorious  service  from  the  captain  of  the 
company,  A.  V.  Shetterly,  now  a  resident  of  West 
Lodi,  Ohio. 

In  the  Autumn  of  this  same  year  he  again  became 
a  teacher  in  a  country  school  near  Carey,  Ohio.  Here, 
as  at  the  preceding  school,  he  was  successful  in  quell- 
ing the  beligerent  spirit  of  the  older  and  larger  boys. 
Perhaps  this  is  best  illustrated  by  the  relation  of  an 


125 

incident.  A  short  time  after  he  had  taken  hold  of  the 
school  a  new  member,  a  son  of  one  of  the  directors, 
was  added  to  the  list  of  scholars.  The  particular 
boast  of  this  young  gentleman  was  that  he  always 
"  licked  the  teacher.  "  Before  a  fortnight  had  passed 
the  young  man  and  the  teacher  had  "clinched,"  but  it 
did  not  result  so  favorably  to  the  young  man,  for  he 
was  very  quickly  ejected  by  the  forceful  young  teacher, 
and  landed  in  a  very  undignified  position  in  the  road. 
This  so  angered  the  father  that  he  threatened  the  dis- 
organization of  the  school.  To  prevent  this  youno- 
Montgomery  handed  in  his  resignation,  but  a  subscrip- 
tion paper  was  promptly  raised  and  he  was  requested 
to  continue  the  rest  of  the  term.  This  request  he 
complied  with,  refusing,  however,  to  accept  the  ejected 
scholar  as  a  pupil,  which  position  was  approved  by  the 
other  directors  and  other  scholars.  The  fatherthen 
visited  the  school  to  administer  a  lesson  to  the  voim^ 

V  O 

school  master,  but  as  a  result  he  received  a  sound 
"drubbing"  from  Montgomei^y.  The  school  then 
proceeded  to  a  successful  termination,  without  any 
further  interference  from  the  father  or  son. 

In  April,  1865,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  P.  F. 
W.  &  C.  R.  R.  Co.,  at  Crestline,  Ohio,  remaining  in 
its  service  until  the  autumn  of  that  year,  when  he 
again  engaged  as  the  teacher  to  teach  in  the  "Frv" 
District  school,  as  it  was  known  at  that  time,  located 
one-half  mile  east  of  Crestline  in  Rich  land  county. 
He  taught  here  for  four  months,  when  he  was  called 
home  to  take  charge  of  his  father's  financial  affairs, 
who  was  preparing  to  remove  to  the  northwestern 
portion  of  Illinois.  After  a  short  stay  with  his  folks 
he  went  to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  secured  an  appointment 
in  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
filling  his  position  in  a  thoroughly  satisfactory  manner 
to  his  superior  officers,  when  after  a  few  months,  he 
made  his  first  visit  to  Chicago,  from  there  going 
through  the  northwestern  portion  of  Illinois  and  Wis- 
consin, being  employed  for  three  years  in  the  various 
capacities  of  farmer,  teacher,  druggist,  etc.,  in  south- 
western Wisconsin.  During  this  time  he  also  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine  in  Northern  Illinois.  His 
last  term  of  school  teaching  was  begun  on  the  16th 
day  of  November,  1868,  in  School  District  No.  5,  in 
the  township  of  Monticello  and  White  Oak  Springs,  La 
Fayette  county,  Wis.,  and  closed  February  25,  1869. 
During  the  preceding  summer,  he  had  charge  of  the 
drug  store  at  Shullsburg,  Wisconsin,  which  belonged  to 
Dr.  M.  A.  Fox, -of  that  town  anil  a  personal  friend  of 
Mr.  Montgomery's. 

On  the  80th  of  September,  1869,  after  having 
spent  some  time  at  his  home,  Apple  River,  Illinois,  in 
the  preparation  of  his  studies  in  medicine,  he  returned 
to  Chicago  and  matriculated  at  the  (as  it  was  then 
known)  Chicago  Medical  College,  the  medical  depart, 
ment  of  the  Northwestern  University,  since  which 
time  its -name  has  been  changed  to  ''The  North- 
western University  Medical  College."  In  addition  to 


126 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


what  has  been  said  he  had  incessantly  pursued  his 
medical  studies  a  goodly  portion  of  the  time  since  his 
boyhood.  After  attending  the  prescribed  course  of 
lectures,  he  was  graduated  at  the  age  of  22  from  his 
Alma  Mater,  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
March  14,  1871.  Not  feeling  sufficient  assurance  to 
establish  himself  in  practice  he  immediately  accepted  an 
appointment  for  one  year  as  resident  interne  surgeon, 
after  undergoing  a  competitive  examination  for  the 
same,  and  soon  after  was  made  senior  resident  physican 
in  Mercy  Hospital.  At  this  institution  he  rendered 
efficient  service  at  the  time  of  the  destruction  of 
Chicago  by  fire,  October  9,  1871.  He  administered 
to  many  patients  suffering  from  burns  and  other 
injuries,  and  more  than  one  pathetic  incident  and  rem- 
iniscence has  he  been  known  to  recite  of  the  terrible  times. 
November  20th,  the  same  year,  however,  Dr.  Mont- 
gomery resigned  his  position  at  the  hospital,  nnd  lo- 
cated in  the  city  of  his  adoption  as  a  general  practicing 
surgeon,  physician  and  sanitarian.  Soon  after  this, 
during  the  winter  of  1871-72,  he  had  large  experience 
in  the  treatment  of  small-pox,  which  was  especially 
prevalent  at  that  time.  His  services  at  this  time 
prove  the  truth  of  the  statement  that  he  chose  the 
profession  of  his  heart's  prompting,  and  follows  it  not 
for  the  money  consideration,  but  because  he  finds 
therein  the  opening  and  opportunity -to  help  his  fellow- 
men  who  are  afflicted  by  disease.  This  has  brought 
about  the  establishment  of  a  well  deserved  lucrative 
practice,  and  the  making  of  many  friends. 

Dr.  Montgomery,  soon  after  locating  became  an 
active  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Societv,  and  in 
the  winter  following,  1872-73,  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Chicago  Society  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  was 
one  of  its  first  officers.  This  society  was  two  years 
afterwards  merged  into  the  Chicago  Medical  Societv, 
of  which  Ite  subsequentl\T  served  several  successive 
terms  as  secretary.  In  June,  1877,  he  became  a  perma- 
nent member  of  the  American  Medical  Association, 
and,  at  its  annual  meeting  held  ten  years  later,  (1887), 
at  Chicago,  was  elected  as  assistant  secretary  of  that 
body,  lie  was  reappointed  to  the  position  June  9, 
1892,  at  the  annual  meeting  held  in  Detroit,  for  the 
44th  annual  session  that  was  held  at  Milwaukee,  June 
6-9,  1S93.  In  May,  1878,  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society.  Dr.  Montgomery 
has  frequently  been  sent  as  delegate  to  various  scien- 
tific organizations,  especial!}'  to  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  American  Public  Health  Association,  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  in  November  1879;  at  New  Orleans,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1880;  Indianapolis,  in  October,  1882;  Detroit,  No- 
vember, 1883;  St.  Louis,  in  October,  1885;  and  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  in  December,  1886.  At  several  of  these 
meetings  lie  reported  the  proceedings  for  a  number  of 
of  eastern  medical  journals.  In  November,  1884,  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  sanitary  council  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  held  at  Memphis,  Tenn  ,  at  that  time.  lie 
had,  previous  to  this,  had  a  good  deal  of  experience  in 
the  investigation  and  study  of  yellow  fever  at  several 
of  the  southern  cities  of  the  United  States,  notably  at 


Paducah,  Ky.,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  New  Orleans,  Mobile, 
Alabama  and  Pensacola,  Florida.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Chicago  Medico-Historical  Society, 
(organized  April  28,  1874)  and  for  several  years  one  of 
its  officers.  He  was  also  a  charter  member  of  the 
Chicago  Medico-Legal  Society,  organized  in  the  winter 
of  1888-89,  for  the  investigation,  study  and  advance- 
ment of  the  science  of  medical  jurisprudence,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  to  become  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
Army  and  Navy  Medical  Association,  organized  four 
years  ago. 

At  the  St.  Louis  and  Nashville  meetings  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  held  respectively  in 
May,  188.6,  and  May,  1890,  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to 
the  British  Medical  Association.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Ninth  International  Medical  congress,  that  was 
held  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  September  5-9,  1887,  as 
well  as  to  the  Tenth  International  Medical  congress, 
held  in  Berlin,  August  49,  1890,  and  as  such  was  the 
bearer  of  invitations  from  the  municipal  government  of 
the  city  of  Chicago  and  the  World's  Congress  Auxiliary 
of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  to  make  Chica- 
go the  next  place  of  meeting,  to  be  held  (us  was  then 
anticipated)  in  October,  1893.  Chicago  was  the  only 
American  city  that  sent  an  invitation  and  it  was  only 
declined  because  the  Latin  languages  were  not  in  com- 
mon use  there.  St.  Petersburg,  Rome,  Florence,  Paris, 
Madrid,  and  London  had  sent  invitations  for  the  Eleventh 
International  Medical  congress  to  convene  in  those 
cities,  but  to  Rome  was  awarded  the  honor  for  the  rea- 
son above  stated;  but,  in  consequence  of  the  unsanitary 
condition  of  the  European  States  at  the  time,  the  scien- 
tists had  to  say  at  home  to  do  what  the}'  could  to  bet- 
ter the  situation,  _ind  at  a  subsequent  meeting,  it  was 
decided  to  postpone  the  congress  until  April  5,  1894. 
Dr.  Montgomery  is  a  profound  believer  in  the  ethi- 
cal codes  of  all  the  societies  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
his  desire  in  this  respect  being  marked  by  assiduous  dili- 
gence not  to  wound  intentionally  the  feelings  of  any 
professional  brother.  In  politics  he  is  an  earnest  and 
consistent  Republican,  being  an  ardent  admirer  of  that 
champion  of  protection,  Governor  McKinley,  of  Ohio. 
June  1,  1885,  Dr.  Montgomery  was  appointed  medi- 
cal inspector  for  the  northwestern  division  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,  a  position  which  he  held  with  honor  to 
himself  and  credit  to  the  city  until  May  10,  1893. 
At  this  time  his  resignation,  which  had  been  offered  April 
28th,  preceding,  was  accepted.  In  the  various  branches 
of  municipal  government,  and  numerous  branches  of 
State,  as  well  as  national  government,  he  is  a  believer 
in  genuine  civil  service  reform,  and  is  greatly  opposed 
to  the  present  spoils  system.  He  is  a  member  of  various 
literary  and  social  clubs  and  other  societies.  Among 
the  latter  may  be  mentioned  George  II.  Thomas 
Post  No.  5.  G.  A.  II.,  Department  of  Illinois,  the  largest 
G.  A.  R.  Post  in  the  Union,  and  of  which  he  lias  been 
surgeon  during  the  past  six  years,  lie  is  a  member 
and  helped  to  organize  the  "Western  Society  of  the 
Armv  of  the  Potomac,"  (organized  October  31,  1S89) 
and  during  the  first  two  years  of  the  organization  was 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


127 


its  surgeon,  when  he  was  elected  as  one  of  the  vice- 
presidents  of  the  body.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
"Ohio  Veteran  Association  of  Illinois,"  organized  Dec. 
10-11,-18S9  at  Bloomington,  111;  and  was  the  first  sur- 
geon of  this  body.  At  present  he  is  vice-president,  rep- 
resenting the  third  congressional  district  of  Illinois 
for  this  association,  which  has  enrolled  upon  its  roster 
about  3,200  names.  He  is  past  sachem  of  Sagamore  Tribe 
No.  41  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  of  which  he  is  a 
charter  member.  He  is  an  active  member,  having 
held  many  offices,  in  Chicago  Lodge  No.  4  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks;  acharter  member  of  Jus- 
.  tus  Lodge  No.  390,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
of  Chicago;  a  member  of  Ashlar  Lodge  No.  308,  A.-F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  also  of  Oriental  Consistory,  S.  P.  R.  S. 
32nd  degree,  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  Valley 
of  Chicago.  He  is  also  medical  examiner  for  some 
of  our  representative  accident  and  life  insurance 
companies. 

Among  the  literary,  social  and  politico-social  clubs 
that  he  holds  membership  in,  may  be  mentioned  the 
LaSalle,  Ashland,  Lincoln,  and  Grant  Clubs,  of  the  lat- 
ter of  which  he  has-been  secretary  continuously  since 
August,  1888.  He  was  one  of  the  promoters  and  founders 
of  the  Ohio  Society  of  Chicago,  date  of  organization 
April  29,  1890  and  held  the  position  of  secretary  of 
the  organization  during  its  first  three  years,  having 
recently  resigned  on  account  of  other  pressing  matters. 
He  was  one  of  its  charter  members,  and  has  seen  it  grow 
and  surpass  in  every  respect,  socially,  all  other  State  or- 
ganizations of  the  city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Aux- 
iliary Association  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
and  an  active  member  of  the  committee  of  the  depart- 
ment of  medicine,  as  well  as  of  the  general  committee 
of  the  World's  Congress  Auxiliary  of  the  International 
Congress  on  Public  Health,  that  convened  in  Chicago 
in  the  Memorial  Art  Palace,  in  connection  with  the  21st 
annual  meeting  of  the  American  Public  Health  Asso- 
ciation, held  from  October  9th  to  14,  1893.  Dr. 
Montgomery  was  a  memberof  the  previous  International 
Sanitary  Congress,  the  first  of  these  so-called  congresses 
ever  held  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  was  in  at- 
tendance at  the  20th  annual  meeting  of  the  American 
Public  Health  Association,  held  in  the  old  historical 
City  of  Mexico,  November  28th  to  December  4, 1 892,  and 
as  such  was  delegated  to  represent  the  department  of 
health  of  the  municipal  government  of  Chicago  at  said 
meeting,  and  was  also  chosen  to  represent  the  Journal 
of  the  American  Medical  Association  at  said  meeting, 
of  which  he  published  quite  an  elaborate  report  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  scientific  business,  embracing  se- 
veral printed  pages  of  the  issues  of  the  Journal  on 
December  24th  and  31,  1892. 

At  the  forty-fourth  annual  meeting  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  held  in  the  city  of  Milwaukee, 
June  6-9,  1893,  besides  discharging  the  duties  of  assist- 
ant secretary,  as  well  as  that  of  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  meeting,  he  was  also  secre- 
tary of  the  section  of  Surgery  and  Anatomy,  the  two 
positions,  we  believe,  never  before  having  been  filled 


by  one  gentleman  at  the  same  time.  For  this  double 
official  recognition  probably,  he  was  appointed  a  dele- 
gate to  attend  the  forthcoming  or  eleventh  Inter- 
national Medical  Congress,  which,  as  above  stated, 
convened  at  Rome,  in  April,  1894.  A.t  this  meeting, 
also,  Dr.  Montgomery  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
special  committee,  which  originally  consisted  of  three 
members  that  had  reported  at  the  meeting  of  the  asso- 
ciation in  Detroit  in  June,  1892,  as  well  as  at  Mil- 
waukee, to  petition  Congress  to  create  a  department 
and  a  secretary  of  Public  Health,  as  he  had  for  several 
years  looked  toward  the  establishment  of  a  national 
sanitary  bureau,  and  the  appointment  of  a  medical 
secretary  of  same,  with  equal  rank  of  other  secretaries. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  his  efforts  as  coadjutor  in  this 
direction  have  been  in  hearty  co-operation  with  the 
views  of  his  able  and  judicious  fellow-committeemen, 
of  whom  Professor  C.  G.  Comegys,  M.  D.,  of  Cincin- 
nati, is  the  efficient  chairman,  and  from  which  much  is 
looked  for  at  the  deliberations  of  the  53d  Congress, 
looking  to  the  establishment  of  this  much  desired 
bureau. 

For  a  period  embracing  several  years,  Dr.  Mont- 
gomery was  a  frequent  contributor  to  American  and 
foreign  medical  journals,  namely  by  reporting  the 
proceedings  of  the  scientific  business  that  was  trans- 
acted by  various  local  and  national  scientific  bodies. 

The  surnames  of  our  worthy  subject  are  derived 
from  the  late  great  Irish  teacher,  Surgeon  Listen,  of 
Dublin,  and  the  Greek  poet,  Homer,  names  historically 
known  throughout  the  civilized  world.  In  manner  he 
is  courteous  and  genial,  and  his  success  in  life  has  been 
achieved  by  his  own  personal  worth  and  efforts,  as  well 
as  his  industrious  habits. 

Dr.  Montgomery  was  first  married  January  25, 
1883,  at  the  age  of  34,  to  a  lady  well-known  and  highlv 
esteemed  in  literary  and  musical  circles.  By  this  union 
Esther  Harriet,  an  ingenious  little  girl,  was  born  No- 
vember 16th  of  the  same  year. 

His  second  marriage  was  a  most  auspicious  one,  to 
Mrs.  Olive  Branch  Jack  Motherspaugh,  a  very  charm- 
ing and  accomplished  lady  in  every  respect,  and  was 
consummated  on  September  10,  1893.  She  was  a 
resident  for  many  years  of  Ohio,  but  a  native  of 
Metropolis  City,  111.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the 
late  Hon.  and  Mrs.  Jedediah  Jack,  whose  father  was 
for  many  years  a  personal  friend  and  adviser  of  the 
great  emancipator  and  martyr,  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
a  man  resembling  Lincoln  in  personal  appearance,  of 
whom  John  A.  Logan  had  often  remarked  that  he  also 
resembled  the  assassinated  president  in  statesmanship 
and  executive  ability,  as  well  as  great  endowments  of 
character.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Miss 
Elizabeth  Courtney  Tayler,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
the  owners  and  lords  of  the  Castle  of  Montgomery, 
Scotland,  and  subsequently  of  English  descent.  She 
was  a  cousin  of  Jane  Swishelm,  who  at  one  time  was 
historically  regarded  as  one  of  the  noblest  and  most 
intellectual  women  of  this  country.  Miss  Olive  Branch 
Jack  was  wedded  to  Marshall  D.  Motherspaugh,  who 


128 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


died  September  5.  1890,  leaving,  beside  his  estimable 
wife,  a  most  precocious  and  interesting  daughter.  Flor- 
ence Bernise,  to  whom  as  well  also  as  to  his  own 
talented  daughter  previously  mentioned,  Dr.  Mont- 
gomery is  sincerely  attached.  He  has  not  any  decided 
religious  preferences,  and  never  has  been  baptized  in 
any  faith,  but  claims  that  he  is  equally  ready  to  em- 
brace any  of  the  following  three  denominations:  Con- 
gregational, Methodist  or  Presbyterian. 

Dr.  Montgomery  has  traveled  extensively  in  portions 
of  Europe,  including  Great  Britain,  and  on  the  conti- 
nent, besides  being  well  traveled  in  his  native  land  and 
having  visited  nearly  all  the  States.  He  has  also  been 


in  old  Mexico,  and  portions  of  British  Columbia.  At 
this  writing  he  contemplates  a  visit  to  the  Golden  Gate 
on  the  Pacific.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  maxim, 
"Life  is  worth  living,"  and  of  course  believes  in  one  of 
its  cardinal  principles,  namely.  "  the  Golden  Eule."  His 
ambitions  for  wealth,  therefore,  cannot  be  compared  to 
his  desire  to  be  spared  many  years  for  a  life  which  he 
hopes  to  make  worthy  of  emulation  and  commendable 
to  those  who  survive  him.  And  may  the  finis  prove  to 
be  words,  as  golden  as  an  evangel's  tidings.  Dr.  Mont- 
gomery is  yet  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  what  he  most 
aspires  to,  is  to  enjoy  many  years  of  useful  and  honor- 
able service  in  the  practice  of  his  noble  calling. 


CHARLES  ELI  JUDSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


CHARLES    ELI    JUDSON,    the     president   and 
engineer  of  the   Chicago  Economic   Fuel   Gas* 
Company   of  Chicago,    was  born    at    Prattsburg,  N. 
Y.,  December  21,   1843,  and   is  the  son  of  Aaron  and 
Sophronia  (Mason)  Judson. 

He  is  descended  from  William  Judson,  who  with 
his  family  left  Yorkshire,  England,  in  the  year  1634, 
and  settled  in  Stratford,  Conn.,  where  some  of 
his  lineal  descendents  still  reside  on  the  old  homestead. 
William  Judson  was  closely  identified  with  the  early 
history  of  Harvard  College.  During  the  past  twenty- 
five  decades  the  Judson  family  has  contributed  many 
sons  to  the  Christian  ministry,  notably  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Adoniram  Judson,  the  missionary  to  Burmah. 

Mr.  Judson  was  about  five  years  of  age  when  his 
father,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  accepted  a  call  to 
the  Second  Presbyterian  church  of  Oswego,  N. 
Y.  He  was  strongly  anti-slavery  and  pro-temper- 
ance in  his  views,  and  identified  himself  prominently 
with  the  leaders  of  both  causes,  lecturing  through  the 
country  and  writing  forcible  articles  for  the  papers  in 
defense  of  his  convictions.  He  was  noted  as  an 
eloquent  and  convincing  speaker.  He  died  August  21, 
1852,  before  he  could  witness  the  abolition  of  that 
system  of  slavery  which  he  had  so  strongly  denounced 
in  the  pulpit,  on  the  platform  and  in  the  press.  He 
left  his  widow  and  two  sons  in  only  moderate  circum- 
stances. In  the  following  spring,  young  Judson  was 
sent  to  a  boarding  school  at  Sand  Lake,  N.  Y.^  and  in 
four  years  was  ready  to  enter  college,  but  owing  to  his 
youth  was  denied  admission  until  the  following  year, 
1858,  when  he  entered  the  sophomore  class  of  Union 
College  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  graduated  in  July, 
1861,  in  his  eighteenth  year.  His  favorite  studies  in 
college  were  engineering  and  chemistry,  and  these 
preferences  undoubtedly  had  much  to  do  with  his  later 
business  experiences. 

Immediately  after  graduation,  Mr.  Judson  returned 
to  Oswego  and  engaged  in  the  drug  business.  Six 


month's  experience  of  this,  however,  was  enough,  and 
the  spring  of  1862  found  him  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Bolles  and  Judson,  located  at  Albany,  JS".  Y., 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  wholesale  jobbing  of 
paper.  They  conducted  this  business  successfully  until 
the  fall  of  1865,  when  the  firm  sold  out  and  engaged 
in  the  drilling  of  oil  wells  at  Pithole,  Penn. 
They  met  with  success  in  this,  but  dissolved  partner- 
ship in  January,  1866,  and  Mr.  Judson  went  to 
Savannah,  Georgia,  where  he  organized  the  Southern 
Wrecking  and  Submarine  Company,  became  its  vice- 
president  and  engineer,  and  made  a  contract  with  the 
city  of  Savannah  for  the  removal  from  the  Savannah 
river  of  the  obstructions  which  had  been  placed  there 
during  the  late  civil  war.  This  contract  was  very 
profitable  in  its  early  stages,  but  owing  to  a  disagree- 
ment arising  between  the  United  States  Treasury 
Department  and  the  municipal  authorities  of  Savan- 
nah, the  company  suspended  operations  and  sold  out 
at  a  great  personal  loss. 

In  the  fall  of  1866,  Mr.  Judson  went  to  Scranton, 
Penn.,  and  accepted  the  position  of  treasurer 
and  engineer  of  the  Scranton  Gas  and  Water  Company, 
where  he  remained  uninterruptedly  for  seventeen 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  was  tendered  the 
position  of  president  and  engineer  of  the  Con- 
sumers' Gas,  Fuel  and  Light  Company,  of  Chicago, 
just  then  completing  its  plant.  He  accepted  the 
position  and  moved  to  Chicago.  On  the  failure  of  this 
corporation  he  was  appointed  its  receiver,  and  subse- 
quently became  the  president  and  engineer  of  the  Con- 
sumers' Gas  Company,  which  succeeded  to  the 
property  of  the  former  corporation.  In  the  spring  of 
1887  he  became  president  and  engineer  of  the  Hyde 
Park  and  Lake  Gas  Companies  also.  On  the  1st  of 
August,  1892,  he  resigned  his  official  connection  with 
all  the  above  companies  and  became  the  president  and 
engineer  of  the  Chicago  Economic  Fuel  Gas  Company, 
the  new  corporation  then  about  to  engage  in  the  intro- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


duction  and  distribution  of  natural  gas  in  Chicago. 
In  the  fall  of  1872,  Mr.  Judson  associated  himself 
with  Thomas  J.  Fisher,  of  Laramie,  Wyo.,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Judson  &  Fisher,  in  the  cattle  and  sheep 
raising  business,  and  has  since  that  time,  under  different 
firm  names,  had  an  interest  in  the  same  business.  He  is 
undoubtedly  entitled  to  recognition  as  being  one  of 


the  earliest  established  ranchmen  in  that  portion  of 
Wyoming.  Mr.  Judson  was  married  August  23,  1877, 
to  Miss  Mary  Spencer  Black,  only  daughter  of  Eobert 
T.  Black,  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania.  In  religious  mat- 
ters Mr.  Judson  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  in  politics  a  Re- 
publican. He  has.  never  held  public  office,  however, 
preferring  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  business. 


CHARLES  LAWRENCE   HUTCHINSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


NE  of  the  greatest  marvels  of  this  age  is  the  amount 
of  work  for  good  or  ill  that  ma}7  be  accomplished 
by  one  man.  That  one  intellect  can  be  the  motive  power 
of  countless  enterprises  any  one  of  which  may  work 
incalculable  weal  or  woe  to  thousands  of  fellow-beings, 
and  bring  each  and  every  one  to  a  successful  termina- 
tion, awakens  our  wonder  and  respect.  Such  an  intel- 
lect is  that  possessed  by  Charles  Lawrence  Hutchinson, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  born  in  Lynn, 
Mass.,  on  the  seventh  day  of  March,  1854. 

When  he  was  two  years  of  age  his  parents  came 
west,  settling  in  Chicago,  and  this  city  has  since  been 
his  home.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools  of  Chicago,  and  his  business  career  commenced 
immediately  after  his  graduation  from  the  high  school 
in  1873.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  we  find  him  asso- 
ciated in  business  with  his  father,  Mr.  B.  P.  Hutchinson, 
and  having  no  time  and  but  little  inclination  for  boyish 
sports,  he  early  developed  habits  of  industry  and  the 
closest  application  to  business. 

Mr.  Hutchinson  is  a  great  lover  of  art,  and  has  one 
of  the  finest  private  collections  in  Chicago  to-day,  or 
for  that  matter,  in  the  entire  West.  The  old  masters 
represented  in  his  gallery  are  Cuyp,  Palamedes,  Van  der 
Neer  and  Teneirs.  From  the  Demidorf  collection  he 
secured  a  gem  by  Franz  Hals,  and  his  Rosetti  is 
considered  a  great  prize.  In  short,  he  is  one  of  the 
few  men  who  can  rely  on  the  truth  of  his  own  percep- 
tions in  judging  the  merits  of  a  work.  From  the  noble 
work  being  done  by  the  Art  Institute  and  its  instruc- 
tors we  turn  naturally  to  the  men  who,  by  their  public 
spirit,  their  generosity,  and  their  love  of  art  have  estab- 
lished the  institution  itself.  First  and  foremost  among 
these  is  Mr.  Hutchinson,  who,  by  his  personal  effort,  his 
counsel,  his  business  ability  and  his  means  has  sus- 
tained the  cause  of  the  institution  of  which  he  is  presi- 
dent through  many  trials  and  brought  it  to  its  present 
high  standing.  He  is  very  sanguine  as  to  its  future 
and  continues  in  its  behalf  the  efforts  which,  it  may  be 
said,  have  given  to  it  its  greatest  impetus.  His  interest 
in  the  development  of  art  and  its  future  in  the  West  is 
very  deep  indeed,-ancl  as  chairman  of  the  Fine  Arts 
committee  of  the  World's  Fair  he  has  been  exceedingly 
active,  laboring  hard  to  make  the  art  exhibit  one  of 
the  very  best.  The  success  of  his  efforts  is  patent  to 


all  who  have  visited  that  striking  department  of  the 
Fair.  He  was  the  Royal  Greek  Commissioner  and  Greek 
Consul  for  Chicago  and  was  a  member  of  the  World's 
Congress  Auxiliaries  of  Artists. 

Mr.  Hutchinson  is  also  a  zealous  and  active  worker 
in  the  cause  of  education,  being  especially  vigilant  in 
looking  after  the  interests  of  the  Chicago  University, 
of  which  institution  he  is  a  director,  an  active  member 
of  the  finance  committee,  and  its  treasurer.  He  has 
been  from  the  first  a  large  contributor  both  of  his  time 
and  means  to  the  cause  of  the  university  and  to  its  ad- 
vancement. In  church  and  charitable  work  he  quietly 
does  all  that  he  can  to  relieve  those  in  need,  and  though 
exceedingly  unostentatious  in  giving  he  never  turns  a 
deaf  ear  to  those  who  are  in  distress.  He  has  been  for 
twelve  years  superintendent  of  St.  Paul's  Universalist 
Sunday-school  and  gives  to  his  duties  in  that  position 
the  same  careful  attention  that  he  has  always  given  to 
anything  committed  to  his  charge. 

In  any  and  every  enterprise  looking  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  business  interests  of  Chicago  the 
name  of  Charles  L.  Hutchinson  is  sure  to  be  found 
close  to  the  head  of  the  list  of  those  having  it  in  charge. 
Ever  since  the  location  of  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago 
he  has  been  actively  identified  with  the  management, 
having  been  a  director  from  the  first  and  a  member  of 
the  executive  committee  since  its  organization,  besides 
the  great  work  that  he  has  done  as  chairman  of  the 
Fine  Arts  committee.  When  the  Auditorium  Associa- 
tion was  organized  he  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  of 
the  enterprise  and  has  been  a  director  and  the  treas- 
urer of  the  Association  ever  since  its  organization.  In 
1879,  when  the  Corn  Exchange  Bank  was  reorganized, 
Mr.  Hutchinson  was  elected  president,  which  office  he 
still  holds.  He  is  also  vice-president  of  the  Northern 
Trust  Co.,  a  director  of  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago,  and 
of  the  Traders  Insurance  Co.  Ever  since  his  first 
entrance  into  the  business  world  he  has  been  in  active 
sympathy  with  the  Board  of  Trade,  having  served 
several  terms  as  treasurer  of  that  body,  one  year  as 
view-president  and  as  president  in  1888. 

In  1881  he  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  M.  Kinsley, 
daughter  of  Mr.  II.  M.  Kinsley  of  Chicago.  He  has 
traveled  extensively  having  made  special  visits  to 
England,  to  Holland,  to  Spain,  and  to  Egypt,  with  the 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


object  of  increasing  his  already  extensive  knowledge  of 
the  art  that  he  loves.  Such  is  a  brief  description  of  one 
of  Chicago's  most  valued  citizens,  a  man  yet  young  in 
years,  though  old  in  experience  and  business  ability. 
Accustomed  from  his  early  manhood  to  the  society  of 
men  on  whose  action  depends  in  a  great  measure  the 


country's  financial  status,  his  quick  perception  and  un 
erring  judgment  make  him  a  man  of  mark  in  any  coin- 
pan}'.  Modest  and  unassuming  in  dress  and  demeanor 
he  is  one  of  "  nature's  noblemen."  and  well  deserves  the 
love  and  admiration  that  is  so  freely  accorded  him  b\r 
his  fellow- men. 


EUGENE  STAFFORD  ELLSWORTH, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


EUGENE  STAFFORD  ELLSWORTH,  son  of  Or- 
lando and  Almira  Shaw  (Hinds)  Ellsworth,  was 
born  in  Milwaukee  count}',  Wis.,  on  the  2nd  day 
of  November,  1848.  His  father,  Orlando  Ellsworth, 
was  a  son  of  Stukley  Stafford  Ellsworth,  a  native  of 
Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  and  quite  a  prominent  fig- 
ure in  the  commercial  and  political  history  of  that 
State,  having  served  for  many  years  in  the  New  York 
State  senate.  Orlando  Ellsworth  was  reared  and  mar- 
ried in  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  but  came  West  and 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Milwaukee  county, 
Wisconsin,  having  arrived  there  in  the  summer  of 
1836.  He  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  the  early 
history  of  the  county,  and  served  in  the  legislature  of 
•1857-58,  having  been  elected  by  the  Republican  party, 
of  which  he  was  a  member.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War  he  raised  a  company  of  volunteers  and  was 
elected  captain.  The  company  was  assigned  to  the 
Twenty-fourth  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  and 
was  known  as  Company  "  K."  The  regiment  was 
ordered  to  the  front  in  September,  1862,  as  part  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
then  a  lad  of  thirteen,  went  with  it  as  drummer  boy  of 
his  company,  and  stayed  with  the  company  until  an 
attack  of  severe  sickness  compelled  him  to  go  into 
the  hospital,  and,  not  entirely  recovering  his  health,  he 
was  eventually  compelled  to  quit  the  service  and  go 
home.  Capt.  Ellsworth,  the  father,  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  when  he  went  to  Iowa  Falls,  la., 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  June 
27,  1872. 

Young  Ellsworth  attended  the  public  schools  at 
Milwaukee  until  he  went  to  the  front  with  his  father's 
company,  and  after  his  return  he  took  a  short  course  at 
Bayliss  Commercial  College  at  Dubuque,  la.  In  1863 
he  went  to  Iowa  Falls,  la.,  and  engaged  in  teaming, 
hauling  lumber,  supplies  and  goods  of  all  kinds  to  Iowa 
Falls  from  the  nearest  railroad  station.  This  business 
he  carried  on  for  about  two  years,  and  then  abandoned 
it  to  go  into  the  real  estate  business,  and  though 
the  country  was  then  new  and  sparsely  settled, 
witli  such  energy  did  he  attend  to  his  business  that  he 
soon  saw  his  efforts  crowned  with  great  success. 
Besides  the  business  of  real  estate  that  he  carried  on  on 
his  own  account  he  also  did  a  very  extensive  business 
in  loaning  money  for  Eastern  investors  on  Iowa 


improved  farms,  and  he  can  be  justly  proud  of  the 
magnificent  record  that  he  made  in  his  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  of  active  business  in  this  line;  for, 
during  his  entire  career  in  this  line  of  business,  not  a 
single  dollar  of  any  investor  was  lost  through  him  nor 
did  a  single  piece  of  real  estate  bought  by  him  prove 
unsatisfactory  to  the  purchaser.  In  1880  he  was  elected 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa 
Falls,  and  North  Western  Land  and  Town  Lot  Com- 
pany, an  organization  created  for  the  purpose  of  pur- 
chasing lands  and  town  sites  on  the  line  of  the  B.  C. 
R.  &  N.  Railway,  and  during  the  time  that  he  had  the 
entire  management  of  that  company's  business  in  his 
sole  charge,  more  than  thirty  of  the  best  towns  in  Iowa 
were  brought  into  existence.  Owing  partially  to  the 
rapid  development  of  Iowa,  his  business  assumed  such 
immense  proportions  as  to  be  beyond  the  management 
of  one  man.  and  consequently  in  1884  he  took  as  a 
partner  Mr.  L.  E.  Jones  of  Iowa  Falls,  who  had  been 
for  seven  years  prior  to  that  time  his  confidential  clerk. 
This  partnership  is  still  in  existence.  They  have  offices 
in  Iowa  Falls  and  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Jones  having  charge 
of  the  former  and  Mr.  Ellsworth  of  the  latter. 

In  1890  Mr.  Ellsworth  was  elected  vice-president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Iowa  Falls  and  still  holds 
that  position.  From  1881  to  1892  he  was  a  director  of 
the  Burlington,  Cedar  Rapids  and  Northern  Railway. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  served  his  party  as 
mayor  of  Iowa  Falls  from  June  15,  1876,  until  March 
5,  1877,  and  was  a  member  of  the  town  board  of  trus- 
tees continuously  from  1877  to  1888.  He  has  always 
taken  a  strong  interest  in  educational  matters  and  Ells- 
worth College,  which  was  established  in  Iowa  Falls  in 
1890,  was  named  for  him.  Though  it  is  still  young  it 
is  already  known  as  one  of  the  most  flourishing  institu- 
tions in  the  West. 

On  July  1,  1893,  Mr.  Ellsworth  started  a  private 
bank  on  the  North  Side,  in  Chicago,  on  Division  streef, 
near  Sedgwick,  believing  that  as,  at  that  time,  there 
was  but  one  bank — the  Lincoln  National  Bank  on  Clark 
street— a  good  field  offered  for  such  an  institution. 

lie  joined  the  Masonic  fraternity  in  1878  and  has 
taken  all  of  the  degrees  of  Masonry  up  to  and 
including  the  32nd.  lie  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  on  the 
18th  of  September,  1887,  was  chosen  Eminent  Com- 
mander of  St.  Elmo  Commandery,  number  48,  of  Iowa 


tf 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


135 


Falls,  holding  the  office  until  November  1888.      He  is     Collegicite  Institute  at  Chicago.    Mr.  Ellsworth,  thouo-1 


also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men and  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  has  traveled  extensively  in  all  pnrts  of  the 
United  States,  and  in  1878  made  an  extended  visit  to 
England.  Ireland,  Scotland,  Wales  and  Continental 
Europe,  repeating  the  trip  in  1891,  when  he  spent 
several  months  abroad.  He  was  married  in  September, 
1872,  to  Miss  Hattie  A.  Northrop,  of  Otisville,  Franklin 
county,  Iowa.  They  have  two  children,  the  eldest, 
Ernest  Orlando,  a  youth  twenty  years  of  age  and  a 
graduate  of  Shattuck  school  at  Faribault,  Minnesota, 
and  Carrie  Pearl,  who  is  at  present  attending  Grant 


still  a  young  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  can  now  look  back 
on  a  business  record  of  which  any  man  might  well  be 
proud.  In  building  up  his  own  business  he  has  been  in- 
strumental in  building  up  numerous  industries  each  of 
which  has  added  its  full  share  to  the  general  welfare. 
A  business  man  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen,  he  has 
been  engaged  in  active  business  ever  since,  and  to  the 
efforts  of  himself  and  his  colleagues,  Iowa  owes  many 
of  her  most  prosperous  and  growing  towns.  Modest 
and  unassuming,  with  attractive  social  qualities,  a 
kindly  nature  and  quick,  energetic  business  habits.  Mr. 
Ellsworth  is  a  valuable  acquisition  to  any  community. 


JOHN  H.  S.  QUICK, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  well-known  and  justly 
eminent  member  of  the  Chicago  bar.  He  is  not 
one  of  the  many  who  have  risen  from  obscurity  into  the 
blaze  of  ephemeral  prosperity,  but  he  has  risen  to  a  high 
position  as  a  lawyer  and  a  citizen  by.  gradual  and 
constant  advances,  every  successive  step  having  been 
wisely  and  happily  taken ;  a  career  no  less  honorable 
to  himself  than  useful  to  others. 

Mr.  Quick  is  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  was  born 
on  the  13th  day  of  January,  1837.  His  father  was  John 
S.  Quick,  formerly  an  enterprising  and  prosperous 
merchant  of  New  York  city,  and  his  mother  was  Mary 
(nee  Roberts)  a  lady  of  many  womanly  virtues.  Young 
Quick  received  the  rudiments  of  his  education  in  the 
grammar  school  of  Columbia  College,  New  York,  and 
later  attended  the  Episcopal  Academy  at  Cheshire, 
Conn.  He  entered  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  Conn., 
and  there  pursued  his  higher  studies  in  literature  and 
the  languages,  graduating  with  honor  in  the  class  of 
1858.  He  was  for  several  years  the  president  of  the 
Alumni  Association  of  that  college,  and  is  now  one  of 
its  permanent  trustees. 

Full  of  a  desire  for  learning  and  to  rank  in  the 
highest  branches  of  culture  and  education,  he  went  to 
Europe  and  attended  lectures  at  the  University  of 
Leipsic,  Germany.  Returning  to  New  York,  he  read 
law  with  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Scudder  &  Carter,  com- 
posed of  Henry  J.  Scudder  and  James  C.  Carter.  He 
finished  his  course  in  jurisprudence  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  New  York  city  in  1862.  He  practiced 
law  there  with  success  for  some  time  and  then  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  practiced  alone  until  1871.  He 
then  entered  into  partnership  with  George  Herbert, an 
able  and  well-known  lawyer.  These  gentlemen  col- 
lected a  magnificent  law  library,  but  this  together  with 
the  well  chosen  and  extensive  private  library  of  Mr. 
Quick  was  consumed  in  the  great  fire  of  1871.  This 
partnership  continued  doing  a  very  large  and  lucrative 
law  business  until  1876,  when  Mr.  John  S.  Miller  was 


admitted,  the  firm  rame  becoming  Herbert,  Quick  & 
Miller,  and  so  continuing  until  the  demise  of  Mr.  Her- 
bert. The  firm  continued  under  the  title  of  Quick  & 
Miller  until  within  a  few  years;  since  then  Mr.  Quick 
has  practiced  by  himself.  He  is  a  well  and  widely 
read  lawyer,  who  is  patient  in  research  of  authorities, 
possessed  of  an  analytical  mind  and  sound  reasoning 
logical  in  discourse,  and  with  a  profound  knowledge 
of  the  details  and  intricacies  of  his  profession.  In  the 
Chicago  Law  Times  of  July,  1888,  Judge  C.  V.  Wa'ite 
writes  of  him  as  follows  : 

"  Though  Mr.  Quick  has  always  avoided  an  active 
participation  in  public  affairs,  yet  without  solicitation 
on  his  part  he  has  been  much  talked  of  in  his  own 
party  as  an  eligible  candidate  for  Congress,  owing  to 
his  high  standing  in  his  profession  as  a  lawyer  of  com- 
manding ability;  as  a  prominent  member  of  the  Iro- 
quois  Club  and  of  the  county  democracy,  and  as  one  of 
the  pillars  of  Grace  Church,  a  power  in  social  and 
business  circles,  and  an  active  and  energetic  man." 

Mr.  Quick  has  passed  to  the  Knight  Templar's 
degree  in  Masonry,  and  is  a  much  respected  member  of 
that  organization,  being  a  past  eminent  commander 
of  Montjoie  Commandery,  of  Chicago.  In  social  life 
he  is  polished  and  refined,  yet  plain  and  unostentatious 
in  his  manner,  a  great  favorite  with  the  members  of 
the  bar,  and  indeed  with  all  classes. 

His  great  erudition,  his  pure  professional  and  social 
ethics  and  his  conversational  powers  render  him  a 
welcome  and  interesting  guest  in  every  circle.  Mr. 
Quick  has  a  fine  presence,  is  of  medium  size  and  height, 
with  high,  broad  forehead,  blue  eyes  and  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  auburn  hair,  tinged  by  the  hand  of  time  with 
silver.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Henrietta  B.  Carter, 
the  esteemed  and  accomplished  daughter  of  the  late 
H.  Kendall  Carter,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  they  have 
an  interesting  family,  consisting  of  one  daughter  and 
three  sons. 

As  before   stated,  the  fine  private  library  of  Mr. 


136 

Quick  was  largely  destroyed  by  fire,  but  he  immedi- 
ately set  to  work  gathering  together  a  new  one,  and 
to-day  there  are  probably  few  in  Chicago  who  possess 
such  an  extensive  and  varied  collection  of  choice,  rare, 
antique  and  modern  works  as  he.  The  collection  is  the 
work  of  years,  and  contains  some  ra,re  books  of 
immense  value,  and  Mr.  Quick  is  naturally  proud  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of-'  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


his  collection.  Being  also  a  lover  of  art,  he  has 
managed  to  secure  a  fine  collection  of  beautiful 
paintings  of  both  the  old  and  modern  school,  which 
adorn  his  home ;  and  it  might  be  truly  stated  that 
outside  of  his  professional  life,  it  is  in  the  quietude  of 
his  home  and  library  that  he  takes  the  keenest  delight 
and  enjoyment. 


CHARLES  MATHER  HENDERSON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  well-known  men  who  are  and  have 
been  part  and  parcel  of  Chicago's  history  during 
the  past  quarter  of  a  century  there  is  no  one  whose 
name  is  familiar  to  a  greater  number  of  people,  both 
in  Chicago  and  the  entire  West,  than  Charles  Mather 
Henderson. 

He  is  the  son  of  James  F.  and  Sebrina  (Marsh) 
Henderson,  and  was  born  at  New  Hartford,  Litchfield 
county,  Conn.,  on  the  21st  of  March,  1834.  His  paternal 
grandmother  was  a  member  of  the  family  of  Cotton 
Mather,  a  man  whose  name  is  familiar  to  all  students 
Of  American  history,  while,  from  his  mother's  side  he 
is  a  descendant  of  Roswell  Marsh,  a  soldier  who  gained 
fame  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

Mr.  Henderson's  early  education  was  acquired  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  State,  and  the  "little 
red  school  house,"  in  which  he  first  studied,  has  been 
gratefully  remembered  and  is  now  known  throughout 
the  West  as  the  brand  on  one  of  the  best  lines  of  chil- 
dren's shoes  known  to  the  trade. 

In  1853,  when  he  had  nearly  attained  his  nineteenth 
year,  young  Henderson  came  to  Chicago,  obtaining 
employment  in  the  boot  and  shoe  house  of  his  uncle, 
C.  N.  Henderson,  the  firm  being  known  as  C.  N.  Hen- 
derson &  Co.  Here  he  passed  through  and  made  him- 
self thoroughly  familiar  with  every  part  of  the  business, 
so  that  when  the  death  of  bis  uncle  occurred,  in  1859, 
he  had  mastered  every  part.  He  soon  reorganized  the 
company,  under  the  title  of  C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co., 
and  under  that  title  the  business  has  been  carried  on 
up  to  the  present  time. 

In  1863  his  brother,  Wilbur  S.  Henderson,  was 
admitted  to  partnership,  and  the  business  was  carried 
on  at  32  Lake  Street  until  1868,  when  fire  broke  out 
and  destroyed  their  plant.  They  then  resumed  busi- 
ness at  58  and  60  Wabash  Avenue,  where  they  had 
been  located  but  three  years  when  fire  again  overtook 
them,  and  the  terrible  calamity  of  October  8  and  9, 
1871,  left  them,  as  well  as  many  others,  with  little  but 
ashes  of  what,  had  been  a  magnificent  business. 
Nothing  daunted  by  this  terrible  blow,  however,  they 
immediately  set  to  work  and  were  one  of  the  first 
firms  to  resume  business  after  the  fire.  Since  that 
time  they  have  steadily  pushed  on;  the  business  has 
attained  enormous  proportions,  and  it  is  said  to  be  now 


without  exception  the  largest  boot  and  shoe  manufact- 
uring and  jobbing  house  in  America,  if  not  in  the  world. 
At  present  the  company  have  three  large  factories 
in  active  operation-Mane  in  Chicago  and  two  in  Dixon, 
111.,  in  which  many  thousand  people  are  employed. 
Their  Chicago  offices  and  salesrooms  are  at  the  corner 
of  Adams  and  Market  streets,  where  an  army  of 
clerks  are  kept  busy  in  attending  to  the  large  business 
transacted. 

Though  the  yearly  growth  of  his  business  has 
necessitated  almost  his  entire  attention,  Mr.  Hender- 
son has  found  time  to  largely  interest  himself  in  every 
effort  that  has  been  made  for  the  betterment  of  Chi- 
cago's municipal  government  and  her  material  welfare. 
In  1874  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and  organizers  of 
the  Citizens'  Association,  an  organization  of  a  large 
number  of  the  most  prominent  of  Chicago's  citizens 
for  the  purification  of  her  government.  He  was 
repeatedly  urged  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  asso- 
ciation, but  always  declined,  although  he  gave  material 
aid  in  the  adoption  of  the  present  city  charter;  and, 
having  always  been  a  firm  believer  in  an  honest  and 
well-managed  city  government,  has  expended  large 
sums  of  money  at  various  times  to  help  bring  about 
the  desired  result.  He  has  also  been  much  interested 
in  the  Chicago  Fire  Department,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  its  reconstruction  and  in  bringing  it  to 
its  present  high'  state  of  perfection. 

Mr.  Henderson  is  a  well-known  and  popular  member 
of  the  Union  League,  the  Commercial,  the  Chicago  and 
the  Calumet  clubs  and  is  also  very  popular  socially. 
In  religious  matters  he  has  taken  a  very  active  part, 
having  been  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  for  more  than  twenty  years,  for  fifteen  years 
president  of  the  young  people's  mission  association,  for 
ten  years  superintendent  of  the  Rail-Road  Chapel  and 
for  two  years  president  of  the  Young  Mens'  Christian 
Association.  He  has  always  been  a  liberal  contributor 
to  all  charitable  enterprises  and  though  quiet  and 
unostentatious  in  giving  never  turns  a  deaf  ear  to  the 
appeals  of  the  distressed.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Chicago  Home  for  Incurables,  and  also  of  Lake 
Forest  University. 

Politically,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  though  he  has  often  been  urged  to  accept  positions 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


of  honor  and  trust  in  the  gift  of  his  party  he  has 
invariably  declined,  the  stress  of  his  private  business 
interests  and  his  none  to  robust  health  having  required 
this  course.  In  1858  Mr.  Henderson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Emily  Hollingsworth,  daughter  of  James 
Hollingsworth,  of  Chicago.  Three  daughters,  Florence 
H.,  Grace  and  Bessie,  have  been  born  to  them,  and 
now  add  greatly  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  home  and 
to  the  social  popularity  of  Mr.  Henderson  and  his 
charming  wife. 

Such  is  the  brief  sketch  of  a  man   whose  name  is 


known  by  his  work,  not  only  in  the  city  of  his  adop- 
tion, but  in  the  entire  West.  In  Chicago  he  is  best 
known  by  the  quiet  though  effective  work  done  bv 
him  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellows  and  for  his  just  and 
honorable  treatment  of  all  who  in  any  way  transact  bus- 
ness  with  the  large  establishment  that  his  energy  and 
business  sagacity  have  built  up.  He  is  a  good  repre- 
sentative of  the  best  class  of  Chicago's  citizens,  and  no 
list  of  names  representing  the  most  prominent  of  that 
class  can  be  complete  without  the  name  of  -Charles 
Mather  Henderson. 


WILLIAM   FESSENDEN   MERRILL, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  FESSENDEN  MERRILL  was  born 
at  Montague,  Mass.,  July  14,  1842.  He  is  the 
son  of  James  H.  and  Lucia  W.  (Griswold)  Merrill,  the 
father  being  a  Congregational  clergyman,  who  preached 
in  Massachusetts  for  forty  years,  and  whose  ancestors, 
natives  of  England,  came  to  this  country  as  early  as 
1632,  and  settled  near  Salisbury,  Mass. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in 
Punchard  free  school,  Andover,  Mass.,  and  entered 
Amherst  College  in  the  autumn  of  1859.  In  the 
summer  of  1862  he  left  college  to  enter  the  army. 
He  enlisted  with  the  First  Massachusetts  Heavy  Artil- 
lery (and  was  afterwards  commissioned  in  an  unat- 
tached company  of  heavy  artillery),  which  was  al- 
most entirely  made  up  from  men  working  in  the 
United  States  Arsenal  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  that 
company  was  afterwards  consolidated  with  other  com- 
panies of  like  character  into  the  Third  Massachusetts 
Heavy  Artillery.  The  company  into  which  he  was 
commissioned  did  duty  during  its  entire  service  in  the 
engineering  corps.  Mr.  Merrill's  first  c6mmission  was 
that  of  second  lieutenant,  later  being  promoted  to  first 
lieutenant  in  the  regiment,  holding  that  position  when 
he  was  mustered  out  of  service  early  in  June,  1865. 
After  January  1,  1865,  he  served  as  personal  aid, 
until  about  a  month  prior  to  leaving  the  service, 
to  Brigadier-General  Thomas,  of  the  25th  Army 
Corps. 

Shortly  after  leaving  the  service  of  the  army  he 
entered  the  Lawrence  Scientific  School  at  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  and  studied  civil  engineering  for  a  year.  In 
the  summer  of  1866  he  came  to  Chicago  and  was 
engaged  in  the  engineer's  office  of  the  city  until  Janu- 
ary of  1867,  when  he  entered  the  service  of  the  C.,  B. 
&  Q.  Railroad  Company  as  assistant  civil  engineer,  and 
was  sent  to  Burlington,  lawa,  to  assist  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  bridge  built  by  that  company  across  the 
Mississippi  river.  He  continued  in  the  service  of  the 
C.,  B.  &  Q.  Company  and  the  B.,  &  M.  R.  Railroad  in 
Iowa  (which  was  afterward  consolidated  with  the  C., 
B.  &  Q.  road)  until  the  spring  of  1873,  with  the  excep- 


tion of  one  year,  when  he  was  assistant  engineer  of  the 
C.  M.  &  L.  S.  Railroad.  For  two  years  thereafter  he 
was  resident  engineer  of  the  Erie  Railway,  and  stationed 
at  Buffalo,  having  charge  of  the  construction  and  im. 
provements  then  in  operation  on  the  western  portion 
of  its  lines.  In  the  summer  of  1875  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw  Railroad  as 
assistant  civil  engineer  and  served  in  that  capacity 
and  as  secretary  to  the  receiver  and  purchasing  agent 
until  July  of  1878,  when  he  was  appointed  chief  engi- 
neer and  general  superintendent.  In  the  fall  of  1880, 
he  was  made  general  superintendent  of  one  division  of 
the  Wabash  Railroad,  which  position  he  held  until  the 
spring  of  1882,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed  gen- 
eral superintendent  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 

Leaving  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad  in  the 
spring  of  1883,  he  accepted  the  position  of  superintend- 
ent of  the  Iowa  lines  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and 
Quincy  Railroad,  with  headquarters  at  Burlington, 
Iowa.  He  continued  in  this  position  until  January  1, 
1887,  when  he  was  sent  by  the  company  to  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  as  general  manager  of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joe, 
Kansas  City  and  St.  Joe  and  C.  B.  railroads.  He 
remained  at  St.  Joseph  until  August,  1890,  when  he 
was  transferred  to  Chicago  as  general  manager  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad. 

For  three  years  Mr.  Merrill  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Loyal  Legion.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Eliza  Grosvenor  Fessenden  on  the  17th  day  of  October 
1872.  Mrs.  Merrill  is'  a  highly  accomplished  lady 
and  the  daughter  of  lion.  Samuel  C.  Fessenden,  of 
Stanford,  Conn.,  whose  father  was  General  Samuel  Fes- 
senden, of  Portland,  Maine.  They  have  two  children, 
Clement  Fessenden  Merrill,  born  October  8,  1877,  and 
Ellen  Lincoln  Merrill,  born  November  27,  1880. 

Mr.  Merrill  is  a  man  of  medium  height  and  weight. 
In  his  manner  he  is  retiring  and  unostentatious,  cour- 
teous to  all,  genial  among  his  friends,  of  whom  he  has 
a  host,  not  only  in  Chicago  but  throughout  the  East 
and  West,  and  altogether  a  gentleman  of  superior 
worth  and  abilitv. 


138 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

NAPOLEON   B.  VAN  SLVKE, 

MADISOH,   WISCONSIN. 


NAPOLEON  B.  VAN  SLYKE,  president  of  the 
First  National  bank  of  Madison,  Wis.,  was 
born  in  Saratoga  count}7,  N,  Y.,  December  21,  1822. 

His  father,  Daniel  Van  Slyke,  born  in  Onondaga 
county,  N.  Y.,  in  1800,  was  the  son  of  Gerret  and 
Catherine  (Wooleaver)  Van  Slyke,  born  in  Herkimer 
county,  N.  Y.,  both  of  whom  were  of  Holland 
descent. 

The  mother  of  Napoleon  B.,  Laura  (Mears)  Van 
Slyke,  was  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y. 
Her  parents  were  James  and  Louis  (Sprague)  Mears, 
both  natives  of  Vermont,  but  who  subsequently  removed 
to  Montgomer\r  county,  N.  Y.,  then  to  Onondaga 
county,  and  finally  followed  their  children  to  Madison, 
Wis.,  where  they  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-five  and  ninety  years  respectively. 

Daniel  Van  Slyke  was  a  civil  engineer,  first 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  "lower  aqueduct" 
of  the  Erie  canal  in  1822,  then  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
son canal,  the  Erie  and  Ohio  canal,  and  with  Dewitt 
Clinton,  Jr.  in  the  Savannah  and  Qgeechee  ship  canal, 
connecting  these  rivers  in  Georgia.  His  last  work 
was  in  charge  of  that  part  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio 
canal  from  Georgetown  to  Harper's  Ferry,  Maryland. 
Here  he  contracted  consumption  and  returning  to  his 
native  county,  there  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
one  years.  His  widow,  Laura,  died  in  the  same  county 
eleven  years  later. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch,  an  orphan  without 
brother  or  sister,  with  a  common  school  education, 
commenced  his  adult  life  upon  a  farm  in  1844,  in 
which  year  he  married  Laura  Sheldon,  the  only  child 
of  Judge  Elisha  W.  Sheldon  of  Sennet,  Cayuga  county, 
N.  Y.  By  this  marriage  there  are  two  surviving 
children,  Laura  V.  Hawley  and  Elisha  W.  Sheldon. 
His  wife  dying  in  1857,  Mr.  Van  Slyke  married  Annie 
Corbett,  daughter  of  Cooper  Corbett  of  Corbettsville, 
N.  Y.,  by  whom  there  were  two  children,  Maie, 
born  in  1861,  the  wife  of  Dr.  John  M.  Dobson,  and 
who  died  in  1887,  and  James  M.,  born  in  1865. 


Leaving  the  farm,  our  subject  in  1850  entered  into 
the  salt  trade  at  Salina  near  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  continu- 
ing the  same  for  three  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Madison,  Wis.,  and  at  once  organized  the  Dane  County 
Bank,  now  the  First  National  Bank  of  Madison,  of 
which  since  1865,  he  has  been  president.  He  is  also  the 
president  of  the  Wisconsin  State  Bankers'  Association; 
an  electric  light  and  power  company  ;  a  gas  company 
and  three  or  four  other  corporations ;  also  a  member  of 
the  executive  council  of  the  American  Bankers' 
Association,  and  vice-president  of  the  Savings  Loan 
and  Trust  Company  of  Madison. 

During  the  civil  war  he  was  assistant  quarter- 
master general  of  Wisconsin,  until  the  government 
took  charge  of  the  furnishing  of  military  supplies, 
when  he,  more  as  a  business  manager  than  a  military 
officer,  was  put  in  charge  of  providing  all  the  clothing, 
camp  and  garrison  equipage,  and  quartermaster  stores 
for  Wisconsin  soldiers,  in  the  State,  with  the  successive 
ranks  of  captain,  major  and  lieutenant-colonel  being 
mustered  out  when  the  war  ended  with  the  brevet 
rank  last  named. 

The  University  of  Wisconsin  was  reorganized  inl 866. 
Mr.  Van  Slyke  was  resident  regent  of  its  board,  and  as 
chairman  of  its  executive  and  finance  committees, 
served  in  that  capacity  for  twelve  years.  As  a  member 
of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin  for  forty 
years,  he  has  for  a  long  time  been  one  of  its  board  of 
curators  and  is  chairman  of  its  finance  committee. 

Being  independent  in  politics,  he  has  held  no  office, 
except  a  postmastership  under  President  Polk,  and  a 
few  other  unimportant  positions.  He  is  a  member  of 
no  secret  or  political  associations,  a  member  of  no 
church,  he  is  an  agnostic  in  religious  matters.  He  has 
traveled  extensively  over  this  country,  but  prefers 
home  and  to  be  at  work  at  his  desk,  and  as  he 
expresses  it:  "Wants  to  die  in  the  harness."  For  a  man 
now  seventy-one  years  of  age  he  possesses  remarkable 
vigor  and  he  gives  promise  of  a  still  long  and  useful 
career. 


CHARLES  DICKINSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


HARLES  DICKINSON  is  the  son  of  Albert  F. 
and  Ann  Eliza  (Anthony)  Dickinson,  and  was  born 
at  139  Wabash  avenue,  Chicago,  on  May  28,  1858. 
His  father's  family  came  to  Chicago  three  years  earlier, 
in  1855.  Young  Dickinson  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Chicago  on  the  West  side,  including  the  high 
school,  where  he  studied  about  two  years.  After  the 
great  fire,  in  1871,  when  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  he  en- 


tered the  store  of  Charles  Gossage  &  Co.,  at  one  dollar 
and  fifty  cents  a  week,  but  gradually  worked  up  to  a 
higher  salary.  He  staid  one  year  with  the  firm,  going 
to  school  in  the  forenoon,  and  working  in  the  afternoon 
and  evening.  He  then  went  with  Albert  Dickinson, 
his  brother,  into  the  seed  business,  and  here  he  has 
remained  ever  since.  During  the  years  1887  and  1888 
the  firm  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  "The 


S*      .^' 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


141 


Albert  Dickinson  Company,"  with  Albert  Dickinson 
as  president;  Charles  Dickinson  as  vice-president, 
Nathan  Dickinson  as  treasurer,  and  Melissa  Dickinson 
as  secretary.  The  business  has  rapidly  increased  in 
magnitude,  and  no\v  is  recognized  as  the  largest  of  its 
class  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Dickinson  resigned  in  1890,  as  vice  president  of 
the  above  company, bat  retained  his  interest  and  is  now 
(1894)  a  director.  In  1891  he  entered  the  Chicago 
Medical  College,  to  take  a  three  or  four  years  course 
in  medicine,but  unforeseen  circumstances  prevented  the 
carrying  out  of  this  plan. 

Mr.  Dickinson  is  a  director  in  the  Chicago  Dock 
Company,  and  president  of  the  Chicago  Talking- 
Machine  Company.  He  has  some  investments  in 


Florida,  owning  several  orange  groves  there.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Sunset  and  Athletic  Clubs.  In  religious 
association  he  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 
He  is  a  bachelor;  having  never  married. 

Mr.  Dickinson  has  traveled  in  nearly  every  State 
in  the  Union,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  has 
made  three  trips  to  Europe,  spending  considerable  time 
in  England,  and  making  a  short  stay  in  Egypt,  France, 
Germany,  Russia,  Denmark,  etc.,  visiting  Tunis,  Cairo, 
Athens,  Constantinople,  Odessa,  Vienna,  and  other 
cities  of  the  old  world. 

He  is  a  man  of  medium  height  and  weight.  In  his 
habits  he  prefers  a  quiet  life,  and  though  unostenta- 
tious has  always  shown  himself  to  be  a  pleasant  friend 
and  a  willing  helper  where  help  is  needed. 


DR.  EDWIN   M.  HALE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  prominent 
pioneers  of  homeopathy  in  Chicago,  indeed  one 
of  its  leading  professors  in  the  great  West.  He  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Newport,  N.  H.,  in  1829.  Dr. 
Hale's  earliest  American  ancestors  came  to  this  coun-try 
from  Hertfordshire,  England,  about  the  year  1637. 
Following  the  advice  of  Gov.  Winthrop,  to  whom  he 
brought  letters,  he  settled  at  Newbur\Tport,  Mass.  One 
branch  of  the  family — David  Hale — moved  to  New 
Hampshire  and  settled  in  Alstead.  Among  the  sons  of 
David  Hale  was  the  Hon.  Salrna  Hale,  of  Keene,  N.  H., 
at  one  time  United  States  Senator  from  that  State. 
Another,  David  Hale,  Jr.,  was  the  husband  of  Sarah 
Josepha  Hale,  formerly  well  known  in  the  early  Amer- 
ican literary  world  as  editor  of  "Godey's  Lady's  Book." 
The  sixth  child,  Syene,  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Edwin 
M.  Hale.  He  studied  medicine  and  took  his  degree  of 
M.  D.  from  the  medical  department  of  Dartmouth 
College. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Hale  commenced  the  study  of  home- 
opathic medicine  in  1848,  and  for  two  years  was  the 
pupil  of  the  late  Dr.  A.  O.  Blair,  of  Newark,  Ohio.  In 
1850  he  entered  the  Cleveland  Homeopathic  College, 
just  beginning  its  career,  where  he  soon  distinguished 
himself  among  his  fellow-students.  At  the  end  of  the 
session  he  located  in  the  little  village  of  Jonesville, 
Mich.  There  were  not  more  than  a  dozen  other  home- 
opathic physicians  in  all  Michigan  at  that  time.  Dr. 
Hale  was  among  the  most  energetic  of  those,  who, 
beginning  in  theyear  1855.  worked  for  a  representation 
of  their  medical  school  in  the  University  of  Michigan. 
When  some  years  later  this  was  finally  achieved,  and  a 
Homeopathic  Department  was  added  to  the  University, 
he  was  offered  the  chair  of  Materia  Medica  and  Thera- 
peutics. He  was  obliged  to  decline  this  honor  as  he 
had  been  called  to  the  same  chair  in  Hahnemann  Med- 


ical College  at  Chicago,  in  which  he  afterwards  lectured 
eighteen  years. 

He  early  began  to  write  on  subjects  connected  with 
his  profession,  supplementing  with  valuable  additions 
the  then  scanty  literature  of  his  school.  In  I860  he 
published  "A  Monograph  on  Gelsemium  Sempervir- 
ens,"  a  drug  then  but  little  known,  but  now  extensively 
used.  About  this  time  he  accepted  a  position  on  the 
editorial  staff  of  'the  North  American  Journal  of 
Homeopathy,  published  in  New  York.  A  few  years 
later,  his  now  well-known  work,  "The  Materia  Medica 
and  Therapeutics  of  New  Remedies  "  was  given  to  the 
world.  It  treated  almost  entirely  of  our  indigenous 
plants  used  in  medicine.  When,  in  1861,  Dr.  Hale 
accepted  the  chair  in  the  Hahnemann  College  and 
came  to  Chicago,  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Prof.  A.  E.  Small.  This  was  dissolved  five  years  later, 
at  which  time  he  entered  in  practice  with  his  brother, 
Dr.  Parker  H.  Hale,  who  had  followed  him  to  Chicago. 

Dr.  Hale's  pen  was  kept  continually  busy  during 
his  occupancy  of  the  chair  of  Materia  Medica,  with 
lectures,  contributions  to  periodicals  and  treatises  on 
all  subjects  connected  with  his  profession — notably  a 
work  on  "  Diseases  of  Women  Causing  Sterility."  He 
has  for  many  years  devoted  especial  attention  to  dis- 
eases of  the  heart  and  is  considered  a  high  authority 
in  such  cases.  His  work — "  Lectures  on  Diseases  of 
the  Heart" — has  passed  through  four  editions  and  is 
the  only  text-book  on  that  subject  in  the  colleges  of 
his  school.  He  also  wrote  a  popular  treatise,  "  The 
Heart,  and  How  to  Take  Care  of  It."  In  1876  he 
visited  Europe,  where  his  writings  were  well  known, 
meeting  in  every  country  with  a  cordial  reception.  On 
his  return,  having  severed  his  connection  with  Hahne- 
mann Medical  College,  he  accepted  the  chair  of  Materia 
Medica  and  Therapeutics  in  the  newly  organized 


14* 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Chicago  Homeopathic  College.  This  he  held  for  five 
years,  and  when  he  retired  from  this  position  he  was 
made  Emeritus  Professor. 

His  winter  vacations  he  now  passes  at  the  orange 
grove  which  he  owns  on  the  beautiful  Lake  Monroe,  at 
Enterprise,  Florida. 

For  twenty-five  years  Dr.  Hale  has  lived  on  the 
corner  of  Twenty-second  Street  and  Prairie  Avenue. 
This  is  now  one  of  the  most  elegant  residence  neigh- 
borhoods of  the  city,  but  when  he  first  built  there  it 
was  the  outskirts  of  the  straggling  town.  He  is  an 
honorary  member  of  many  home  and  foreign  associa- 


tions ;  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences, 
and  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy.  He 
belongs  to  the  Calumet  Club  and  is  one  of  the  earliest 
members  of  the  Chicago  Literary  Club.  His  present 
high  position  is  a  well  merited  reward  for  a  life  of 
self-sacrifice  and  hard  work.  He  is  more  liberal  in  his 
practice  than  the  majority  of  his  school,  as  his 
"Practice  of  Medicine,"  now  in  press,  will  show. 

Personally,  Dr.  Hale  is  marked  by  dignity  and 
gravity  of  demeanor,  and  that  quality  which,  for  want 
of  a  better  name  we  call  "  magnetism  " — the  power  of 
inspiring  interest,  confidence  and  respect. 


HON.  HARVEY  B.  HURD, 

EVANSTON,  ILLINOIS. 


NO  citizen  of  Chicago  has  labored  more  earnestly  to 
advance  the  material  interests  of  the  city  than  has 
Harvey  B.  Hurd.  For  nearly  half  a  century  he  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  city  and  its  beautiful  suburb  of 
Evanston,  and  during  many  years  he  has  been  a  pow- 
erful factor  in  moulding  the  destiny,  not  only  of 
Chicago  and  of  Illinois,  but  of  the  entire  West.  He  was 
born  at  Huntington,  Fairfield  county,  Conn.,  on 
the  14th  of  February,  1828.  His  father,  Alanson 
Hurd,  was  of  English  descent,  and  his  mother  was  of 
mingled  Dutch  and  Irish  stock.  If  ever  it  could  be 
said  of  any  one  that  he  made  his  way  in  life  from 
poverty  to  a  high  and  honorable  station,  it  is  true  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  It  is  said  of  him  that  when 
he  left  home  to  seek  a  fortune  for  himself,  he  carried 
all  his  possessions  tied  in  a  handkerchief,  and  that  when 
some  years  later  he  arrived  in  Chicago,  his  total  wealth 
was  half  a  dollar.  Yet  this  poor  boy  was,  in  after 
years,  to  act  a  part  which  had  no  small  influence  upon 
the  career  of  two  States^  and  to  mold  the  preliminary 
studies  of  a  generation  of  young  American  lawyers. 
Until  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  young  Harvey  worked 
upon  his  father's  farm  during  the  summer  months,  and 
in  winter  attended  school.  On  the  first  of  May.  1842, 
he  took  leave  of  home  and  parents  and  walked  all  the 
way  to  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  where  he  obtained  employ 
ment  as  an  apprentice  in  the  office  of  the  Bridgeport 
Standard,  a  Whig  newspaper. 

In  the  fall  of  1844  he  emigrated  with  a  company  of 
ten  other  young  men  to  Illinois,  and  entered  Jubilee 
College,  in  Peoria  county,  then  presided  over  by  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Chase.  Some  disagreement  occurred 
between  him  and  the  principal  after  he  had  been  at  the 
college  about  a  year,  and  he  went  to  Peoria,  where  he 
looked  in  vain  for  employment.  He  therefore  took  his 
passage  on  a  baggage  stage  for  Chicago,  where  he  soon 
obtained  work  in  the  office  of  the  Evening  Jo»rinil, 
then  published  by  Wilson  &  Geer,  and  afterward  on 
the  Prairie  Farmer.  In  the  fall  of  1847  he  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Calvin  DeWolf,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1848.  His  first  law  partner  was 


Carlos  Haven,  afterward  State's  Attorney,  and  his  next 
Henry  Snapp,  afterward  congressman  from  the  Joliet 
district.  From  1850  to  1854  he  practiced  in  partner- 
ship with  Andrew  J.  Brown.  The  firm  had  large 
transactions  in  real  estate,  and  were  owners  of  248 
acres  of  land,  which  they  laid  out  as  part  of  the  village 
of  Evanston.  Mr.  Hurd  was  one  of  the  first  to  build 
in  that  suburb.  He  commenced  to  build  the  house  he 
now  lives  in  in  the  summer  of  1854,  and  moved  into  it 
in  September,  1855.  At  that  time  it  occupied  a  block 
of  ground,  and  is  now  one  of  the  finest  homes  in  that 
beautiful  town.  He  enjoys  the  distinction  of  having 
been  the  first  president  of  the  village  board. 

Mr.  Hurd  was  first  married  in  May,  1853,  to  Miss 
Cornelia  A.  Hilliard,  daughter  of  the  late  Captain 
James  Hilliard,  of  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  by  this 
marriage  had  three  daughters:  Eda,  married  to 
George  S.  Lord ;  Hettie,  who  died  in  1884,  and  Nellie, 
married  to  John  A.  Comstock.  On  November  1st, 
1860,  he  married  Sarah,  widow  of  the  late  George 
Collins;  she  died  in  January,  1S90.  In  July.  1891,  he 
married  Miss  Susannah  M.  Van  Wyck,  a  lady  highly 
esteemed  in  social  circles  in  Evanston. 

Mr.  Hurd  was  an  ardent  abolitionist,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  stirring  events  that  occurred  in  Chi- 
cago before  and  after  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise in  1854.  The  immediate  consequence  of  this 
action  of  Congress  was  to  throw  the  fertile  soil  of 
Kansas  open  as  a  prize  to  be  contended  for,  both  by 
the  free  and  the  slave  States.  The  slaveholders  of 
western  Missouri  crossed  the  border,  driving  out  many 
of  the  free  State  settlers  and  killing  others,  pre-empted 
lands  and  turned  back  emigrants  from  the  free 
Northern  States  through  Missouri,  who  sought  to  reach 
the  territory  by  way  of  the  Missouri  river,  compelling 
all  emigrants  from  the  North  to  take  a  more  circuitous 
route  through  Iowa  and  Nebraska.  During  the  spring 
and  summer  of  1855,  Kansas  was  the  scene  of  con- 
tinual conflict  between  these  parties,  the  "  border 
ruffians"  of  Missouri  endeavoring  to  drive  out  the  free 
settlers  by  murder  and  arson,  and  the  free  State  settlers 


vV* 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


retaliating.  The  cry  of  "  bleeding  Kansas "  echoed 
through  the  North,  and  emigration  societies  were 
formed  in  the  free  States  to  aid,  arm  and  protect  free 
State  settlers.  A  convention  was  held  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
in  the  spring  of  1856,  at  which  a  national  Kansas 
committee  was  formed;  and  Mr.  Hurd,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  convention  and  of  the  committee  on 
plan  of  organization,  became  secretary  of  its  executive 
committee,  with  headquarters  at  Chicago.  He  had  for 
his  assistant  secretary  Horace  White,  afterward  editor 
of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  now  of  New  York  city. 

In  1856  the  crops  of  Kansas  fell  short,  owing  to  the 
depredations  of  the  contending  factions.  In  anticipa- 
tion of  there  being  a  lack  of  seeds  for  the  planting  in 
the  coming  spring,  the  committee  which  met  at  New 
York  in  February,  1857,  passed  a  resolution  instructing 
the  executive  committee  in  Chicago  to  purchase  and 
forward  the  necessary  seed,  and  at  the  same  time  ap- 
propriated $5,000  to  John  Brown  for  the  organization 
and  equipment  of  the  freesoil  settlers  into  companies 
for  self-protection.  Mr.  Hurd  found,  on  returning  to 
Chicago,  that  the  funds  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer 
were  not  sufficient  to  meet  both  requirements.  He 
therefore  decided  to  buy  and  send  on  the  seed.  One 
hundred  tons  of  seeds  were  bought  and  forwarded  to 
Kansas.  When  Brown  applied  for  the  money  appro- 
priated to  him  he  found  the  committee's  treasury 
empty.  At  first  Gerritt  Smith  and  other  friends  of 
Brown  were  inclined  to  find  fault  with  the  action  of 
Mr.  Hurd.  But  in  the  meantime  the  free  settlers  had 
been  waiting  anxiously  at  Lawrence,  Kas.,  for  the 
seeds.  They  had  been  forwarded  by  a  small  steamer 
which  was  to  ascend  the  Kansas  river  to  Lawrence, 
where  the  settlers  assembled  to  receive  them.  The 
steamer  was  delayed  two  weeks  by  low  water,  and 
when  at  last  it  did  arrive  the  settlers  were  so  overjoyed 
that  the  wisdom  of  Mr.  Kurd's  course  was  amply  vindi- 
cated. Had  not  this  timely  provision  for  raising  a 
crop  been  made,  settlers  would  have  been  obliged  to 
leave  Kansas.  As  it  was,  the  tide  of  emigration  from 
the  free  States  kept  on  increasing,  and  the  pro-slavery 
men.  finding  themselves  overmatch'ed,  soon  gave  up  the 
contest. 

In  1862  Mr.  Hurd  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon. 
Henry  Booth,  and  at  the  s^me  time  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  lecturer  in  the  law  department  of  the  University 
of  Chicago,  which  Mr.  Booth  had  helped  to  organize 
three  years  before,  and  of  which  he  was  the  dean. 
This  firm  was  dissolved  in  1868,  Mr.  Hurd  retiring 
from  active  practice.  In  April,  1869,  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Palmer  one  of  three  commissioners  to 
revise  and  rewrite  the  general  statutes  of  the  State  of 
Illinois.  His  colleagues  were  Messrs.  William  E. 
Nelson,  of  Decatur,  and  Michael  Schaeffer,  of  Salem, 
both  of  whom  withdrew  in  a  short  time,  leaving  the 
burden  of  the  work  upon  Mr.  Hurd.  He  completed 
his  task  after  the  adjournment  of  the  twenty-eighth 
General  Assembly,  in  April,  1874,  and  was  appointed 
by  that  body  to  edit  and  supervise  the  publication, 
which  he  accomplished  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the 


people  of  the  State.  The  labor  which  Mr.  Hurd 
performed  in  this  revision  is  such  as  only  lawyers  can 
fully  appreciate.  He  had  not  only  to  compile  into  one 
homogeneous  whole  the  various  laws  which  from  time 
to  time  had  been  enacted  by  the  biennial  meetings  of 
the  Legislature,  but  to  adapt  them  to  the  new  State 
constitution  of  1870,  discarding  old  provisions  which 
were  in  conflict  with  it  and  constructing  new  ones  in 
conformity  to  it.  The  success  of  his  work  was  imme- 
diate. "Kurd's  Revised  Statutes"  is  an  indispensable 
work  in  every  law  office  throughout  the  State  and  in 
many  public  offices.  The  State  edition  of  1874,  of 
15,000  copies,  was  soon  exhausted,  and  Mr.  Hurd  has 
been  called  upon  to  edit  eight  editions  since,  all  of 
which  have  received  the  unqualified  commendation  of 
the  bar. 

In  the  summer  of  1876  he  was  again  elected  to  a 
chair  in  the  law  school,  which  had  become  the  Union 
College  of  Law  of  the  University  of  Chicago  and  the 
Northwestern  University,  and  is  now  professor  of 
pleading,  practice  and  statutory  law  in  that  institution, 
it  now  being  the  law  department  of  the  Northwestern 
University.  He  has  here  an  occupation  which  is  thor- 
oughly congenial  to  him.  He  has  always  been  a 
careful  student,  and  his  arguments  of  cases  before  the 
higher  courts  were  always  models  of  clear  and  accurate 
statement  of  legal  propositions  and  logical  reasoning. 
In  his  academic  work  he  displays  the  same  invaluable 
qualities,  imparting  to  his  classes  a  thorough  under- 
standing of  principles  and  training  them  to  systematic 
and  methodical  habits.  At  the  special  election  for 
a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  on  the  llth 
of  December,  1875,  Mr.  Hurd  was  nominated  by  the 
Republicans,  but  was  opposed  by  T.  L.  Dickey,  then 
corporation  counsel  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Dickev  was  a  Democrat,  and  had  the  entire  support  of 
that  party;  he  had,  moreover,  the  whole  influence  of 
the  city  administration,  and,  to  crown  all,  he  had  the 
backing  of  the  railroad  corporations,  who  were  dis- 
posed to  revenge  themselves  upon  Mr.  Hurd  for  the 
stringent  measures  of  railroad  legislation  which  the 
General  Assembly  had  enacted,  which  were  contained 
in  "  Kurd's  Revised  Statutes,"  and  with  the  framing 
of  which  he  had  much  to  do.  By  the  aid  of  this 
powerful  combination  Mr.  Hurd  was  defeated.  Just 
before  the  election- a  defamatory  pamphlet  against  him 
was  published  by  a  member  of  the  same  church  to 
which  Mr.  Hurd  belonged,  and  though  of  too  slight 
importance  to  influence  the  result,  it  was  not  a  matter 
to  be  overlooked  bv  Mr.  Hurd,  who  had  always  borne 
an  irreproachable  character.  The  author  was  tried 
and  convicted  of  slander  and  un-Christian  conduct  by 
a  church  court  and  received  its  formal  censure.  Mr. 
Hurd  made  many  friends  by  his  forbearing  and 
Christian  conduct  toward  his  defamer. 

Since  that  time  he  has  not  appeared  before  the 
public  as  a  candidate  for  any  office,  but  seems  to  prefer 
the  honorable  retirement  which  he  has  so  well  earned, 
finding  sufficient  occupation  in  his  academic  duties 
and  employing  his  leisure  in  the  pursuits  of  a  scholar 


146 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


Mr.  Hurd  was  one  of  six  gentlemen  selected  to  fill  the 
vacancy  in  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Cook 
county  created  by  the  conviction  of  members  of  that 
board  for  defrauding  the  county. 

He  has  the  credit  of  being  the  father  of  the  new 
drainage  system  of  Chicago,  by  which  the  sewerage  of 
the  city,  instead  of  being,  as  now,  discharged  into 
Lake  Michigan,  the  source  of  the  water  supply,  is  to  be 
carried  into  the  Illinois  river  by  means  of  a  channel 
across  what  is  known  as  the  "Chicago  divide."  While 
Mr.  Hurd  does  not  claim  the  credit  of  having  first  sug- 
gested such  a  channel  —  indeed  it  had  long  been  talked 
of  —  he  is  without  a  doubt  the  author  of  the  plan  of 
creating  a  municipal  district  of  the  city  of  Chicago  — 
the  Chicago  sanitary  district  —  and  leading  the  move- 
ment which  resulted  in  its  adoption.  Until  he  suggested 
this  plan  it  was  generally  conceded  that  there  was  no 
way  of  raising  the  necessary  money  to  construct  the 
channel  without  an  amendment  to  the  constitution, 
the  city  of  Chicago  having  reached  the  limit  of  its 
borrowing  and  taxing  power.  It  was  through  Mr. 
Kurd's  suggestion  of  this  plan  to  Mayor  Harrison  that 
the  drainage  and  water  supply  commission,  known  as 
the  Hering  commission,  was  raised.  He  was  the 
friend  and  adviser  of  that  commission,  and  was  the 
author  of  the  first  bill  on  the  subject  introduced  into 
the  legislature  in  1886,  known  as  the  Hurd  bill,  which 
resulted  in  a  legislative  commission  to  further  investi- 
gate the  subject  and  present  a  bill.  Th«  bill  reported 
by  that  commission  passed  in  1887;  although  it  differed 
in  some  respects  from  the  original  Hurd  bill,  it  was  in 
the  main  the  same,  and .  was  supported  before  the 
legislature  by  him  and  his  friends,  and  after 
its  passage  he  conducted  the  proceedings  for  its 
adoption  by  the  people  of  the  district.  It  was 
adopted  at  the  November  election  in  1887,  by  an 
almost  unanimous  vote.  His  residence  outside  of  the 
district — at  Evanston — although  not  a  legal  disqualifica- 
tion, has,  in  the  minds  of  politicians,  ruled  him  out  as  a 
candidate  for  trustee;  still  he  has  not  ceased  to  devote 
his  energies  to  its  success.  The  construction  of  the 
channel  as  outlined  is  now  far  advanced.  The  time 


fixed  for  its  completion  is  1895.  When  it  is  done,  it 
will  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  accomplish- 
ments of  the  age.  It  will  at  one  stroke  give  to  Chicago 
an  excellent  system  of  drainage,  pure  water  and  a 
magnificent  water-way,  connecting  the  great  lakes 
with  the  Mississippi  river  and  its  tributaries  and  with 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Mr.  Hurd  has  for  several  years  been  at  the  head  of 
the  committee  of  law  .reform  of  the  Illinois  State  Bar 
Association.  The  able  reports  of  that  committee,  and 
the  able  papers  read  before  the  World's  Congress  were 
by  bim,  in  favor  of  extending  the  American  policy  of 
breaking  up  large  estates,  and  thus  creating  greater 
equality  of  social  conditions  through  the  operation  of  the 
laws  of  descent  and  wills,  by  so  changing  the  laws 
as  to  limit  the  amount  one  may  take  by  descent  or 
will  from  the  same  person,  and  in  favor  of  a  system 
of  registration  of  titles  which  will  make  transfers 
of  real  estate  as  simple,  inexpensive  and  secure  as 
the  transfers  of  personal  property.  His  efforts  in 
behalf  of  the  latter  of  these  reforms  have  already  borne 
substantial  fruit  in  the  shape  of  a  commission  to  con- 
sider the  matter  of  transfers  of  title  which  was  created 
by  the  action  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1891,  of 
which  Mr.  Hurd  was  made  chairman.  That  commission 
made  its  report  on  December  10,  1892,  recommending 
a  system  of  registering  titles  substantially  embodying 
the  essential  principles  of  the  Australian  or  Torrens 
system.  The  bill  recommended  by  the  commission 
passed  the  Senate  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote,  but 
was  defeated  in  the  House,  as  it  is  believed  through  the 
opposition  of  persons  interested  in  perpetuating  the 
uncertainties  and  expensiveness  of  the  present  system. 
Since  the  adjournment  of  that  legislature  the  cause  has 
made  rapid  progress  in  other  States  as  well  as  in  Illinois. 

Among  the  charities  which  have  received  Mr. 
Hurd's  attention  and  aid  are  the  Children's  Aid  Society 
of  Chicago,  whose  work  is  the  seeking  out  of  homeless 
children,  and  placing  them  in  family  homes;  and  the 
Conference  of  Charities  of  Illinois,  an  organization 
composed  of  all  charitable  societies.  He  is  at  this 
writing  president  of  both  of  these  societies. 


FERDINAND  W.  PECK, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  life  and  work  of  him  whose  name  heads  this 
biography  is  inseparably  associated  with  many  of 
the  public  enterprises  that  have  made  his  native  city  a 
metropolis,  known  alike  for  her  unparalleled  business 
activity  and  as  the  homeof  higher  education  and  art. 
He  was  born  in  Chicago,  in  1848,  the  son  of  Philip  F. 
W.  Peck  and  Mary  Kent  (Wythe)  Peck,  and  is  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  sons,  three  of  whom  are 
living  and  rank  among  Chicago's  enterprising  and 
public-spirited  citizens.  The  father  died  in  1871.  The 
mother  is  still  living  and  resides  in  Chicago.  At  the 


time  of  our  subject's  birth  his  father's  residence  and 
garden  covered  the  present  site  of  the  Grand  Pacific 
Hotel.  Growing  up  with  the  growth  of  the  city,  his 
life  reaching  back  nearly  to  her  beginning,  he  early 
imbibed  her  spirit,  and  loyal  to  her  welfare  and  inter- 
ests, has  devoted  himself  with  commendable  zeal  to  the 
development  of  her  highest  and  best  resources. 

He  was  educated  in  Chicago,  graduating  first  from 
the  high  school.  He  afterwards  graduated  from  the 
literary  department  of  the  old  University  of  Chicago, 
and  later  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the  Union  Col- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEAT  WEST. 


'47 


lege  of  Law,  being  then  still  in  his  minority,  when  he 
received  his  diploma  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
just  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Although  he  has  never 
entered  actively  into  the  practice  of  law  as  a  profes- 
sion, Mr.  Peck  has  found  in  the  control  of  vast  busi- 
ness interests  practical  application  for  his  legal  learning 
that  has  been  invaluable  tp  him. 

Besides  looking  after  his  private  affairs,  he  and  his 
brothers  have  managed  the  Peck  estate,  one  of  the 
largest  and  best  controlled  Estates  in  Chicago.  Mr. 
Peck  has  always  been  a  man  of  intense  activity,  known 
for  his  unusual  executive  ability,  and  has  taken  a  just 
pride  in  using  his  talents  and  influence  to  further  those 
public  and  private  enterprises  which  reflect  honor  upon 
his  native  city.  He  is  or  lias  been  president  of  the 
Chicago  Athenaeum,  president  of  the  Chicago  Audit- 
orium Association,  president  of  the  Chicago  Opera 
Festival  Association  and  president  of  the  Chicago  High 
School  Alumni  Association.  He  served  four  years  as  a 
member  and  was  vice-president  of  the  Chicago  board 
of  education,  having  been  twice  appointed  to  that 
position  by  the  mayor.  He  was  also  first  vice-presi- 
dent and  chairman  of  the  finance  committee  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  is  vice-president  of  the 
Illinois  Humane  Society,  and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
new  Chicago  University. 

While  taking  a  just  pride  in  all  of  these  and  other 
organizations,  the  Auditorium  may  rightly  be  called 
his  crowning  work.  This  vast  enterprise  had  its  incep- 
tion at  the  time  of  the  celebrated  Opera  Festival  in 
April,  1885,  in  which  Mr.  Peck  was  a  prime  mover, 
and  the  success  of  which  not  only  strengthened  public 
sentiment  and  developed  public  taste  for  popular  enter- 


tainments of  that  character,  but  also  revealed  the 
necessity  of  a  great  music,  hall  where  great  musical 
productions  could  be  properly  presented.  The  idea 
originating  in  the  fertile  brain  of  Mr.  Peck,  gave  him 
no  rest  until  the  grandly  magnificent  structure  known 
as  the  Auditorium  was  wrought  to  completion  and 
dedicated  to  its  noble  purpose,  the  building  alone 
costing  $3,500,000.  While  it  is  true  that  in  the  carrying 
out  of  his  purpose  he  had  the  financial  and  moral  co- 
operation of  many  other  of  Chicago's  public-spirited 
men,  yet  to  him  must  be  attributed  the  chief  honor. 
The  idea  of  the  promoter  of  this  great  undertaking 
was  to  popularize  music,  of  which  he  is  an  ardent 
lover,  and  give  to  the  people  the  benefit  of  its  elevating 
and  refining  influence.  He  thoroughly  believes  in 
music  as  a  refiner  of  the  masses  and  an  educator  of 
public  taste.  He  finds  his  highest  enjoyment  in  de- 
voting his  abilities,  money  and  influence  to  those 
objects  and  causes  intended  to  better  his  fellows.  His 
taste  is  simple  and  unpretentious,  and  he  has  done 
much  to  encourage  a  severe  and  stable  type  of  archi 
tecture. 

In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Peck  is  tall,  with  clean, 
clear-cut  features,  a  dark  complexion,  black  hair,  and 
a  black  moustache,  and  ordinarily  bears  himself  with 
an  air  of  studious  thoughtfulness.  He  is  a  man  of 
pleasing  address,  courteous  and  kind,  and  withal  has 
an  abundance  of  genial  good  nature. 

He  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Tilla  Spalding,  a 
daughter  of  W.  A.  Spalding,  of  Chicago,  and  a  woman 
esteemed  and  loved  for  her  many  womanly  virtues. 
They  have  an  interesting  family  of  four  sons  and  two 
daughters. 


DANIEL  KIMBALL  PEARSONS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  history  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch  is  that  of  one  whose  success  is  measured 
by  its  usefulness,  and  of  a  life  that  has  made  the  world 
better  and  brighter  through  his  great  philanthropy. 
Dr.  Daniel  Kimball  Pearsons  now  has  the  .love,  grati- 
tude and  admiration  of  the  friends  of  Christian  educa- 
tion, wherever  his  gifts  have  been  made  known.  He 
has  also  proved  an  inspiration  and  an  example  to  men 
of  wealth,  and  has  played  an  important  part  in  inaug- 
urating a  new  era  of  benevolence  among  the  rich  men 
of  Chicago.  He  is  a  self-made  man,  and  his  life  dem- 
onstrates the  fact  that  the  most  successful  men  of  this 
country  are  not  those  "whose  cradles  were  rocked  by 
hired  nurses  and  who  never  knew  an  ungratified  wish 
as  children."  The  majority,  and  the  ones  deserving 
greater  laurels,  are  those  who,  when  boys,  "  did  chores 
for  their  keep,"  chopped  wood  for  twenty-five  cents  a 
cord,  laid  stone  walls,  plowed  rough  fields,  a»d  fairly 
fought  their  way  through  college,  poorly  clad,  housed 


and  fed.     Such  were  the  early  experiences  of  young 
Pearsons. 

Daniel  Kimball  Pearsons  was  born  at  Bradford, 
Yt.,  April  14, 1820.  His  father,  John  Pearsons,  settled 
in  Vermont  over  100  years  ago  as  a  farmer.  His 
mother,  Hannah,  was  one  of  the  Putnam  family,  a 
connection  of  General  Putnam,  of  Revolutionary  fame, 
and  her  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  same  war.  being  one 
of  the  "Green  Mountain  Boys,"  noted  for  their  sturdy, 
strong  and  courageous  disposition.  She  lived  to  the 
age  of  ninety-three,  dying  at  Holyoke,  Mass.,  in  full 
vigor  and  physical  health  up  to  the  last.  She  was 
always  proud  of  the  fact  that  she  set  a  good  example 
for  industrious  habits  to  her  nine  children,  herself 
spinning  the  yarn  and  weaving  the  cloth  for  her  family. 
These  industrious  habits,  good  constitution  and  amia- 
ble qualities  descended  to  her  son,  the  worthy  subject 
of  this  sketch. 
.  The  doctor's  early  education  was  acquired  in  the 


148 

vicinity  of  his  homestead,  and,  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
he  began  teaching  to  acquire  the  means  necessary  to 
support  himself  at  school.  After  five  years  he  accu- 
mulated sufficient  to  enable  him  to  enter  the  medical 
department  of  Dartmouth  College,  where  he  took  a  two 
years  course.  He  then  pursued  his  studies  at  Hanover, 
N.  H.,  and  Woodstock,  Vt.,  where  he  acquired  a 
thorough  medical  education,  graduating  and  taking  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  He  met  with  gratifying  success  in 
his  practice,  but  was  not  satisfied,  his  ambitions  and 
aspirations  leading  him  to  seek  a  broader  field  for  the 
exercise  of  his  abilities.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1860, 
entering  the  real  estate  business  as  an  agent.  He  sold 
lands,  chiefly  for  Michael  Sullivan,  known  as  "  the 
Farm  King  of  the  West ;"  also  for  the  Sturges  estate, 
and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  both  of 
which  were  owners  of  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
acres  in  the  West.  His  sales  in  the  State  of  Illinois 
alone  cover  1,000,000  acres.  His  contact  with  the 
farmers,  and  the  necessity  of  finding  the  means  to  aid 
them,  from  time  to  time,  when  requiring  loans,  sug- 
gested to  him  the  advisability  of  arranging  for  capital 
to  make  advances  by  way  of  loans  on  farm  property. 
He  extended  his  real  estate  business  into  that  of  a  loan 
agent,  and,  as  the  representative  of  eastern  companies 
and  capitalists,  negotiated  loans  to  the  amount  of  more 
than  $1,000,000  per  year,  for  a  period  of  ten  years. 
The  business  was  not  only  remunerative  to  him,  but 
this  vast  amount  of  money,  being  distributed  through- 
out the  farming  community,  was  of  incalculable  benefit 
in  developing  the  country. 

Dr.  Pearsons  had  made  profitable  investments  from 
time  to  time  and  his  private  interests  had  so  increased 
that,  in  1887,  they  required  his  individual  attention 
and  entire  time.  He  has  been  a  large  dealer  in  timber 
land  in  Michigan  and  elsewhere,  which  investments 
have  resulted  profitably.  He  had  unbounded  faith  in 
the  future  of  Chicago.  He  is  the  owner  of  upward  of 
one  hundred  fine  houses,  which  are  well  located  and 
always  occupied,  and  yield  him  a  large  revenue.  His 
investments  are,  however,  not  all  in  real  estate.  He 
is  a  director  in  the  Chicago  City  Railway  Company, 
the  American  Exchange  National  Bank,  and  has  large 
money  interests  in  other  financial  corporations,  but  he 
takes  no  part  in  their  management,  preferring  to  have 
his  time  to  use  in  philanthropic  work,  and  in  this  way 
enjoys  life  in  a  manner  which  few  other  moneyed  men 
do.  He  was  twice  elected  alderman  for  the  first  ward 
of  the  city,  and  proved  himself  a  most  useful  member 
of  the  finance  committee  of  the  council.  His  prospects 
were  bright  for  political  honors,  but,  after  the,  second 
term  in  the  city  council,  he  refused  to  allow  his  name  to 
be  put  in  nomination,  and  has  pursued  the  same  course 
in  reference  to  all  political  preferences. 

While  Dr.  Pearsons  was  a  member  of  the  city 
council,  the  city  credit  was  impaired,  by  reason  of  its 
having  borrowed  more  than  the  constitutional  limits, 
and  also  because  the  validity  of  corporation  certificates 
was  questioned,  their  validity  then  being  on  trial  in 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  '.    &££?. 


court.  When  capitalists  refused  to  advance  more 
money,  Dr.  Pearsons  went  to  New  York  city,  saw  the 
capitalists  from  whom  the  city  looked  for  assistance  in 
the  way  of  future  advances,  assured  them  that  the 
certificates  would  be  paid,  whether  they  were  declared 
void  or  not  by  the  courts,  and  backed  his  assurance  bv 
pledging  his  entire  fortune  jn  support  of  the  credit  of 
the  city.  By  this  prompt  action  and  public  spirited 
conduct,  he  was  able  to  negotiate  the  loan  wanted,  and 
that,  too,  on  exceedingly  favorable  terms.  Subsequent 
to  his  intervention,  he  appealed  on  behalf  of  the  city's 
credit,  and  raised  $500,000  in  Chicago,  to  save  it  from 
bankruptcy.  His  services  were  not  unappreciated,  and 
when  he  retired  from  the  council  a  committee  of 
citizens,  without  regard  to  politics,  waited  upon  him 
to  express  their  appreciation  for  his  acts,  and,  by  way 
of  memorial,  they  embodied  the  regard  of  their  fellow- 
citizens  and  themselves  in  resolutions  handsomely 
engrossed,  acknowledging  the  good  he  had  done,  the 
effective  work  performed,  and  the  valuable  nature  of 
his  influence  in  procuring  the  advance  and  conserving 
the  interest  of  the  public. 

Great  as  has  been  Dr.  Pearsons'  success  in  business, 
and  as  a  financier,  and  valuable  as  have  been  his  public 
services,  that  which  most  distinguishes  him  and  in 
which  he  takes  the  greatest  satisfaction  and  pride,  is 
his  system  of  practical  philanthropy.  To  him  money 
is  valueless  except  as  it  is  put  to  some  good  use.  and  he 
has  most  wisely  decided  to  be  the  almoner  of  his  own 
bounty.  To  attempt  to  enumerate  all  who  have  been 
subjects  of  his  benevolence  were  a  hopeless  task. 
Their  names  are  legion.  But,  without  making  mention 
of  his  hearty  responses  to  the  calls  of  men  and  women 
in  need,  it  may  be  stated  that  his  public  gifts  during- 
the  last  six  years  have  amounted  to  over  one  million 
dollars.  His  acts  and  contributions  are  always  coupled 
with  such  business  conditions  that  the  good  which  he 
himself  does  is  multiplied  by  like  acts  in  others.  His 
good  business  qualities  are  manifest  in  all  his  benefac- 
tions, as  he  clearly  indicates  the  purpose  to  which  his 
donation  is  to  be  applied,  and  couples  it  with  such  con- 
ditions as  guard  it  from  being  squandered. 

Among  the  most  praiseworthy  and  highly  philan- 
thropic acts  of  Dr.  Pearsons  are  his  donations  to  Beloit 
College,  to  which  he  has  been  a  great  friend.  The  new 
dormitory  building  is  his  gift  and  named  by  him 
"  Chapin  Hall,"  in  memory  of  Rev.  A.  L.  Chapin,  who 
was  for  many  years  president  of  the  institution.  This 
building  is  directty  for  the  use  of  those  with  narrow 
means,  and  poor  boys  taking  advantage  of  the  oppor- 
tunity can  possess  themselves  of  a  college  education, 
living  in  the  meantime  in  comfortable  manner  on  $2 
per  week,  with  the  privilege  of  bath-room,  gymnasium, 
etc.  The  doctor  has  also  set  aside  $150,000,  the  interest 
on  which  is  to  be  loaned  to  poor  students  at  3  per  cent 
to  enable  them  to  complete  their  course  in  college,  and 
to  be  paid  back  by  the  student  after  having  graduated 
and  when  he  has  earned  the  money.  Science  Hall  is 
another  magnificent  building  which  the  doctor  gave  to 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


149 


Beloit,  which  cost  $60,000,  and  is  endowed  with 
$100,000.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  equipped  buildings  of 
its  kind  in  the  world.  The  name  of  Beloit  has  clung  to 
Dr.  Pearsons  as  a  precious  remembrance  of  his  youth. 
In  his  speech  at  commencement  exercises  of  1893,  he 
said:  i(Away  back  in  1836,  as  I  was  standing  in  my 
father's  yard  in  Vermont  one  June  day,  four  covered 
wagons  passed  tilled  with  people,  among  them  four 
beautiful  girls  just  blooming  into  womanhood.  They 
attracted  my  attention  and  I  began  to  ask  questions. 
I  found  they  were  all  bound  for  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  and 
they  were  the  first  emigrants  to  leave  Vermont.  May, 
1851,  my  wife  and  I  visited  the  West,  coming  as  far  as 
Elgin  on  the  cars — the  end  of  the  road,  then  taking  a 
mud  wagon  for  Wisconsin,  a  hard  ride.  Henry  Sawyer 
was  the  driver  of  a  tall,  stout  pair  of  black  horses.  As 
we  approached  Beloit  we  had  grave  doubts  about  cross- 
ing the  river,  there  being  no  bridge,  but  the  noble  horses 
plunged  into  the  stream  and  brought  us  safely  across 
and  up  to  a  wooden  tavern.  On  leaving  Beloit  a  stout 
stranger  was  our  companion,  and,  as  we  drove 
through  the  campus,  I  asked  him  what  the  build- 
ings were  for.  "  Oh ! "  he  said,  some  east- 
ern cranks  have  established  a  college  here." 
The  stranger  argued  at  a  great  length  against  acade- 
mies and  colleges  ;  I  did  my  best  to  defend  them  ;  he 
became  very  warm  and,  finally,  as  we  parted,  I  gave 
him  a  rubber,  saying  to  him  that  in  a  few  years  I 
should  come  West  to  live  and  should  become  verv  rich, 
and  that  as  soon  as  I  had  money  in  hand  I  should  build 
up  the  academies  and  colleges  of  the  West.  I  had  my 
eye  on  this  very  Beloit  College  at  the  time,  and  the 
first  college  I  helped  was  Beloit.  The  echo  of  that 
prophetic  argument,  on  that  chilly  night  in  May,  1851, 
struck  you  for  $200,000,  and  will  continue  to  reach 
others  as  long  as  a  kind  Providence  allows  me 
to  live." 

In  the  course  of  President  Eaton's  address  during 
the  same  exercises,  he  referred  to  Dr.  Pearsons'  gifts 
and  the  great  interest  he  had  taken  in  Beloit.  After 
Dr.  Pearsons  had  accepted  the  honorary  membership 
of  the  class  of  '93,  the  president  said  it  was  customary 
when  men  were  enrolled  in  a  class  that  some  degree 
should  be  attached  to  their  name.  "  There  are  some 
honors  thrust  upon  men  which  they  can  decline  to 
accept ;  others  are  theirs  inevitably  as  the  fruitage  of 
their  life.  Such  has  come  to  Dr.  Pearsons,  and  I  but 
indicate  the  degree  which  is  universally  and  gracefullv 
acknowledged  to  be  his  when  I  record  him  as  having 
attained  the  degree  not  of  A.  B.,  but  of  C.  B.— COLLEGE 
BUILDER.  Long  may  you  (Dr.  Pearsons)  and  Beliot 
College,  live  and  work  together  in  this  great  field  of 
Christian  education." 

Among  others  of  Dr.  Pearsons'  magnificent  gifts 
may  be  mentioned  as  worthy  of  special  note  "  Ward 
Hall,''  at  Yankton  College,  named  by  him  in  memory 
of  James  Ward,  first  president  of  Yankton  College. 
His  other  principal  donations  are  :  Lake  Forest  Uni- 
versity, $100,000;  Beloit  College,  $200,000;  Knox 


College,  $100,000;  Chicago  Theological  Seminary, 
$230,000;  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary,  $50,000; 
Presbyterian  Hospital,  $60,000;  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  $40,000 ;  Women's  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  $'20,000  ;  Drury  College,  Missouri,  $50,000 ; 
Yankton  College,  $50,000 ;  Colorado  College,  Colorado 
Springs,  $50,000;  Fargo  College,  $50,000;  Chicago 
Art  Institute,  $15,000 ;  and  to  many  other  smaller 
institutions  smaller  amounts.  All  these  sums  are 
invested  with  the  best  judgment  and  in  such  manner 
as  to  insure  a  permanent  income.  The  doctor  is  also  a 
constant  contributor  to  the  different  charitable  institu- 
tions in  Chicago,  and  has  been  most  liberal  in  private 
acts  of  benevolence. 

One  of  the  shrewdest  business  men,  he  devotes  the 
same  attention  to  his  benevolence  that  he  does  to  his 
business,  and  has  not  left  to  others  the  delicate  work 
of  seeing  that  his  gifts  are  administered  after  his  estate 
has  been  in  litigation  for  years  and  part  of  it  dissipated 
by  lawyers.  He  began  five  years  ago  to  administer  on 
his  own  estate.  It  is  an  open  secret  that  "  the  more  he 
has  given  the  more  he  has  prospered,"  and  he  has 
proven  himself  the  best  friend  to  each  of  his  benefactors 
by  raising  up.  through  his  methods  of  benevolence,  a 
large  number  of  friends  and  contributors.  His  givings 
are  always  spontaneous  and  never  the  result  of  requests 
made  to  him.  He  has,  in  fact,  made  it  a  rule  never  to 
advance  a  dollar  to  any  institution  or  individual  who 
requests  it  from  him.  He  gives  his  personal  attention 
to  searching  out  those  most  deserving  of  generosity, 
and  his  gifts  are,  for  that  very  reason,  a  surprise  to 
those  who  receive  them. 

'  Mrs.  Pearsons,  who  was  Miss  Marietta  Chapin,  one 
of  the  well-known  Massachusetts  family  of  that  name, 
is  in  active  sympathy  with  her  husband,  joining  heart 
and  soul  with  him  in  all  good  work.  They  have  both 
traveled  extensively,  seeing  every  part  of  the  United 
States;  have  three  times  visited  Europe,  and  spent  the 
winter  of  1890  in  Egypt. 

Dr.  Pearsons  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  "  Sons 
of  Vermont  Society,"  and  one  of  the  first  presidents  of 
the  organization.  He  is  also  an  active  member  and 
liberal  contributor  to  the  Illinois  Historical  Society, 
but  he  has  no  desire  for  prominence  in  club  or  social 
life,  his  affections  being  in  his  home,  and  his  ambitions 
being  to  do  good.  He  lives  at  Hinsdale,  a  delightful 
suburb  of  Chicago,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  beloved 
by  everyone.  The  children,  especially,  seem  to  con- 
sider the  doctor  their  special  friend.  His  unassuming 
manners  and  general  good  nature  render  him  a  most 
interesting  companion  and  friend. 

The  doctor  is  a  man  of  strongly  marked  personality, 
deliberate  in  his  judgments,  firm  in  his  convictions,  and 
resolute  in  his  determinations.  Physically  he  is  well 
preserved,  and  though  sevent}r-four  years  of  age,  he 
has  the  appearance  of  being  much  younger.  Erect  in 
form,  he  walks  with  a  sturdy  step  and  bears  himself  as 
a  man  conscious  of  the  dignity  and  nobility  of  true 
manhood.  Such  is  the  outline  of  his  life,  and  while  it 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


may  not  disclose  all  that  lias  contributed  to  his  remark- 
able success,  one  who  reads  it  must  be  impressed  with 
the  fact  that  a  genius  for  hard  work  has  been  no  small 
factor  in  his  ultimate  triumph.  His  life  has  been 


his  actions  sincere,  his  manner  unaffected  and 
his  speech  from  the  heart.  In  a  word,  it  has  been  a 
life  full  of  good  work  and  furnishes  an  example  worthy 
of  emulation. 


DR.  JOHN   E.  GILMAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  E.  GILMAN,  was  born  at  Harmer,  Ohio,  a 
suburb  of  Marietta,  in  1841,  and  comes  of  the  old 
Puritan  family,  which  a  somewhat  noted  historian  has 
said  "influenced  for  a  century  and  a  half  the  political, 
ecclesiastical,  social  and  financial  history  of  New 
England."  It  was  in  1638  that  the  first  Gilman  came 
over  from  England,  and  became  the  American  pro- 
genitor of  this  noted  family.  Beginning  with  Nicholas 
Gilman,  who  was  a  moving  spirit  in  the  American 
Revolution,  the  Gilmans  of  New  England  have  ever 
since  been  prominent  in  public  life.  For  eleven  suc- 
cessive years,  John  Taylor  Gilman  was  governor  of  New 
Hampshire,  just  before  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
and  for  three  successive  years  at  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century  he  occupied  the  same  position,  making 
in  all  fourteen  years  that  he  served  the  people  of  his 
State  in  the  capacity  of  chief  magistrate  of  the  com- 
monwealth."  At  the  same  time  his  brother,  Nicholas 
Gilman,  was  serving  as  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  and  later  as  a  United  States  Senator  from  the 
same  State.  President  D.  C.  Gilman,  of  Johns  Hopkins 
University,  and  Dr.  Chandler  Robbins  Gilman,  an 
author  of  note,  have  been  the  members  of  the  family 
most  prominently  before  the  public  within  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century. 

On  the  mother's  side,  Dr.  John  E.  Gilman  is 
descended  from  the  Fays,  another  old  Massachusetts 
family.  His  mother  and  the  late  Horace  Maynard,  of 
Tennessee,  who  was  postmaster-general  in  President 
Hayes' cabinet,  and  before  that  minister  to  Russia, 
were  born  on  the  same  day,  on  adjoining  farms,  near 
Westborough,  Mass.,  in  1814,  at  a  time  when  the  fath- 
ers of  both  were  absent  from  home,  serving  in  the  sec- 
ond war  with  Great  Britain. 

There  were  eleven  children  in  the  Fay  family  and 
three  of  the  daughters  married  physicians.  It  was  a 
sister  of  Dr.  Gilman's  mother  who  inaugurated  the 
movement  to  build  and  maintain  at  the  public  expense 
the  homes  for  the  orphan  children,  which  are  now  so 
prominent  a  feature  of  the  public  charities  of  Ohio  and 
other  States.  This  lady,  Catherine  Fay  by  name,  was 
for  many  years  a  missionary  among  the  Choctaw 
Indians,  and  when  the  missionaries  were  driven  out  of 
the  Choctaw  country  shortly  before  the  late  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  she  returned  to  Ohio  and,  at  her  own  expense, 
built  the  first  orphan  home  in  that  State,  at  the  town  of 
Lawrence,  on  the  Little  Mtiskingum  river,  in  Washing, 
ton  county.  She  afterwards  induced  the  legislature  to 


take  action,  which  led  to  the  building  of  similar  insti- 
tutions in  almost,  if  not  all,  the  counties  in  Ohio. 

As  Dr.  Gilman's  more  remote  ancestors  had  been 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  New  England,  his  imme- 
diate ancestors  were  among  the  first  to  find  their  way 
into  what  was  then  the  wild  West,  the  unbroken  wilder- 
ness on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  river,  where  the  first 
settlement  was  made  in  the  Buckeye  State.  His 
grandfather  settled  at  Belpre,  opposite  Blennerhassett's 
Island,  the  picturesque  spot  which  was  supposed  to 
have  served  as  the  headquarters  for  those  turbulent  and 
restless  spirits  engaged  in  Aaron  Burr's  conspiracy. 
Afterward  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  some  mem- 
bers of  the  family  still  reside  ;  his  son,  Dr.  George 
Gilman,  having  been  for  many  years  a  prominent 
physician  of  of  Lexington. 

It  was  within  a  few  miles  of  Belpre  that  the  subject 
of  our  sketch  was  born  ;  but  when  he  was  five  years 
old  he  returned  with  his  father,  Dr.  John  C.  Gil- 
man, to  Westborough,  Mass.,  where  the  latter  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  It  was  the 
intention  of  the  father  that  his  three  sons  should  follow 
in  his  footsteps,  so  far  as  the  choice  of  a  profession  was 
concerned,  and  he  shaped  their  studies  to  that  end. 

Two  of  the  sons  drifted  into  the  profession  which 
had  been  chosen  for  them,  but  the  third  engaged  in 
railroad  business,  in  which  he  has  been  decidedly  suc- 
cessful. William  L.  Gilman,  an  elder  brother  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  after  practicing  medicine  for 
some  years,  entered  the  ministry,  and  is  now  a  pastor 
of  a  church  in  Denver,  Col. 

There  was  nothing  irksome  to  John  E.  Gilman  as  a 
boy  about  the  calling  chosen  for  him  by  his  father. 
His  studies  were  to  him  a  source  of  pleasure,  and  the 
assistance  which  he  was  called  upon  from  time  to  time, 
to  give  his  father  in  his  surgical  and  other  practice, 
increased  his  interest  in  what  he  looked  forward  to  as 
his  life  work.  When  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age 
his  father  died,  and  he  afterwards  studied  with  his 
brother,  then  practicing  medicine  at  Marietta,  Ohio, 
and  also  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  George  Hartwell, 
of  Toledo,  Ohio.  He  finished  his  course  of  study  in 
Hahnemann  Medical  College,  Chicago,  and  immedi- 
ately thereafter  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine 
in  this  city. 

The  measure  of  his  success  as  a  practitioner  has 
already  been  alluded  to.  And  it  is  only  necessary  to 
add  to  what  has  been  said,  that  as  a  writer  and  an  edu- 


o' '  Wtstav  .»«'•""» 


Q- 


V- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


153 


cator  he  has  become  equally  prominent,  iiis  contri- 
butions to  journals  and  periodicals  have  covered  a  wide 
range  of  subjects  and  have  been  by  no  means  confined 
to  the  field  of  medicine.  He  has  literary  talent  of  a 
high  order,  and  as  an  art  critic  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  Chicago  press.  Notwithstanding 
the  multiplicity  of  his  professional  duties,  he  lias  found 
time  to  devote  himself,  quite  extensively,  to  art 
matters,  and  some  years  ago  was  one  of  the  leading 
spirits  in  building  up  and  maintaining  the  Crosby 
Opera  House  Art  Gallery,  one  of  the  finest  art  galleries 
Chicago  has  ever  had ;  at  the  same  time  he  edited,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Joseph  Wright,  the  Chicago  Art 
Journal.  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  the  most  noted 
of  all  the  homoeopathic  educational  institutions  west  of 
the  Allegheny  mountains,  has  recognized  his  ability  as 
a  physician  bv  selecting  him  in  1884  to  fill  the  chair  of 
"Physiology,  Sanitary  Science  and  Hygiene,"  a  posi- 
tion which  he  has  since  held,  until  1893,  when  he  was 
chosen  to  the  chair  of  Materia  Medica,  which  position 
he  now  holds. 


In  1860  Dr.  Gilman  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  D. 
Johnson,  who  although  residing  in  the  West  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage,  was  like  her  husband,  a  Puritan 
as  to  lineage.  The  farm  upon  which  Mrs.  Gilman  was 
raised  at  Westborough,  Mass.,  was  acquired  by  pur- 
chase from  the  Indians  by  the  Johnson  family,  and 
descended  from  father  to  son  until  her  father,  having 
no  sons  to  hand  it  down  to,  allowed  the  old  place  to 
pass  out  of  the  family. 

Although  not  a  drop  of  anything  but  Puritan 
blood  runs  in  the  veins  of  the  Gilman  family,  the 
Chicago  representative  of  the  old  New  England  stock, 
while  revering  the  general  nobility  of  character  of  his 
ancestry,  and  the  class  of  God-fearing,  liberty-loving 
men  to  which  they  belonged,  is  by  no  means  blinded 
to  their  faults,  and  some  clever  criticisms,  in  verse,  of 
their  old-time  creeds  and  customs,  have  been  among 
the  products  of  his  pen. 

[The  above  sketch  is  mainly  from  the  Magazine  of 
Western  History,  September,  1890,  Vol.  XII,  No.  5, 
and  over  the  signature,  Howard  Louis  Conrad.] 


CHARLES  HENROTIN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


CHARLES  HENROTIN  was  born  in  1844,  in 
Brussels,  and  settled  in  Chicago  in  1848.  His 
father,  Dr.  Henrotin,  who  in  the  early  days  was  known 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Chicago  as  "the  French  doctor," 
had  been  for  many  years  a  surgeon  in  the  Belgian  army, 
and  from  1857  to  1876  held  the  position  of  Belgian 
Consul  in  Chicago. 

Young  Henrotin  entered  the  Chicago  high  school 
in  1856,  and  afterward  studied  in  his  native  country,* 
attending  the  University  of  Tournai,  from  1856  to 
1861,  when  he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Merchants'  Loan  and  Trust  Co.  In 
1866  he  was  elected  cashier  of  that  bank,  as  successor 
to  Mr.  L.  J.  Gage,  who  became  vice-president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Chicago.  In  the  great  fire  of 
1871  the  books  and  papers  of  the  Merchants'  Loan  & 
Trust  Company  were  lost,  and  Mr.  Henrotin  accom- 
plished the  remarkable  feat  of  re-establishing  all  the 
accounts  of  the  bank,  and  satisfying  all  the  demands 
of  its  customers  without  any  interruption  of  its  regular 
business,  and  without  loss  to  the  bank,  all  of  which  he 
did  within  three  weeks  from  the  time  of  the  fire. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Henrotin  resigned  his  position  as 
cashier  to  engage  in  his  present  line  of  business,  viz.: 
banking  and  brokerage.  At  the  outset,  his  time  was 
devoted  principally  to  the  introduction  into  the  Chicago 
stock  market  of  railroad  bonds — a  business  which  from 
1876  to  1883  assumed  enormous  proportions.  He  also 
rendered  notable  service  to  the  city  and  county  in  suc- 
cessfully handling  nearly  all  of  their  loans  made  at  that 
time.  He  bought  the  Cook  County  Court  House  5  per 


cent,  loan  of  $1,200,000,  and  took  practically  all  the 
city  script,  which,  in  her  then  embarrassed  position, 
had  to  be  issued  for  current  expenditure. 

Mr.  Henrotin's  ability  as  a  financier  had  by  this 
time  become  pretty  widely  known  and  confidence  in 
him  well  established.  It  only  required  the  insight,  tact 
and  daring  of  his  next  enterprise  to  give  him  a  name 
as  a  financial  leader  throughout  the  country.  We 
refer  to  his  splendid  work  in  the  creation  of  the  Chi- 
cago Stock  Exchange,  which  has  been  so  great  a  source 
of  convenience  and  profit  to  the  commercial  and 
financial  institutions  of  Chicago  and  has  won  a  more 
than  national  repute.  Chicago  bad  long  needed  just 
such  a  commercial  medium,  and  now  that  it  has  proven 
so  signal  a  success  a  large  share  of  credit  must  be  given 
to  Mr.  Henrotin,  to  whom  was  due  its  original  concep- 
tion and  subsequent  realization.  He  was  elected  its 
first  president  in  1880  and  his  own  successor  in  1881. 
In  1886  he  was  again  made  president  and  in  1889  and 
1890  was  elected  a  third  and  fourth  time.  Mr.  Hen- 
rotin is  also  a  member  of  the  New  York  Stock 
Exchange. 

One  of  the  numerous  ventures  in  which  he  was 
foremost  was  the  builditig  of  the  Chicago  Opera  House 
of  which  company  he  has  been  vice-president  since  its 
origin.  The  panorama  of  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg 
was  also  secured  to  the  city  through  his  influence  and 
sold  by  him  to  a  syndicate  of  Chicago  capitalists.  Of 
late  years  he  has  been  largely  interested  in  Chicago 
horse  and  cable  railway  matters  and  is  a  director  in 
the  North  Chicago  Street  Railway  Company. 


'54 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


"Within  the  last  few  years  Mr.  Henrotin  has  devoted 
much  time  to  managing  English  syndicate  business  in 
the  West.  He  was  the  American  broker  in  the  success- 
ful placing  of  the  securities  of  the  Chicago  Brewing 
and  Malting  Company,  and  the  Junction  railways  and 
Union  Stock  Yards  and  the  Milwaukee  and  Chicago 
breweries — securities  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to 
some  $38,000,000.  In  the  organization  of  the  London 
&  Chicago  Contract  Corporation  he  took  the  leading 
part,  being  for  a  time  the  official  broker  of  this  corpo- 
ration, as  well  as  of  the  City  of  London  Contract 
Company,  of  England. 

In  1.876,  Mr.  Henrotin  was  appointed  consul  to 
Belgium  to  succeed  his  father,  and,  with  the  sanction 
of  the  Belgian  Government,  was  also  appointed  consul 
for  the  Ottoman  Empire,  both  of  which  positions  he 
still  retains.  He  has  distinguished  himself  by  his  very 
fine  and  exhaustive  reports  on  the  export  and  import 
trade  of  Belgium,  and  in  1889,  in  recognition  of  valuable 
consular  services,  he  was  knighted  by  the  King  of 
Belgium,  with  the  decoration  of  "  Chevalier  of  the 
Order  of  Leopold."  And  in  1893  he  was  also  decorated 
with  the  order  of  Commander  of  the  Meclzidie  and 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Consul  General  of  Turkey  for 
the  Northwest.  He  has  been  for  the  last  two  years  a 
director  of  the  World's  Fair,  occupying  a  position  on 
several  leading  committees. 

In  politics  Mr.  Henrotin  is  a  Democrat,  not  at  all 
inclined  to  partisanship,  but  a  very  liberal-minded  and 
unbiased  thinker.  He  is  socially  active  as  a  member 
of  the  Chicago,  Union,  and  Washington  Park  Clubs,  of 
the  German  iaMannerchor,.  and  the  Nineteenth  Century 


Club.  In  his  domestic  life  Mr.  Henrotin  has  been  espe- 
ciallv  felicitous.  Mrs.  Henrotin,  who  is  the  daughter 
of  Mr.  E.  Bryan  Martin,  a  descendant  of  the  English 
family  of  Byam  Martins,  and  a  resident  of  Maine,  is  a 
lady  of  unusual  talent  and  attractiveness.  Highly 
educated,  possessed  of  unusual  literary  tastes  and 
habits,  she  is  conversant  with  both  the  German  and 
French  languages,  from  the  latter  of  which  she  has 
made  several  important  and  valuable  translations.  She 
is  a  member  of  many  societies  of  women,  filling  many 
offices.  Through  her  exertions  the  work  of  industrial 
education  among  the  teachers  was  taken  up  aj^d  she 
has  done  much  in  various  ways  for  the  advancement  of 
her  sex.  Mrs.  Henrotin  has  been  a  very  prominent 
member  of  the  Woman's  Club,  Chicago,  and  of  the 
Fortnightly  and  Nineteenth  Century  Clubs,  and  is 
probably  the  finest  extemporaneous  woman  speaker  in 
Chicago.  She  has  given  the  work  of  the  Kitchen 
Garden  Association  her  personal  attention  ever  since 
its  organization.  With  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer,  Mrs.  Hen- 
rotin went  to  Washington,  D.  C. ,  to  speak  before  the 
National  Council  of  Women,  to  present  the  claims  of 
the  Woman's  Board  of  the  Columbian  Exposition  for 
recognition.  She  was  vice-president  of  the  woman's 
branch  of  the  World's  Congress  Auxiliarv  and  among 
the  leading  spirits  in  the  work,  and  she. has  gained  a 
world  wide  reputation  in  carrying  it  to  a  successful  end. 
She  was  also  chairman  of  the  general  committee,  which 
had  general  supervision  of  all  branches  of  the  work. 
Many  valuable  essa\rsfrom  her  pen  have  gained  a  wide 
circulation.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henrotin  have  three  sons, 
Edward.  Charles  and  Norris. 


WILLIAM   DEERING, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  finds  an  appropriate 
place  in  the  history  of  the  men  of  business  and 
enterprise  in  the  great  West,  whose  force  of  character, 
sterling  integrity,  fortitude  amid  discouragements, 
control  of  circumstances,  and  whose  marked  success  in 
establishing  great  industries  and  bringing  to  completion 
plans  for  the  betterment  and  comfort  of  mankind 
have  contributed  in  such  eminent  degree  to  the  solidity 
and  progress  of  the  entire  country. 

William  Deering  was  born  in  Oxford  county,  Me.. 
April  2-t,  1836.  His  father  and  mother  were  James 
and  Eliza  (Moore)  Deering.  His  ancestors  immigrated 
from  England  in  1634,  and  in  all  the  histories  of  New 
England  from  that  time  the  name  of  Deering  finds 
most  honorable  mention.  Elwell's  History  of  Maine, 
Savage's  Genealogical  Dictionary,  Cushman's  New 
England  and  Williamson's  Genealogy  of  New  England 
all  devote  honorable  notice  to  the  Deering  family. 
William's  education  consisted  of  the  course  of  studies  in 
vogue  at  that  time  in  the  common  and  graded  schools 


and  was  finished  in  the  high  school  of  Kedfield,  Me. 
He  went  into  business  while  yet  in  his  "  teens,"  and  in 
early  manhood  he  assumed  for  a  time  the  duties  of  his 
first  important  position,  that  of  manager  of  a  woolen 
mill  in  Maine.  He  discharged  every  trust  reposed  in 
him  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  directors  and  after 
the  termination  of  his  labors  there  he  engaged  in 
various  business  enterprises,  which  afforded  that 
training  which  has  developed  a  rare  genius  in  handling 
manufacturing  details. 

In  1871  he  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of 
the  Marsh  harvester,  in  which  he  had  unlimited  confi- 
dence, and  in  1873,  removed  with  his  family  to  Evans- 
ton,  near  Chicago.  The  confidence  Mr.  Deering  had 
placed  in  the  merits  of  this  machine  was  not  misplaced, 
for  the  demand  for  harvesters  increased  so  rapidly  in 
the  first  few  years  of  his  management,  that  it  became 
necessary  to  remove  to  a  point  having  greater  railroad 
facilities,  and  accordingly,  in  1880,  he  removed  the 
entire  harvesting  machine  works  to  Chicago.  The 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


'55 


thirteen  years  intervening  since  that  removal  has 
amply  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of  it.  It  has  not  only 
placed  Mr.  Deering  in  the  first  rank  of  manufacturers 
in  the  United  States,  but  has  afforded  steady  employ- 
ment for  thousands  of  men,  and  made  the  name  of  the 
harvester  a  household  word  throughout  the  agricul- 
tural world.  Mr.  Deering's  interest  in  his  employes  and 
his  great  sympathy  finds  fitting  place  as  a  factor  of 
success  in  his  business  life.  A  good  judge  of  men,  he  is 
not  afraid  to  trust  them,  and  the  confidence  thus 
reposed  in  his  employes  inspire  them  with  strong  at- 
tachments to  his  person  and  his  fortunes.  Their  fidelity 
and  devotion  to  his  interests  always  meet  with  ample 
reward. 

In.  politics,  Mr.  Deering  is  an  old-school  Republi- 
can,  ever  faithful  to  the  patriotism  of  that  party,  and 
ever  unchanging  in  his  belief  in  its  principles  as  the 
basis  of  security  to  the  rights  and  privileges  of  man- 
kind, lie  has  never  sought  nor  accepted  office,  with  a 
single  exception,  when  he  was  in  the  council  of 
Governor  Perham  of  Maine,  during  that  gentleman's 
incumbency. 

Mr.  Deering  is  a  liberal  subscriber  to  public  and 
private  charities,  and  to  many  of  Chicago's  most  thriv- 
ing public  institutions.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  North- 
western University  and  also  interested,  as  a  philan- 
thropist,* in  several  other  institutions ;  but  is  not 
associated  with  any  secret  society,  political  or  social, 
either  as  a  member  or  patron. 


Mr.  Deering  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
marriage  being  to  Miss  Abby  Barbour,  of  Maine, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Joanna  (Cobb)  Barbour, 
October  31,  1849.  Born  to  this  union  was  one  child, 
Charles,  born  in  1852,  and  now  the  secretary  of  the  firm 
of  Wm.  Deering  &  Company.  Mr.  Deering's  second  wi  fe 
was  Miss  Clara  Hamilton,  also  of  Maine,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Mary  (Barbour)  Hamilton.  This  marriage 
took  place  December  15th,  1857,  from  which  there 
were  two  children,  James  and  Abby  Marion,  both  born 
in  Maine,  the  former  in  1859  and  the  latter  in  1867, 
James  is  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  Deering 
firm. 

Personal! y,  Mr.  Deering  is  tall,  sparely  built  and  of 
more  than  average  weight.  He  is  modest  and  retiring, 
and  rather  given  to  seclusion  during  business  hours, 
but  out  of  the  office  and  when  not  engaged  in  evolving 
some  new  improvement  for  the  advancement  of  his 
vast  business,  he  is  the  soul  of  affability  and  good 
cheer. 

Mr.  Deering's  business  career  has  been  singularly 
free  from  the  troubles  involved  in  the  relation  of  capital 
to  labor.  The  attachments  and  friendships  that  cluster 
around  him  must  be  a  grateful  inheritance  as  thoughts 
of  age  steal  in  upon  him.  The  highest  relations  that, 
man  can  sustain  to  society  and  to  his  race  have  been 
his,  and  all  is  told  ^Torth  the  telling  when  it  is  said 
that  William  Deering  has  always  been  a  Christian 
gentleman  and  a  manly  man. 


WILLIAM  MCINTIRE  HARSHA,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


VyiLLIAM  M.  HARSHA,  son  of  William  B.  and 
Rachel  (Mclntire)  Harsha,  was  born  in  Harsha- 
ville,  Ohio,  on  the  15th  day  of  June,.  1855.  His 
grandfather,  coming  from  Washington,  Pa.,  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  in  this  part  of  southern  Ohio  and 
from  him  the  village  took  its  name. 

Young  Harsha  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
district  schools  of  Ohio  and  later  attended  the  North 
Liberty  Academy,  and  still  later  took  the  degrees  of 
B.  S.  and  A.  B.  at  the  National  Normal  University  of 
Ohio.  After  a  short  experience  as  a  teacher  in  Texas 
he  entered  upon  his  medical  studies  in  the  University 
of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  in  1875,  but  grad- 
uated in  Cincinnati  in  1878  and  then  went  to  Florida, 
where  he  practiced  his  profession  for  one  year  in  the 
town  of  De  Land.  lie  then  moved  to  Cerro  Gordo, 
111.,  and  after  four  years  of  successful  practice  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  graduated  from  the  Chicago  Medi- 
cal College  in  1883,  and  then  located  at  Decatur, 
111.,  where  he  succeeded  in  building  up  a  creditable 
reputation  as  a  skillful  and  successful  practitioner. 

In  1889  he  came  to  Chicago  for  a  still  wider  field 
and  has  here  built  up  a  large  and  successful  practice  in 


general  surgery  and  medicine,  in  which  he  is  kept  busy 
at  all  times. 

In  1890,  Dr.  Harsha  was  elected  assistant  to  the 
chair  of  Practice  of  Medicine,  in  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  and  in  1891  he  was  elected  lecturer 
in  surgery  in  the  same  institution,  in  which  position  he 
is  serving  at  the  present  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  American  Academy 
of  Medicine,  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  the 
Chicago  Medical  Society.the  Practitioners'  and  Doctors' 
Clubs  of  Chicago,  and  other  local  societies  and  associa- 
tions. 

He  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  organizing  the 
Columbus  Medical  Laboratory,  which  is  a  new  depart- 
ure in  medical  progress  in  this  country,  rendered  neces- 
sary by  the  increasing  demand  for  greater  (scientific) 
accuracy  in  diagnosis  of  disease  through  the  aid  of 
microscopical  and  chemical  investigation.  On  this  lino 
he  last  year  inaugurated  university  extension  methods 
of  study  in  "laboratory  medicine,"  designed  to  bring 
the  more  recent  teachings  in  bacteriology  and  micros- 
copy into  easy  reach  of  busy  practitioners.  This  plan 
was  adopted  by  the  Post-Graduate  Medical  School,  of 


156 

Chicago,  under  the  efficient  management  of  Professor 
Adolph  Gehrman,  and  it  has  received  the  endorsement 
of  leading  medical  journals. 

On  the  1st  day  of  June,  1880,  Dr.  Harsha  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Adelia  S.  Hutchinson,  daughter  of 
the  late  Thomas  J.  Hutchinson,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Lebanon,  Ohio.  Three  children  have  blessed  this  union: 
Edith  Mary.  William  Thomas  and  Edward  Houston 
Harsha.  Personally,  Dr.  Harsha  is  of  medium  height, 
and  impresses  one  as  being  a  man  of  nervous  tempera- 
ment, and  great  bodily  and  mental  activity.  To  those 
who  meet  him,  whether  socially  or  professionally,  he  is 
courteous  and  genial,  making  many  warm  friends 
without  apparent  effort,  the  result  being  attained  by 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


an  unostentatious  display  of  natural  characteristics.  In 
his  profession  he  takes  rank  among  the  leading  physi- 
cians of  the  daj7.  He  has  done  a  great  deal  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  profession  by  his  plan  inaugurating 
university  extension  methods  in  medical  study  and 
by  organizing  the  Columbus  Medical  Laboratory.  By 
means  of  the  extension  methods  many  busy  physicians 
are  enabled  to  acquire  knowledge  they  otherwise  would 
only  obtain  by  a  great  loss  of  time  and  corresponding 
detriment  to  their  practice.  From  the  laboratory  much 
is  expected  not  only  in  doing  practical  work  in  diag- 
nosis for  physicians  but  also  in  contributing  to  the 
solution  of  the  greatest  of  all  problems  in  modern 
medicine,  namely,  that  of  prevention. 


WASHINGTON   PORTER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WASHINGTON  PORTER,  one  of  the  forty-five 
directors  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
and  a  member  of  the  ways  and  means  committee,  was 
born  in  Boone  county,  Illinois,  October  26,  1846.  His 
parents,  Thomas  W.  and  Charlotte  (Lane)  Porter, 
immigrated  from  England  about  1830,  locating  at  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  where  his  father  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing. They  came  to  Illinois  in  1838  and  bought  a  farm 
in  Boone  county,  where  they  lived  until  the  death  of 
the  husband  and  father,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
seventy-nine  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Porter  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three.  The  couple  had  nine  children, 
six  boys  and  three  girls,  all  of  whom  are  now  living) 
except  Fred.  C.,  who  died  July  15, 1885,  and  Miss  Anna, 
who  died  some  years  previous  to  the  demise  of  her 
parents. 

Washington  Porter  remained  on  the  farm  and  went 
to  school  until  he  was  sixteen,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  Ninety-fifth  Regiment  111.  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  as  a  private  with  General  Grant 
in  the  West.  He  was  in  many  hard-fought  battles, 
among  others,  those  of  Champion  Hills  and  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg,  and  underwent  the  hardships  of  the  Red 
river  expedition.  He  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder  by 
a  minie  ball  at  the  battle  of  Guntown,  Miss.,  which 
sent  him  to  the  hospital  for  a  month.  A  furlough  of 
sixty  days  was  then  given  him,  and  upon  his  return  he 
was  placed  on  detached  service  at  Memphis,  where  he 
remained  until  his  term  expired. 

In  May,  1865,  he  was  mustered  out  of  service  and 
returned  to  the  home  farm  in  Illinois.  The  following 
winter  he  attended  school  in  Belvidere,  and  soon  began 
his  successful  business  career.  He  engaged  in  fanning 
for  three  years,  and  then  purchased  a  business  in  Bel- 
videre, which  he  sold,  after  conducting  it  for  one  year, 
at  a  handsome  profit. 

Prompted  by  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  he  went  west 
prospecting,  and  upon  his  return  endeavored  to  organ- 
ize a  colony  to  locate  in  Kansas.  The  people  were 


reluctant  to  invest  in  the  enterprise  and  it  was  aban- 
doned. The  wisdom  of  the  movement  as  proposed  by 
Mr.  Porter  has  since  been  well  demonstrated  in  tfte  . 
fact  that  the  city  of  Newton  now  stands  where  it  was 
proposed  to  locate  the  colony.  During  this  time  he 
and  his  brother,  F.  C.  Porter,  started  a  California  fruit 
trade.  They  were  the  pioneers  in  this  line,  shipping 
the  first  full  car  of  fruit  in  1869,  the  year  of  the  com- 
pletion of  the  transcontinental  railroad.  This  business, 
which  they  began  with  a  very  small  capital,  has  grown 
to  enormous  proportions,  supporting  branch  houses  in 
Omaha,  Minneapolis  and  New  York  city,  besides 
packing  houses  in  various  towns  and  cities  of  Califor- 
nia, with  a  main  office  in  Chicago.  The  yearly  increas- 
ing profit  of  their  fruit  trade  has  made  them  both 
wealthy.  January  1,  1885,  the  business  was  incor- 
porated under  the  name  of  Porter  Brothers  Company, 
with  Mr.  Washington  Porter  as  president,  which  office 
he  still  holds.  It  is  the  largest  concern  of  its  kind  in 
the  United  States,  if  not  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Porter  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  members 
of  the  committee  sent  from  Chicago  to  Washington  to 
urge  the  advantages  and  claims  of  the  western  metrop- 
olis as  a  site  for  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  in 
1893.  He  has  the  credit  of  having  done  most  effective 
work  at  that  heated  contest,  and  the  earnest  labor  and 
untiring  interest  that  he  showed  in  advocating  their 
cause  will  be  long  remembered  by  Chicagoans.  An 
extract  from  the  letter  of  an  eminent  man  says  of  him: 
"  He  remained  in  Washington  nearly  all  last  winter,at 
his  own  expense,  in  the  interest  of  Chicago.  It  is  im- 
possible to  estimate  the  value  of  his  services  in  this 
connection.  He  did  all  that  any  one  could  do,  and  was 
specially  fitted  for  the  work  in  hand."  A  prominent 
officer  of  the  National  Commission  writes:  ''It  gives 
me  great  pleasure  to  say  that  from  my  personal  knowl- 
edge Mr.  Porter  rendered  invaluable  aid  to  Chicago  in 
that  memorable  contest.  There  were  very  few  men 
who  did  as  effective  service  for  Chicago  as  he.  A 


^ 


^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


159 


prosperous  man,  with  suave  and  pleasant  manners  such 
as  he  possesses,  is  bound  to  be  a  power  in  whatever  he 
undertakes,  and  I  often  heard  Director-General  Davis 
say  last  winter  in  Washington,  during  the  great  con- 
test for  the  location  of  the  Fair,  that  a  man  like 
Washington  Porter,  for  good  effective  service,  was  worth 
a  dozen  ordinary  men  whom  I  know  and  whom  I  regard 
as  highly."  From  a  fellow-member  of  the  Chicago  com- 
mittee: "I  know  Mr.  Porter  well;  he  is  one  of  the  bright- 
est business  men  that  I  have  ever  met.  Public-spirited 
and  well  informed,  he  spent  several  months  in  Wash- 
ington during  the  contest  before  Congress  on  the 
location  of  the  World's  Fair.  He  was  earnest  and 
untiring  in  his  advocacy  of  Chicago,  and  rendered 
valuable  service.  He  should  be  gratefully  remembered 
by  Chicago  for  his  efforts  in  securing  the  World's 
Fair."  Another,  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Porter's  efforts, 
said  :  "Mr.  Porter  was  called  to  Washington  early  in 
December,  and  from  that  time  until  the  final  action  of 
Congress  his  time  and  service  were  freely  given  to  the 
committee.  His  large  and  favorable  acquaintance  with 
the  senators  and  members  of  Congress  of  the  Pacific 
States  and  Territories  made  his  services  valuable,  and 
to  him  more  than  to  any  other  member  of  the  commit- 
tee Chicago  is  indebted  for  the  favorable  action  and 
practically  unanimous  vote  of  the  senators  and  con- 
gressmen of  the  Pacific  coast.  In  all  the  work  of  the 
committee  in  Washington  he  was  at  all  times  zealous 
and  effective,  and  all  his  friends  in  this  city  thoroughly 
appreciate  his  valuable  services."  A  well-known  and 
able  congressman  writes  :  "  Without  detracting  one 
jot  from  others  on  the  committee  to  secure  the  World's 
Fair,  I  can  say,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  the 
claims  of  Chicago  were  presented  by  no  one  more  ably 
and  zealously  than  by  Mr.  Porter.  His  genial  manner, 
his  terse  business  way  of  talking,  coupled  with  his  great 
knowledge  of  the  country  and  his  love  for  Chicago, 
made  many  converts.  He  enlisted  me  long  before  the 
session  commenced.  His  personal  friend  for  years, 
I  made  his  cause  mine.  Chicago  owes  him  a  debt  of 
gratitude,  which  I  know  she  will  delight  to  repay.  Too 
much  honor  cannot  be  given  him." 

Upon  his  return  from  a  trip  to  Europe,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  directory  of  the  World's  Col- 
umbian Exposition,  and  was  re-elected  a  director,  serv- 
ing through  the  entire  period  of  the  Fair.  After  the 


opening  of  the  Exposition  Mr.  Porter  originated  the 
idea  of  curtailing  expenses,  and  accordingly  the  direc- 
tory appointed  a  Finance  Committee,  consisting  prac- 
tically of  Mr.  Kerfoot,  Mr.  Winston,  and  Mr.  Porter, 
in  order  to  bring  about  a  reduction  of  expenses  which 
at  that  time  was  an  amount  entirely  too  large.  Through 
the  efforts  of  this  committee  the  expenses  were  very 
materially  reduced,  to  the  gratification  and  satisfaction 
of  the  stockholders  and  the  entire  community. 

After  the  close  of  the  Exposition  Mr.  Porter's  next 
proposition  was  to  remove  the  Manufacturers  and  Lib- 
eral Arts  Building  to  the  Lake  front,  fully  realizing 
that  Chicago  is  in  need  of  a  large  public  hall  for  the 
purpose  of  holding  national  conventions,  public  meet- 
ings, horse  shows,  athletic  sports,  etc.  This  movement, 
though  not  yet  accomplished,  commanded  thoughtful 
and  widespread  interest. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  insert  here  a  little  in- 
cident serving  to  illustrate  how  his  companions,  when 
he  was  a  young  man,  understood  and  appreciated  Mr. 
Porter's  jovial  and  pleasing  disposition.  When  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  he  was  elected  to  the  lowest  office 
that  could  be  conferred  upon  an  American,  viz.,  that  of 
path-master  on  a  road  leading  up  to  the  residence  of 
two  young  ladies,  where  a  grand  banquet  was  to  be 
given.  The  envelope  containing  the  invitation  to  the 
banquet  was  addressed  in  the  following  novel  wa\'  : 

"To  a  modest  young  path-master  true,  superfine, 
Who  never  drinks  anything  stronger  than  wine, 
Who's  proud  of  his  office  and  somebody's  curl, 
Carries  a  lantern,  goes  home  with  a  girl: 
This  letter  is  posted  in  greatest  of  haste, 
The  news  is  important,  with  no  time  to  waste. 
So  hand  this  to  Porter,  whose  first  name  is  Wash, 
Garden  Prairie,  Boone  County,  Illinois,  by  gosh," 

Mr.  Porter  has  made  several  investments  in  real 
estate  and  owns  some  of  the  choicest  and  most  desir- 
able property  in  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  several 
of  the  most  prominent  clubs  of  the  city,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  His  travels  abroad 
have  been  very  extensive.  A  charm  of  manner, 
together  with  a  world-wide  knowledge,  make  him  a 
man  to  command  the  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 
He  was  married  at  Chicago  on  June  11,  1891,  to  Miss 
Frances  Pauline  Lee.  Two  children,  Pauline  C.,  born 
April  22,  1892,  and  Washington,  Jr.,  born  December 
29,  1893,  have  blessed  this  union. 


DR.  WILLIAM  E.  QUINE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  E.  QUINE,  son  of  William  and  Mar- 
garet (Kinley)  Quine,  was  born  in  the  Isle  of 
Man,  February  9,  1847,  and  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Chicago  six  years  later.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Central  High 
School  of  Chicago. 

After  leaving  school   he  devoted   himself  to   the 


study  of  pharmacy  and  materia  medica.  Later 
he  entered  the  Chicago  Medical  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1869.  Immediately 
after  taking  his  degree  he  was  elected  to  the 
professorship  of  rnateria  medica  in  his  Alma  Mater, 
but  as  he  had  also  been  appointed  an  interne  in  Cook 
County  Hospital,  he  did  not  enter  upon  the  discharge 


Up  ^  \ 


'CO*  vv 


X 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


identified  with  most  of  the  benevolent  and  charitable 
institutions  of  the  city,  and  was  always  ready  to  assist 
by  advice  and  contributions  all  organizations  for  the 
relief  of  the  unfortunate  and  suffering,  and  was  a 
liberal  supporter  of  all  moral  and  religious  enterprises. 
To  his  generosity  the  city  of  Concord  is  indebted  for 
the  fine  bell  which  hangs  in  the  tower  of  the  board  of 
trade  building.  The  large  and  handsome  organ  which 
fills  the  First  Baptist  church  with  its  melody,  is  a  gift 
from  him  and  his  son,  Charles  A.,  both  gentlemen 
being  at  that  time  members  of  the  church.  He  was 
active  in  instituting  the  Centennial  Home  for  the 
Aged,  at  Concord,  and  made  large  contributions  to  aid 
in  putting  it  in  operation,  and  was  a  member  of  its 
board  of  trustees;  he  also  contributed  largely  to  the 
Orphans'  Home,  in  Franklin,  and  was  one  of  its 
trustees.  Mr.  Pillsbury  for  several  years  was  a  member 
of  the  city  council  of  Concord;  was  elected  mayor  in 
1876,  and  re-elected  the  following  year.  During  the 
year  1871-2  he  represented  Ward  Five  in  the  legisla- 
ture, and  in  the  latter  year  was  made  chairman  of  the 
special  committee  on  the  apportionment  of  public 
taxes.  In  1876  the  Concord  city  council  appointed 
him  chairman  of  a  committee  of  three  to  appraise  all 
of  the  real  estate  in  the  city.  The  position  was  a  very 
delicate  one,  requiring  the  exercise  of  sound  judgment 
and  great  patience,  and  the  report  of  the  committee 
gave  general  satisfaction. 

Having  determined  to  leave  Concord,  in  the  spring 
of  1878  complimentary  resolutions  were  unanimously 
passed  by  both  branches  of  the  city  government  and 
by  the  First  National  Bank,  the  latter  testifying 
strongly  to  his  integrity,  honesty  and  superior  business 
qualities.  Resolutions  passed  by  the  First  Baptist 
church  and  society  were  ordered  to  be  entered  upon 
the  records  of  both  organizations.  The  Webster  Club, 
composed  of  fifty  prominent  business  men  of  Concord, 
also  passed  a  series  of  resolutions  expressive  of  regret 
for  his  departure  from  the  State.  A  similar  testimo- 
nial was  presented  to  him,  subscribed  by  more  than  300 
of  the  business  men  of  the  city,  among  whom  were 
all  the  ex-mayors  then  living,  all  the  clergymen,  all 
the  members  of  both  branches  of  the  city  government, 
all  of  the  bank  presidents  and  officers,  twenty-six 
lawyers,  twenty  physicians  and  nearly  all  of  the 
business  men  of  the  city.  On  the  eve  of  their  depart- 
ure Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pillsbury  were  presented  with  an 
elegant  bronze  statuette  of  Mozart.  Such  tributes, 
spontaneously  bestowed,  only  indicate  the  great  esteem 
in  which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow-citizens. 

After  leaving  the  east  Mr.  Pillsbury  did  not  forget 
the  places  of  his  early  residence.  "The  year  1890  was 
made  memorable  by  three  gifts  of  loving  remembrance, 
viz,  to  Concord  a  free  hospital  at  a  cost  of  $72.000, 
named  in  honor  of  the  companion  of  his  life,  "The 
Margaret  Pillsbury  Hospital ; "  to  Warner  a  free 
public  library ;  to  Sutton  a  soldier's  monument.  In 
erecting  the  hospital  he  brought  his  own  architect, 


163 

selected  and  purchased  the  lot  and  personally  superin- 
tended the  work.  The  Sutton  biographer  says  in 
reference  to  Mr.  Pillbury's  many  charities  :  "  In  his 
many  generous  gifts  he  has  gone  far  beyond  the  limits 
of  ordinary  benevolence,  and  in  his  furtherance  of 
great  schemes  for  the  support  of  religion  and  education 
he  has  attained  to  the  height  of  philanthropy.  And 
yet,  with  all  his  great  success,  no  poor  man  that  he 
meets  will  say  that  he  ever  received  from  Mr.  Pillsbury 
a  haughty  or  cruel  word  to  remind  him  of  the  great 
difference  in  bestowal  of  the  gifts  of  fortune." 

Mr.  Pillsbury  was  sixty-two  years  of  age  when  he 
settled  in  Minneapolis.  With  an  ample  fortune,  a 
lucrative  business  and  a  record  of  over  forty  yea'rs  of 
active  and  successful  business  life,  he  might  well  have 
concluded  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  he  could 
enjoy  in  retirement  the  fruits  of  his  industrious  life. 
But  the  event  proved  that  he  had  only  entered  a  wider 
field  of  opportunity,  and  his  indomitable  energy,  unaf- 
fected by  years  which  usually  affect  the  activity  of 
mind  and  body,  improved  it. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Minneapolis  he  was  elected 
to  the  school  board  and  to  the  city  couneil,  of  which  he 
was  made  president.  In  1884  he  was  nominated  by 
the  Republican  city  convention  as  its  candidate  for 
mayor.  A  popular  Democrat  had  long  been  at  the 
head  of  the  city  government,  and  vehement  public 
sentiment  called  for  a  change.  It  seemed  a  "  forlorn 
hope,"  Mr.  Pillsbury  being  pitted  against  the  mayor 
then  in  office.  The  canvass  was  brief,  but  energetic, 
on  both  sides,  Mr.  Pillsbury  being  elected  by  some  eight 
thousand  majority— a  change  from  the  last  preceding 
city  election  of  more  than  six  thousand  votes.  His 
administration  to  the  city  government  was  character- 
ized by  devotion  to  detail,  economy  in  expenditure,  and 
rigid  control  of  unruly  elements.  Not  the  least 
pleasant  feature  of  his  public  duties  was  the  graceful 
manner  with  which  he  received  and  welcomed  the  city's 
guests.  His  public  addresses  were  as  eloquent,  and 
only  a  little  less  elegant,  than  those  which  have  given 
President  Harrison  so  much  favor.  As  mayor  he  was 
ex-officio  member  of  the  park  and  water- works  boards, 
as  well  as  head  of  the  police  department.  The  ances- 
tral motto  of  the  family  found  in  him  a  truthful 
exponent — "Labor,  constant  and  concentrated,  con- 
quered all."  Among  the  corporate  and  quasi  public 
trusts  which  he  has  filled  are  president  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  of  the  Homeopathic  Hospital,  of  the  Free 
Dispensary,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Pillsbury  & 
Ilurlburt  Elevator  Company,  vice-president  of  the 
Minnesota  Loan  &  Trust  Compan\r,  director  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Northwestern  National  Bank,  of  the  Min- 
neapolis Elevator  Company,  and  of  the  Northwestern 
Guaranty  Loan  Company. 

He  had  also  served  as  president  of  the  St.  Paul  and 
Minneapolis  Baptist  Union.ofthe  Minnesota  State  Bap- 
tist Convention,  as  trustee  of  the  Chicago  University, 
and,  in  1888,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American 


164 

Baptist  Union,  he  was  elected  its  president.  This  or- 
ganization has  its  headquarters  in  Boston  and  has 
charge  of  all  the  foreign  missionary  work  of  all  the 
northern  and  some  of  the  southern  States,  distributing 
annually  nearly  half  a  million  dollars  for  mission  work 
in  foreign  fields  by  the  Baptist  church.  In  1885  Mayor 
Pillsbury  was  chairman  of  the  committee  to  build  the 
Minneapolis  Chamber  of  Commerce,  one  of  the  finest 
buildings  of  its  kind  in  the  Northwest,  and  in  which 
more  actual  wheat  is  bought  than  any  other  place  in 
the  world.  The  following  year  he  was  chairman  of 
the  building  committee  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Minneapolis,  for  the  erection  of  the  third  edifice  for  that 
growing  church,  which,  when  completed,  was  the 
largest  and  most  costly  church  building  of  any  denom- 
ination west  of  Chicago.  At  its  completion  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pillsbury,  with  their  two  sons,  placed  in  the 
church,  at  their  own  expense,  the  largest  and 
best  organ  then  in  the  city.  The  Minnesota 
Academy,  located  at  Owatonna,  a  school  open'  to 
all,  but  under  the  patronage  of  the  Baptist 
State  Convention,  has  been  a  beneficiary  of  Mr.  Pills- 
bury's  bounty.  In  1886  he  built,  at  the  cost  of  $30,000, 
a  ladies'  boarding  hall.  It  is  128  feet  long,  has  three 
stories  above  the  basement,  is  heated  by  steam  and 
contains  parlors,  dormitory,  boarding  department, 
bath-rooms  and  gymnasiums,  and  furnishes  to  young 
ladies  the  comforts  of  a  well  appointed  Christian  home. 
In  recognition  of  this  magnificent  gift  the  Legislature 
changed  the  name  of  the  institution  to  Pillsbury 
Academv.  Three  vears  later  the  institution  was 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


again  favored  by  its  generous  patron  by  the  erection, 
at  a  cost  of  $40,000,  of  a  new  academic  building.  It  is 
122  feet  long,  three  stories  high  above  the  basement, 
with  a  tower  140  feet  high.  It  contains  recitation 
rooms,  library  and  reading  room,  chapel  and  a  spacious 
auditorium.  He  also  contributed  $25,000  towards  an 
endowment  fund.  In  1892  Mr.  Pillsbury  built  also  a 
beautiful  music  hall  at  an  expense  of  about  $25,000 ; 
also  a  drill  hall  which  cost  about  $10,000. 

This  enumeration  of  the  deeds  and  labors  of  a  bus}' 
life  will  indicate  the  qualities  of  the  man  from  whom 
they  have  proceeded  There  is  at  the  bottom  a  robust 
constitution,  inherited  from  the  line  of  temperate,  re- 
ligious and  hardy  ancestors,  developed  and  strength- 
ened by  active  life  among  the  rough  hills  of  New 
Hampshire,  under  the  shadow  of  old  Kearsarge ;  a 
mind  stored  with  diversified  knowledge  and  directed 
by  practical  common  sense,  a  judgment  strong  and 
well  balanced. 

To  indefatigable  industry  and  application  to  a 
degree  seldom  rivaled  by  men  of  business,  by  paying 
the  greatest  attention  to  matters  of  smallest  detail, 
his  success  is  attributed. 

He  well  deserves  a  place  in  the  front  rank  of  phi- 
lanthropists, for  he  has  done  much  towards  the  better- 
ment of  his  fellowmen,  both  for  their  moral  improve- 
ment and  worldly  condition.  His  life  has  been  one  of 
pure  humanitananism,  moved  to  a  higher  and  better 
sphere  by  the  religious  sentiments  inculcated  in  him  by 
his  devout  ancestors,  and  up  to  which  he  has  ever 
lived  with  a  strictness  characteristic  of  the  man. 


PHILO  FOSTER  PETTIBONE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography,  well-known  as  the 
head  of  the  firm  of  P.  F.  Pettibone  &  Co., 
printers  and  stationers,  of  Chicago,  was  born  at  Mercer, 
Pennsylvania,  on  April  28,  1841,  his  parents  being 
liev.  Philo  C.  Pettibone,  a  Congregational  minister, 
and  Louisa  (Foster)  Pettibone,  of  Andover,  Mass.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Stockholm,  New  York,  whose 
ancestors  were  from  Wales,  and  who  settled  first  in 
this  country  at  Simsbury,  Connecticut. 

Young  Pectibone's  education  was  acquired  suc- 
cessively in  the  public  schools  at  Stockholm,  N.  Y.,  at 
St.  Lawrence  Academy,  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Beloit 
College,  Wis.,  from  which  latter  institution  he  grad- 
uated in  1862.  Casting  about  for  some  congenial 
employment  upon  leaving  college,  the  young  man 
formed  a  connection  with  the  then  prominent  stationery 
and  printing  house  of  Culver,  Page  &>  Hoyne,  of 
Chicago,  in  1863,  for  whom  he  traveled  for  some  time, 
and  later  was  employed  in  a  responsible  position  in  the 
house.  In  1868  Mr.  Pettibone  was  given  an  interest 
in  the  profits  of  the  firm,  and,  three  years  later,  in 


1871.  when  the-business  was  incorporated,  he  became  a 
stockholder  and  a  director.  This  connection  continued 
until  ten  years  later  when  (in  1881)  Mr.  Pettibone 
withdrew  from  Culver,  Page,  Hoyne  &  Co.  to  become 
a  member  of  the  new  firm  of  Brown,  Pettibone  & 
Kelly,  printers  and  stationers.  The  firm  afterwards 
became  Brown,  Pettibone  &  Co.,  and  is  now  P.  F. 
Pettibone  &  Co. 

In  his  early  life  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  for- 
tunate in  having  the  best  of  home  training,  and  though 
his  environments  were  such  as  belonged  to  a  secluded 
country  life  in  the  Eastern  Stares  many  years  ago, 
involving  much  labor,  with  limited  opportunities  for 
finished  education,  yet  they  served  to  fix  those  habits 
of  industry,  self-reliance  and  integrity  which  have 
been  such  prominent  characteristics  in  the  successful 
achievements  of  his  life.  Mr.  Pettibone  is  known 
not  only  as  a  man  of  ability  of  the  most  reliable  kind, 
but  for  his  liberal  culture,  enabling  him,  whenever 
occasion  demands,  to  write  with  ease  and  grace  and  to 
speak  with  eloquence  and  force. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


In  social  and  religious  circles  he  is  active  and 
popular,  and  well  known  as  a  promoter  of  charitable 
enterprises.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  and 
Chicago  Clubs,  on  the  board  of  management  of  the 
Chicago  Belief  and  Aid  Society,  and  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Central  Relief  Association. 
From  his  youth  he  has  been  connected  with  the 
Congregational  church,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Union  Park  Church  of  that  denomination.  He 
has  a  keen  relish  for  yachting,  and  is  found  with  his 
friends  and.  family  each  summer  cruising  with  his 
yacht  "  Bon  Ami  "  on  Lake  Michigan. 

In  the  promotion  of  the  best  interests  of  the  business 
with  which  he  is  identified,  Mr.  Pettibone  has  been 


active.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  formation 
both  of  the  Chicago  Typothetae  and  of  the  United 
Typothetae  of  America,  organizations  designed  to  ele- 
vate the  standard  and  advance  the  interests  of  the 
printing  and  publishing  business. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  ever  loyal  to  the 
principles  which  gave  birth  to  the  party.  Of  his 
attachment  to  his  country  he  gave  evidence  by 
shouldering  a  musket,  for  a  time,  during  the  war  of 
the  rebellion,  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  134:th 
Illinois  Volunteers. 

In  1866  Mr.  Pettibone  was  married,  to  Miss  Mary 
C.  Talcott,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Wait  Talcott,  of 
Rockford,  111. 


LAURIN   PALMER  MILLIARD, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


LAURIN  PALMER  HILLIARD  was  born  at 
Unadilla  Forks,  Otsego  county,  N.  T.,  October  11, 
1814.  His  parents  were  Isaiah  and  Keturah  (Palmer) 
Hilliard.  His  father,  whose  ancestors  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Connecticut,  was  left  an  orphan  in 
early  boyhood,  and  soon  entered  on  a  somewhat 
adventurous  career  as  a  "sailor-boy,"  first  in  the  cabin 
and  finally  as  a  fully-equipped  seaman.  With  other 
sailors  he  paid  his  twenty-five  cents  to  inspect  Robert 
Fulton's  original  little  steamer,  and  joined  in  predict- 
ing the  results,  wise  and  otherwise.  His  "  protection 
paper,"  No.  3,123,  U.  S.  A.,  to  insure  against  seizure 
and  impressment  by  the  British  on  the  high  seas,  is  in 
the  possession  of  Edward  P.  Hilliard,  of  Chicago. 
Upon  attaining  his  majority,  he  left  New  York  city 
and  invested  his  savings  in  unimproved  land  near 
Unadilla  Forks,  where  he  soon  afterward  married  Miss 
Keturah,  daughter  of  his  neighbor,  Jonathan  Palmer. 
Mr.  Palmer  also  was  of  New  England  ancestr}',  which 
is  traced  to  Walter  Palmer,  who  came  to  America  in 
1629,  from  Nottinghamshire,  England.  He  built  the 
first  dwelling  in  Charlestown,  Mass.  In  1653  he  moved 
to  Stonington,  Conn.,  where  he  died  in  1661,  and  was 
buried  at  Wequetsquok  Cove.  In  1881  a  reunion  of  the 
Palmer  family  was  held  at  Stonington.  and  nearly  two 
thousand  of  the  descendants  were  present.  At  that 
gathering  the  origin  of  the  family  name  was  traced  to 
the  Crusades.  Many  pilgrims  to  the  tomb  of  Christ, 
from  the  days  of  Peter  the  Hermit  to  the  close  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  on  their  return,  wore  palm-leaves  in 
their  hats  or  carried  staves  from  palm  branches;  hence, 
it  is  said,  they  were  called  "palm-bearers"  or  "palm- 
ers." In  Spencer's  "Fairie  Queene,"  and  in  Shakes- 
peare, these  allusions  to  the  palmers  are  found. 
Jonathan  Palmer  was  ef  the  sixth  generation  from 
Walter,  which  places  our  subject,  Laurin  Palmer 
Hilliard,  in  the  eighth. 

Young  Laurin's  boyhood  was  spent  on  his  father's 


farm.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
Hamilton  College.  When  about  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  entered  the  store  of  Charles  Walker,  at  Burlington 
Flats,  near  his  native  place,  receiving  no  salary  for  the 
first  year  and  fifty  dollars  for  the  second.  His  success 
led  to  a  partnership  in  a  new  establishment  at  Unadilla 
Forks.  While  there  Mr.  Walker's  brother  took  a  stock 
of  goods  to  Chicago,  and  the  good  report  of  the 
venture  then  impressed  Mr.  Hilliard  with  the  advan- 
tages of  that  place.  He  closed  out  his  business  and 
with  a  few  hundred  dollars  started  west  via  canal  boat, 
stage  and  steamer,  from  Utica  to  Buffalo,  thence  to 
Dunkirk  and  Detroit  and  reached  Chicago  in  the 
spring  of  1836.  His  first  night  was  spent  at  a  log 
tavern  on  the  West  Side,  but  he  afterward  stayed  at 
the  "  Green  Tree  Hotel."  He  visited  various  towns 
in  Illinois  and  Wisconsin  and  on  invitation  of  an  old 
friend  .who  was  interested  in'  projecting  a  town  at 
Manitowac  river,  he  joined  the  equipped  party  on  the 
schooner  "  Wisconsin,"  and  was  present  at  Ihe  time 
the  original  town  site  of  Manitowac  was  laid  out. 

Returning  to  Chicago,  he  started  a  little  store, 
taking  produce  in  exchange  for  goods.  He  went  back 
east  in  the  fall  of  1836  and  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr. 
Walker,  his  former  partner,  took  charge  of  the  store 
and  shipped  east  the  country  produce,  one  of  the 
earliest  ventures  in  Chicago's  great  specialty.  The 
following  spring  Mr.  Hilliard  returned  to  Chicago.  He 
entered  first  the  employment  of  Peter  Cohn,  an  old 
French  trader,  then  that  of  his  successors,  Taylor, 
Breese  &  Co.  He  was  afterwards  with  Clifford  S. 
Phillips,  a  leading  merchant.  During  the  summer  of 
1837  he  made  a  trip  on  horseback  into  Wisconsin  to 
report  on  lands  to  eastern  investors.  He  found  the 
town  site  of  Madison,  the  present  capital,  with  few 
finished  improvements,  boasting  a  log  boarding  house 
and  plenty  of  wild  game  about  the  Four  Lakes,  which 
made  it  a  ''  hunter's  paradise." 


1 66 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


After  having  for  several  years  the  main  charge  of 
Mr.  Phillips'  large  business,  he  again  joined  his  former 
partner,  Mr.  Walker,  who  had  begun  merchandising  in 
Chicago.  Money  was  still  scarce,  but  the  business 
prospered  and  increased  by  the  exchange  of  goods  for 
country  produce,  which  was  shipped  East.  The  firm 
also  started  ship-building,  first  buying  a  disabled 
schooner,  which  they  repaired  and  christened  the  "  C. 
Walker."  They  next,  as  part  owners,  built  the  "Inde- 
pendence,"'said  to  be  the  first  propeller  constructed  on 
Lake  Michigan.  Her  first  trip  was  made  in  March  to 
Green  Bay,  whither  she  went  after  ice,  the  winter 
having  been  an  open  one.  While  there,  cold  weather 
gave  Chicago  plenty  of  ice,  and  the  propeller  was 
frozen  in  and  loaded  with  ice  cut  to  give  her  a  channel 
for  the  return  trip.  The  schooner  "  Maria  Billiard  " 
also  was  built  by  the  firm.  Mr.  Hilliard  afterward 
succeeded  to  the  business,  and  continued  both  branches 
until  1849,  when  his  store,  at  the  corner  of  Lake  and 
Franklin  streets  was  burned.  The  following  year  he 
organized  the  firm  of  Hilliard  &  Howard,  and  occupied 
yards  in  the  lumber  business  where  the  James  H. 
Walker  &  Go's  wholesale  house  lately  stood.  With  the 
exception  of  a  few  years  in  public  office,  he  continued 
in  the  lumber  trade  until  1873.  The  financial  disasters, 
then  general,  forced  a  suspension  of  trade.  Fortu- 
natelv,  he  had  invested  in  a  large  tract  of  land  twelve 
miles  south  of  Chicago,  and  having  wisely  planned  for 
railroad  connection  with  his  farm,  he  removed  his 
family  thither  when  his  city  residence  was  destroyed  in 
the  great  fire  of  1871.  By  concerted  action  with  other 
property-owners,  their  efforts  resulted  in  the  suburban 
village  of  Washington  Heights,  Longwood,  Beverly 
Hills,  etc.,  all  now  within  the  city  limits.  So  the  city 
went  out  to  Mr.  Hilliard's  home,  absorbed  his  "  farm," 
and  is  giving  him  increasing  wealth  and  comfort  to 
crown  his  long  and  useful  career. 

Mr.  Hilliard  was  virtually  a  "  charter  member  "  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  was  conscientiously  active 
for  its  success  against  the  aggressions  of  slavery.  In 
1861,  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  Cook  County  Court, 
and  served  the  four  year's  term  with  great  acceptance. 


He,  with  other  patriotic  citizens,  issued  the  first  call  for 
a  public  meeting  in  1861  to  aid  the  government  in 
suppressing  the  great  Rebellion,  and  served  on  the 
financial  committee  then  appointed. 

In  1848,  he  was  active  in  securing  the  organization  of 
the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  and  when  accomplished 
in  April  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  first  board  of 
directors,  and  in  1853  was  chosen  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  institution.  In  those  days  the  board  had 
neither  the  fascination  nor  wealth  of  to-day,  and  it  is 
said  that  to  secure  even  a  respectable  attendance  the 
secretary  was  accustomed  to  set  out,  at  noon,  a  luncheon 
of  crackers  and  cheese!  Mr.  Hilliard  was  also  a 
director  for  several  years  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
and  identified  with  many  other  important  public  enter- 
prises. He  was  general  agent  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  when  Mr.  C.  B.  Wright  was 
president;  and  Mr.  H.  E.  Sargent  general  manager,and 
did  much  to  send  emigration  into  the  Red  River  Valley. 

In  religious  faith  he  has  been  a  consistent  Episco- 
palian, and  in  1844,  he,  with  about  twenty  old  settlers, 
organized  Trinity  Episcopal  Church.  He  became  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  was  also  vestryman 
and  warden,  and  active  for  its  prosperity  until  his 
change  of  residence  necessitated  change  in  his  church 
relations. 

He  was  initiated  into  the  Oriental  Lodge  of  Masons 
in  1845.  He  long  held  its  offices,  became  an  honorary 
life  member  in  1874,  and  is  now  its  senior  member.  He 
was  made  a  Knight  Templar  in  1854,  and  has  taken 
thirty  two  of  the  Consistory  degrees. 

In  1843  he  married  Mrs.  Maria  E.  Beaubien.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  John  K.  Boyer,  who  was  widely 
known  in  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  and  Illinois  as  a  public 
works  contractor.  He  settled  in  Chicago  in  1833.  His 
son,  Dr.  Valentine  A.  Boyer,  began  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  the  city  that  year,  and  was  the  oldest  resi- 
dent physician  when  he  died  in  1890.  Two  sons  cheer 
the  advanced  years  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hilliard.  Edward' 
P.  is  a  resident  of  Chicago,  and  succeeds  to  the  real 
estate  business  of  his  father.  William  P.  has  made  a 
home  at  St.  Paul,  Minn. 


DAVID  G.  HAMILTON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DAVID  G.  HAMILTON  is  pre-eminently  a  Chi- 
cago man.  He  comes  of  a  sturdy  race,  and  is 
the  son  of  Polemus  D.  and  Cynthia  (Holmes)  Hamilton. 
Hisfather  was  a  native  of  Wales,  in  Erie  county,  N.  Y., 
and  in  1834.  while  yet  he  was  a  single  man,  settled  in 
Chicago.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  occupation,  and  plied 
his  trade  with  other  pioneer  builders  of  that  city  "  not 
despising  the  day  of  small  things."  In  1836  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  place  where,  on  May  12th  of  the 
following  year  he  was  married.  He  at  once  returned 


to  Chicago  and  was  there  joined  by  his  young  wife  and 
his  father's  family  on  August  11,  1838.  A  'skillful 
workman,  there  were  constant!}'  increasing  demands  in 
the  aspiring  young  city  for  his  services.  Besides  con- 
structing buildings  he  employed  his  handicraft  to 
supply  the  needs  of  navigation,  and  built  the  first 
vessel  launched  on  Lake  Michigan,  at  Chicago.  He 
had  a  genius  for  meeting  new  demands,  and  became 
one  of  the  leading  builders  of  the  city.  He  died  at 
Chicago  in  1891.  His  wife's  decease  occurred  in  1872. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


Our  subject's  grandfather.,  David  Hamilton,  was  a 
native  of  Mauch  Chunk,  Pennsylvania,  whence  he 
went,  when  a  boy.  to  Massachusetts,  subsequently 
residing  in  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,'and  during  the 
exciting  times  attending  the  settlement  of  the  "  Holland 
Purchase  "  he  located  in  Erie  county,  where  Polemus 
D.  was  born.  Both  he  and  our  subject's  maternal 
grandfather  came  of  patriotic,  revolutionary  stock,  and 
both  were  engaged  in  the  war  with  England  in  1812. 

David  G.  was  born  in  Chicago  on  January  10, 
1842,  in  a  house  located  on  the  premises  now  known  as 
No.  126  South  Clark  street,  where  afterward  for  many 
years  he  had  his  place  of  business.  The  virgin  mud  in 
front  of  his  father's  door  at  that  date  would  have 
rivaled  tli.it  of  many  unpretentious  Illinois  towns. 
Beo-inning  life  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  David  felt 
its  great  'pulsations  with  his  first  knowledge  of  the 
world.  His  education  was  begun  in  private  schools, 
and  upon  arriving  at  mature  boyhood  he  entered  the 
Chicago  High  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1862  prepared  to  enter  college.  In  September,  1862, 
he  entered  the  freshman  class  of  Asbury  University, 
since  changed  to  DePauw  University,  at  Greencastle, 
Ind.,  and  was  graduated  in  1865.  He  received  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  in  due  course.  Returning  to  Chicago, 
he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  law  department  of 
the  University  of  Chicago  in  1866  and  was  graduated 
in  1867.  He  was  afterward  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  this  university.  During  all  these  early 
years  of  study  he  spent  his  vacations  with  his  father, 
and  he  not  only  mastered  the  carpenter's  trade  but  also 
the  methods  of  systematic  business  in  contracting  large 
enterprises — a  training  as  important  and  practical  and 
useful  for  his  future  success  as  much  of  that  which  he 
obtained  from  the  curriculum  of  the  schools.  His 
proficiency  and  skill  led  to  business  association  with  his 
father  before  completing  his  studies,  and  together  they 
carried  out  many  important  building  enterprises. 

Following  his  graduation  in  1867,  he  opened  a  law 
office  on  the  very  spot  where  he  was  born  (126  South 
Clark  street)  and  continued  there  for  nearly  twenty 
years.  His  office  was  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of 
1871,  but  he  returned  to  the  same  location  a  few 
months  later,  on  the  completion  of  a  new  building.  In 
his  law  practice  Mr.  Hamilton's  specialty  was  the  ex- 
amination of  titles  and  managing  estates  and  trusts,  a 
branch  of  business  for  which  his  careful  and  exact 
business  training  pre-eminently  fitted  him.  In  1868  he 
coupled  with  his  law  practice  the  business  of  mortgage 
investments,  and  was  joined  by  Mr.  R.  K.  Swift  in 
this  department,  under  the  firm  name  of  D.  G.  Ham- 
ilton &  Co.  This  partnership  was  dissolved  in  1871, 
and  Mr.  Hamilton  has  since  continued  the  same  busi- 
ness, removing  his  office,  in  1885,  to  94  Washington 
street,and  later,  when  the  sixteen-story  Title  and  Trust 
building.  100  Washington  street,  wras  completed  he 
moved  to  that  building,  where  he  still  is. 

In  18SO  he  became  president,  in  the  nature  of  receiver 


167 

of  the  Anglo-American  Land  and  Claim  Association,  a 
corporation  organized  for  colonization  of  lands  in 
Texas,  and  also  for  the  construction  of  railroads  in  that 
State.  It  had  partially  completed  a  line  of  railroad 
there,  which  subsequently  became  a  part  of  the  Atch- 
isou,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  system.  After  successful! v 
closing  up  the  affairs  of  the  association,  he  gave  his  un- 
divided attention  to  matters  in  Chicago. 

In  J885  he  became  identified  with  the  street  railway 
interests  of  Chicago,  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
their  management,  having  been  a  director  in  the 
Chicago  City  Railway  for  years.  He  is  now  (1894) 
president  of  the  board  of  directors  of  five  of  the  leading 
street  railway  companies  of  St.  Louis,  as  well  as 
manager  of  other  industries  employing  a  large  force  of 
men  and  millions  of  capital.  Although  he  has  applied 
himself  closely  to  study  and  business  ever  since  his 
boyhood,  Mr.  Hamilton  early  learned  that  ';it  is  not  all 
of  life  to  live"  even  in  the  mighty  whirl  of  Chicago 
business.  A  wise  and  pious  mother  early  took  him  to 
the  First  Methodist  Church  Sunday-school  (close  by  his 
birthplace).  The  bible  truths  were  accepted  by  his 
keen  intelligence,  and  loved  for  the  sake  of  the  truth 
and  of  humanity  as  he  grew  to  maturity.  The  same 
devotion  as  to  study  and  business  was  given  lo  Sunday- 
school  work,  and  he  became  active  in  pushing  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise  into  the  suburbs— then  at  Clark  and 
Twelfth  streets.  Subsequently  to"  the  great  fire  he 
united  with  the  Michigan  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  out 
of  which  grew  the  Immanual  Baptist,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Rev.  George  C.  Lorimer,  D.  D.  He  has  been 
connected  with  its  business  management  almost  from 
its  organization,  and  is  chairman  of  its  board  of  trustees. 
As  a  Mason,  he  has  taken  all  the  degrees  in  the  York, 
and  all  but  one  in  the  Scottish  Rites.  He  filled  the 
different  chairs  in  the  York  Rite.  For  pleasure  and 
observation  he  has  made  four  visits  to  Europe,  and 
traveled  extensively  on  that  continent.  He  started  on 
his  last  trip  in  January,  1894,  with  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter. In  politics  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  has  always  been  a  Republican  on  national 
questions. 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  united  in  marriage  December  9, 
1870,  to  Mary  Jane  Kendall,  daughter  of  Dr.  Lyman 
Kendall,  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Hamilton  is  a  native  of 
Montpelier,  Vt.  She  subsequently  resided  at  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  whence  her  father  removed  to  Chicago 
in  1857.  She  was  educated  here  and  graduated  from 
the  high  school  in  1863.  She  united  with  the  Second 
Baptist  Church,  where  she  was  active  in  Sunday-school 
and  missionary  work,  and  is  now  connected  with  the 
Immanual  Baptist  Church.  Two  children  bless  this 
marriage — Bruce,  eighteen,  and  Adelaide  thirteen  years 
of  age.  Mr.  Hamilton,  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  rich 
in  the  wisdom  of  experience  and  managing  large  busi- 
ness interests  requiring  much  travel,  still  has  sympathy 
with  every  good  cause,  and  a  gentlemanly' 
all  who  properly  seek  his  attention. 


regard 


for 


1 68 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 

GENERAL  GREEN   B.  RAUM, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


AMONG  the  distinguished  men  of  the  United  States, 
General  Green  B.  Raum,  of  Illinois,  whether 
regarded  as  a  lawyer,  a  soldier  of  long  and  gallant 
service,  a  member  of  congress  or  as  the  chief  executive 
officer  of  the  two  most  important  bureaus  of  the  govern- 
ment, takes  high  rank.  He  has  served  his  country 
faithfullv  and  honorably,  both  in  the  field  and  in  the 
civil  service  for  a  period  of  sixteen  37ears,  and  his  lofty 
patriotism,  firmness  of  purpose  anil  fertility  of  resources 
in  a  marked  degree  fitted  him  for  the  important  posi- 
tions he  was  called  upon  to  fill  at  critical  periods  in  his 
country's  history. 

Gen.  Kaum's  ancestors  came  to  America  before  the 
Revolution.  His  paternal  great  grandfather,  Conrad 
Raum,  was  a  native  of  Alsace,  and  emigrated  to  the 
Colony  of  Pennsylvania  in  1741,  settling  near  Hum- 
melstown,  now  in  Dauphin  county,  where  he  became 
the  father  of  a  large  family.  Among  his  sons 
was  Melchoir,  who  lived  for  many  years  at 
Harrisburg,  being  at  the  same  time  a  man 
of  much  influence  and  popularity  in  his  commun- 
ity. His  son,  John  Raum,  the  father  of  Gen.  Rau.m, 
removed  west  and  settled  at  Shawneetown,  111.',  in 
1823,  and  three  years  later  removed  to  Golconda, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  1869.  John  Raum 
served  three  years  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  first 
lieutenant  when  he  left  the  service.  He  also  served  in 
the  Blackhawk  war  as  brigade  major.  He  was  after- 
ward elected  as  State  Senator  in  1833,  and  from  1835 
to  the  day  of  his  death,  a  period  of  thirty-four  years, 
he  was  clerk  of  the  court  of  Pope  county,  111.  He  was 
a  man  of  good  education,  excellent  ability  and  great 
probity  of  character.  In  1828  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Juliet  C.  Field,  daughter  of  Green  B.  Field. 
Mr.  Field  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  portion  of 
the  State  and  was  among  the  first  settlers  of  Golconda. 
He  served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  represented  Pope 
county  in  the  first  Legislature  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Field 
married  Mary  E.  Cogswell,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Joseph 
Cogswell,  a  citizen  of  Kentucky,  who  served  as  a  sur- 
geon in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  mother  of  Gen.  Raum  was  widely  known  and 
highly  respected,  and  there  was  no  more  hospitable 
roof  in  Southern  Illinois  than  her  home.  Mrs.  Raum 
was  first  in  every  good  work.  When  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion  broke  out  she  exercised  great  influence  in 
the  support  of  the  Union  cause.  Both  her  sons — Gen. 
Raum  and  Maj.  John  M.  Raum — being  in  the  army, 
she  visited  them  at  Corinth,  Memphis  and  Vicksburg, 
alwavs  taking  with  her  large  quantities  of  valuable 
supplies  for  the  relief  of  the  soldiers.  She  died  in  1872, 
lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

At  an  early  day  the  family  united  with  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Golconda,  which  was  established 
about  1820. 

In  1868,    General  Raum,   with  his  wife  and  four 


children,  visited  his  mother  and  father  at  Golconda, 
where  his  grandmother  was  living  with  them  at  the 
time.  Thus  four  generations  of  the  family  were 
assembled  under  the  same  roof. 

Green  B.  Raum  was  born  at  Golconda,  Pope  county, 
on  December  3,  1829.  He  received"  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools,  and  had  the  advantage  of  a  good 
library  in  his  father's  house.  When  of  suitable  age,  he 
entered  upon  the  study  of  law,  being  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1853.  Three  years  later,  in  1856,  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Kansas,  where,  in  the  stormy  times 
of  the  period,  he  allied  himself  with  the  "Free-State" 
party,  return fng,  however,  after  a  year,  to  Illinois  and 
locating  at  Harrisburg.  In  the  memorable  political 
campaign  of  I860,  Mr.  Raum  was  a  zealous  advocate 
of  the  candidacy  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  attended 
the  convention  at  Baltimore  which  nominated  him  for 
the  presidency.  When,  following  the  election  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  to  the  presidency,  secession  became 
the  question  of  the  hour,  Mr.  Raum  declared  himself 
unalterably  opposed  to  the  Southern  movement  and 
unqualifiedly  in  favor  of  the  preservation  of  the  Union, 
and  when  Fort  Sumter  fell  he  promptly  announced  him- 
self in  favor  of  maintaining  the  Union  bv  force  of  arms. 
When  the  circuit  court  of  Massac  county  convened  a 
few  days  later  at  Metropolis,  and  secession  and  com- 
promise speeches  were  made  at  a  public  meeting,  he 
was  announced  to  speak  on  the  following  day.  In  his 
speech  of  more  than  two  hours  duration,  on  that  occa- 
sion, Mr.  Raum  pleaded  eloquently  and  vigorously  for 
the  perpetuation  of  the  Union,  and  an  undivided  coun- 
try from  the  great  lakes  to  the  gulf.  He  declared  that 
Illinois  and  the  great  Northwest  would  never  allow  the 
Mississippi  river  to  be  controlled  at  its.  mouth  by  any 
hostile  power.  He  warned  the  Kentuckians  present 
that  if  their  state  failed  in  its  loyalty  to  the  Union  her 
fair  fields  would  become  the  theater  of  war.  Though 
in  the  campaign  an  opponent  of  Lincoln,  he  declared 
his  purpose  to  sustain  his  administration  in  its  effort  to 
save  the  country.  This  address,  which  was  the  first 
Union  speech  delivered  in  southern  Illinois,  had  a  most 
important  effect,  convincing  most  of  his  auditors  that 
patriotism  and  future  safety  called  upon  every  one  to 
rally  around  the  old  flag.  The  meeting  at  Metropolis 
occurred  on  the  day  that  Senator  Douglas  made  his 
famous  war  speecli  before  the  Illinois  legislature. 
Showing  his  faith  by  his  deeds,  Mr.  Raum  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army,  and  was  made  major  of  the  56th  Illinois 
Infantry,  rising  successively  to  the  ranks  of  lieutenant 
colonel,  colonel,  brevet  brigadier-general  and  brigadier- 
general.  He  served  under  General  Grant  at  the  capture 
of  Vicksburg,  and  under  General  Sherman  at  the  capture 
of  Savannah.  He  was  at  the  siege  of  Corinth,  the 
battle  of  Corinth,  in  the  campaign  of  central  Missis- 
sippi and  Yazoo  Pass,  in  the  campaign  against  Vicks- 
burg. and  commanded  a  brigade  at  the  siege  and  capture 


0^0* 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


171 


of  that  stronghold,  and  marched  from  Memphis  to  the 
relief  of  Chattanooga.  At  the  battle  of  Corinth  Gen. 
Raum  led  the  charge  that  broke  the  Confederate  left 
and  captured  a  battery.  At  Missionary  Eidge  he  took 
an  active  part  in  Gen.  Sherman's  assault  upon  the 
rebel  line.  His  brigade  lost  very  heavily  in  that 
battle  and  Gen.  Raum  was  severely  wounded  while 
repulsing  a  severe  attack  by  the  enemy.  During  the 
Atlanta  campaign  he  commanded  his  brigade  and  in 
September  and  October  commanded  the  division.  He 
held  the  line  of  communication  from  Dalton  to  Ack- 
worth  and  from  Kingston  to  Rome,  Ga.  The  railroad 
was  put  in  a  complete  state  of  defense  and  was  success- 
fullv  held  against  the  periodical  assaults  of  the  rebels, 
so  that  Gen.  Sherman's  army  of  100,000  men  and  as 
manv  animals  was  always,  thoroughly  provisioned. 
Gen.  Raum  discovered  the  raid  of  Gen.  Joseph 
Wheeler  and  gave  such  information  that  forces  were 
sent  from  Chattanooga  to  Dalton,  where  they  met 
and  repulsed  that  distinguished  rebel  cavalryman.  It 
was  while  General  Raum  garrisoned  the  railroad  that 
General  Hood  made  his  famous  march  north,  to  break 
up  Sherman's  line  of  communication.  Foreseeing  that 
Allatoona  and  Resaca  would  probably  be  attacked, 
he  caused  the  fortifications  at  these  places  to  be 
strengthened ;  he  sent  out  scouts  to  observe  the 
movements  of  Hood's  army,  and  gave  orders  for  the 
concentration  of  all  the  troops  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Resaca,  in  case  that  place  should  be  attacked  ;  and  he 
communicated  with  General  Corse,  at  Rome,  request- 
ing him  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  reinforce 
Allatoona,  if  it  was  attacked.  General  Raum  was  fully 
informed  of  the  movements  of  General  French  against 
Allatoona,  and  furnished  General  Corse  railroad  trans- 
portation to  move  his  forces  from  Rome  to  Allatoona, 
in  time  to  save  the  place.  General  Raum  was  also 
informed  when  General  Hood  crossed  the  Corsa  river, 
and  he  urged  General  Sherman  to  make  a  forced 
march  to  Resaca,  expressing  the  opinion  that  he 'would 
meet  Hood  at  that  place.  General  Sherman  thought 
otherwise,  but  so  well  satisfied  was  General  Raum 
that  Hood's  intended  move  was  to  attack  Resaca,  that 
he  gathered  together  three  railroad  trains  at  Kingston, 
and  reinforced  Resaca  with  General  Tilson's  brigade, 
•who  reached  the  place  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  found  that  General  Hood  had  demanded  the  sur- 
render of  the  place  around  which  he  had  already  estab- 
lished his  lines,with  his  right  and  left  resting  on  the  river. 
Gen.  Watkins'  brigade  and  the  56th  111. Volunteers  had 
already  arrived.  Gen.  Raum  assumed  command  of 
the  forces  and  offered  such  a  resistance  that  the  rebel 
forces,  although  they  pressed  hard  upon  the  Union 
lines,  did  not  make  an  assault.  A  million  rations  were 
in  store  here  and  much  ammunition.  On  his  arrival 
Gen.  Raum  wrote  to  Gen.  Sherman,  detailing  the 
situation,  and  assured  him  that  he  would  hold  the 
place  until  the  latter  could  arrive  with  his  arm}'.  Gen. 
Sherman  made  a  forced  march  to  Resaca,  but  on  his 
arrival  Hood  had  drawn  off  from  the  siege.  Gen. 
Sherman  personally  thanked  Gen.  Raum  for  his  ser- 


vices in  this  affair.  Gen.  Raum  commanded  a  brigade 
of  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps  in  the  celebrated  march 
of  Gen.  Sherman  to  the  sea.  He  was  also  in  command 
of  a  division  of  infantry  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley, 
under  Gen.  Hancock,  in  May,  1864,  when  he  resigned 
as  brigadier  general  of  volunteers. 

In  all  the  army  movements  Gen.  Raum  performed 
responsible  duties  assigned  to  him  with  bravery  and 
discretion.  In  1863,  after  the  capture  of  Vicksburg, 
he  was  granted  a  leave  of  absence  to  visit  his  home. 
During  his  stay  he  made  a  number  of  speeches  to  large 
assemblies  endorsing  the  emancipation  proclamation 
and  the  arming  of  the  negro.  He  advised  all  citizens 
who  favored  the  preservation  of  the  Union  to  join 
heartily  together  in  politics  in  support  of  the  Lincoln 
administration.  He  identified  himself  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  was  a  delegate  to  many  of  its  conven- 
tions, presiding  over  the  Illinois  Republican  State  con- 
ventions of  1866,  1876  and  1880.  He  was  also  a  dele- 
gate at  large  to  the  Republican  National  conventions 
of  1876  and  1880,  and  was  one  of  the  famous  "  306  " 
who  supported  Gen.  Grant  in  the  convention  of  1880. 
In  the  Illinois  State  convention  of  1874  Gen.  Raum  was 
a  member  of  the  committee  on  resolutions  and  was 
strongly  influential  in  the  adoption  of  the  resolution  in 
favor  of  the  resumption  of  specie  payments  and  free 
banking,  as  against  a  greenback  inflation  platform.  He 
has  made  political  speeches  in  many  States,  always 
advocating  the  doctrines  of  protection,  sound  money 
and  fair  elections.  The  speeches  of  1878  and  1882 
were  widely  published,  and  their  statistics  became 
standard  campaign  material. 

After  the  war,  Gen.  Raum  resumed  the  practice  of 
law  at  Harrisburg.  In  1866  he  was  elected  to  congress 
as  a  Republican,  defeating  the  Hon.  William  J.  Allen, 
in  a  district  befqre  overwhelmingly  Democratic.  He 
served  on  the  committee  on  military  affairs,  with  Gen. 
Garfield  as  chairman.  At  his  time  of  service  in  con- 
gress, the  questions  growing  out  of  the  war  were  prom- 
inent. He  advocated  the  fourteenth  amendment  to 
the  constitution  in  his  canvass,  voted  in  congress  for 
the  fifteenth  amendment,  the  reconstruction  laws,  for 
the  impeachment  of  the  president,  and  many  other 
important  measures,  including  the  appropriation  for  the 
purchase  of  Alaska,  making  the  closing  speech  in  the 
debate  upon  the  constitutionality  of  the  Alaskan 
treat_v. 

In  1867,  he  engaged  in  an  enterprise  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  railroad  through  the  town  in  which  he 
lived,  and  largely  promoted  the  building  of  the  Cairo 
and,  Vincennes  Railroad,  of  which  he  was  the  first 
president. 

In  the  fall  of  1876,  there  was  a  strong  feeling  of 
uneasiness  at  the  National  Capitol,  in  regard  to  the 
outcome  of  the  pending  presidential  election,  and 
President  Grant  felt  it  desirable  to  call  around  him,  in 
civil  capacities,  some  of  his  old  army  associates,  upon 
whose  prudence,  pluck  and  discretion  he  knew  he 
could  rely  in  an  emergency.  Accordingly,  General 
Raum,  among  others,  was  summoned  to  Washington 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  ORE  A  T  WEST. 


and  was  tendered  and  accepted  the  position  of  com- 
missioner of  internal  revenue.  The  office,  under  the 
conditions  then  prevailing,  was  a  difficult  one  to  fill 
successfully.  The  heavy  taxes  imposed  upon  distilled 
spirits  and  tobacco,  and  the  imperfect  methods  at  that 
time  in  force  for  maintaining  proper  accountability  of 
officers,  and  for  the  collection  of  the  tax,  had  fostered 
frauds,  and  broken  down  public  confidence  in  the 
honest  administration  of  internal  revenue  affairs. 
Even  the  best  disposed  tax-payers,  by  reason  of  their 
belief  that  fraudulent  preferences  bad  been  given  to 
others,  were  inclined  to  be  hostile  to  the  whole  system 
of  internal  revenue  taxation.  To  suppress  frauds,  and 
to  bring  honest  tax-payers  into  harmonious  relations 
with  the  government,  were  among  the  first  things  that 
confronted  the  new  commissioner.  Recognizing  that 
the  initial  step  towards  securing  honest  taxation  was 
to  secure  honest  tax-collection,  General  Raum  brought 
into  play  his  army  experience,  by  inaugurating  a 
system  of  inspection  and  reports  by  competent  revenue 
agents  as  to  the  entire  revenue  force  of  the  country. 
In  regard  to  all  officers  having  financial  responsibility, 
he  established  a  system  of  periodical  examination  and 
versification  of  their  accounts.  All  possibility  of 
partiality  or  collusion  in  these  reports  was  avoided  by 
a  continuous  rotation  of  the  inspecting  officers.  During 
his  term,  $850,000,000  were  collected,  and  $30,000,000 
disbursed,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  dollar  by  defal- 
cation. Under  the  firm,  just,  honest  and  humane 
administration  of  the  laws  thus  established,  based  upon 
the  theory  that  the -tax  laws  were  devised  to  raise 
revenue,  and  not  to  oppress  the  tax-payer,  or  to 
harshly  punish  him  for  trivial  or  technical  violations 
of  the  law,  where  no  fraud  was  intended,  a  feeling  of 
mutual  confidence  and  respect  between  the  larger  tax- 
payers and  the  officers  of  the  government  was  estab- 
lished, and  an  important  moral  aid  was  thus  thrown 
on  the  side  of  the  observance  of  the  laws. 

But  a  most  difficult  task  yet  remained  to  be 
accomplished — the  suppression  of  the  illicit  manufac- 
ture and  sale  of  whisky  and  tobacco  in  the  mountain 
districts  of  the  Southern  States,  by  which  not  only 
great  loss  was  inflicted  upon  the  revenue,  but  whole 
communities  were  demoralized  and  kept  in  a  constant 
condition  of  lawlessness,  and  of  almost  open  insurrec- 
tion against  the  laws  of  the  United  States.  An 
embarrassing  feature  of  the  problem  was  that  the  law- 
breakers had,  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  sympathy 
of  the  State  officers,  and  others  of  authority  amongst 
them.  In  one  year  (1879),  the  commissioner  was 
called  upon  to  report  no  fewer  than  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five  internal  revenue  officers  of  the  United 
States  as  having  been  prosecuted  in  the  State  courts 
for  acts  done  in  their  official  capacity.  To  break 
down  this  vicious  and  mistaken  public  sentiment,  and 
to  bring  about  a  peaceful  and  orderly  enforcement  of 
the  laws  in  all  sections  of  the  country  alike,  General 
Raum  concluded  that  the  first  requisite  was  to  put 
down  forcible  resistance  by  superior  force.  He  made 
requisition  on  the  war  department  for  breach-loading 


arms  of  the  most  approved  pattern,  which  were 
promptly  supplied,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
collectors  for  use.  The  "  squirrel  guns,"  and  old- 
fashioned  smooth-bore  rifles  and  shot-guns,  with  which 
the  "moonshiners"  had  been  accustomed,  with  im- 
punity, to  pick  off  suspected  revenue  officers  from 
ambuscade,  were  thus  met  by  the  weapons  of  a  longer 
range  and  greater  accuracy  in  the  hands  of  brave  and 
determined  men,  with  the  law  on  their  side.  A  very 
few  skirmishes  sufficed  to  bring  about  a  realizing  sense 
of  the  changed  orders  of  things.  The  struggle  was 
protracted  and  desperate,  but  in  the  end  the  supremac}7 
of  the  law  was  vindicated,  and  whole  communities 
began  to  sue  for  terms  of  surrender.  Then  came  into 
play  a  policy  of  judicious  leniency.  After  meetings 
had  been  held,  addressed  by  United  States  senators 
and  members  of  Congress,  in  some  of  the  infected 
districts,  counseling  obedience  to  the  laws ;  after 
similar  expressions  of  sentiment  had  been  received  in 
writing  from  the  highest  officers  of  some  of  the  States, 
accompanied  by  a  promise  not  to  attempt  to  further 
harrass  the  officers  of  the  government,  an  agreement 
was  entered  into  that  if  those  who  had  been  guilty  of 
violation  of  the  laws  would  surrender  to  the  United 
States  courts  within  a  given  time,  and  plead  guilty, 
the  government  would  ask  that  sentence  be  suspended 
during  good  behaviour,  and  that  they  should  be 
discharged  on  their  own  recognizances.  In  many  of 
the  worst  districts  the  illicit  distillers  availed  them- 
selves of  this  conditional  amnesty  by  the  hundreds. 
A  wholesome  revolution  was  thus  affected  in  public 
sentiment. 

The  morals  of  the  service  throughout  the  country 
were  still  further  improved  by  the  promulgation  by 
the  commissioner  of  a  civil  service  order  prohibiting  a 
practice  which  had  grown  up  in  a  number  of  districts, 
of  collectors  distributing  their  subordinate  offices 
among  their  own  relations.  Very  strong  pressure  was 
brought  to  bear  to  break  down  this  rule,  but  it  was 
consistently  maintained,  with  beneficial  results,  which 
became  more  and  more  apparent. 

While  these  improvements  were  being  effected  in  the 
service  at  large,  important  changes  and  modifications 
were  introduced  in  the  department  at  Washington. 
The  exercise  of  the  immense  powers  conferred  by  law 
upon  the  commissioner  of  internal  revenue,  in  regard 
to  the  abatement  and  refunding  of  taxes,  was  wisely 
restricted  by  a  regulation,  providing  that  "ex-parte  " 
affidavits  should  no  .longer  be  regarded  as  proof,  but 
that  evidence  in  regard  to  these  claims  must  be  taken 
on  notice,  with  the  opportunity  given  to  the  counsel 
for  the  United  States  to  appear  and  cross-examine. 
Important  recommendations  were  made  as  to  the 
terms  of  official  tenure,  and  the  conditions  which 
should  govern  appointments,  promotions  and  removals; 
and,  as  far  as  law  allowed,  these  principles  were  put  in 
practical  operation  in  the  internal  revenue  bureau. 
In  1882,  the  excess  of  revenue  over  the  actual  needs  of 
the  government,  and  the  constant  temptation  thus 
presented  to  extravagance  in  appropriations  was 


PROMINENT  MEN  OP  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


173 


forcibly  brought  to  the  attention  of  Congress  by  Com- 
missioner Raum,  and  a  plan  for  the  reduction  of  about 
forty  millions  of  dollars  upon  certain  objects  of  taxa- 
tion was  suggested,  and  was  adopted  by  Congress 
with  scarcely  any  modification. 

Abuses  in  the  administration  of  justice,  in  connec- 
tion with  internal  revenue  cases,  resulting  from  the 
practice  of  compensating  United  States  marshals  and 
district  attorneys  by  fees,  early  attracted  the  attention 
of  Gen.  Raum,  and  in  his  annual  report,  dated  Novem- 
ber, 1879,  he  exposed  the  evils  inflicted  by  this  system, 
and  recommended  that  marshals  and  district  attorneys 
be  paid  fixed  salaries.  This  recommendation  was 
renewed  in  still  more  vigorous  terms  in  subsequent 
•reports,  and  has  now  been  adopted  by  the  department  of 
justice  and  was  favorably  recommended  by  President 
Cleveland  in  1893.  During  his  career  as  commissioner 
of  internal  revenue,  Gen.  Raum  prepared  a  plan  for  a 
reform  of  the  civil  service,  which  was  laid  before 
Congress  in  his  annual  report.  He  recommended  the 
adoption  of  a  tenure  of  four  years  for  the  clerical  force, 
appointments  to  be  made  upon  six  months  probation, 
after  careful  examinations,  and  no  removals  to  be  made 
except  for  such  misconduct  as  should  be  fixed  by  law. 
lie  argued  that  the  success  of  an  administration  in  the 
departments  depends  largely  upon  the  loyalty  and 
enthusiasm  of  the  empioyes,  and  that  the  public  at 
large  were  not  favorable  to  the  establishment  of  an 
office-holding  class  at  the  National  capitol.  His  idea 
of  civil  service  reform  related  to  an  actual  improve- 
ment in  the  methods  of  transacting  the  public  business, 
and  the  securement  of  diligent  and  faithful  service, 
instead  of  a  system  which  deprives  the  heads  of  depart- 
ments from  exercising  any  discretion  in  making  ap- 
pointments, but  requiries  them  to  fill  all  vacancies  and 
make  appointments  from  lists  of  strangers.  He  was 
the  first  to  propose  taking  off  the  duty  on  sugar,  as  a 
just  measure  for  reducing  revenues,  and  cheapening 
one  of  the  prime  necessities  of  life,  and  recommended 
giving  bounty  to  American  producers,  as  a  means 
of  protection  and  encouragement.  These  recommen- 
dations, which  met  with  the  greatest  favor  by  his 
party,  were  finally  enacted  into  law  in  the  famous 
measure  known  as  the  McKinley  Bill.  On  April  30, 
1888,  General  Raum  voluntarily  resigned  the  office  of 
commissioner  of  internal  revenue  to  resume  the 
practice  of  law.  He  at  once  gained  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice,  from  which  he  retired  to  accept  the 
office  of  commissioner  of  pensions,  at  the  request  of 
President  Harrison.  During  his  term  Congress 
enacted  what  is  known  as  the  "  disability-pension- 
bill,"  and  increased  the  official  officers  of  the  pension 
office  to  2,000  persons.  Besides  this  force,  there  were 


employed  in  the  service  450  persons  at  the  pension 
agencies,  and  4,200  physicians  and  surgeons  in  the 
various  medical  boards,  making  a  total  of  6,650  persons 
employed  in  this  service.  The  amount  of  labor  imposed 
upon  the  pension  office  during  General  Raums'  incum- 
benc}'  was  far  beyond  anything  that  had  ever  occurred 
in  the  history  of  the  government.  Over  900,000 
claims  were  presented.  His  long  service  in  the 
treasury  department  had  gained  him  a  large  experi- 
ence in  bureau  management.  Under  his  orders  the  busi- 
ness of  the  pension  office  was  most  thoroughly  system- 
atized, and  more  work  per  capita  was  performed  by 
the  official  force  than  ever  before.  The  pension 
office  management  became  a  matter  of  congressional 
investigation,  but,  after  months  of  inquiry  and 
searching  examinations,  not  a  single  case  could  be 
found  which  had  been  allowed  in  violation  of  the  laws, 
or  taken  up  and  disposed  of  as  the  result  of  prejudice 
and  favoritism.  During  this  administration  860,000 
pension  certificates  were  issued  under  the  various  pen- 
sion laws  to  soldiers,  and  their  dependants,  for  services 
in  all  the  wars  of  the  country,  from  the  Revolution 
down.  Gen.  Raum  filled  this  difficult  and  responsible 
position  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  President  Harri- 
son and  the  secretary  of  the  interior,  as  is  shown  by 
their  messages  and  reports,  and  in  his  annual  reports 
he  earnestly  and  courageously  presented  the  claims  of 
old  soldiers  to  the  gratitude  of  the  nation.  It  seems 
proper  to  state  that  it  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  but  few 
men  in  the  history  of  the  world  to  administer  laws  for 
the  collection  of  $850,000,000  and  for  the  disbursement 
of  $500,000,000.  This  was  done  by  Gen.  Raum,  and 
the  printed  reports  of  this  stupendous  work  show  that 
he  was  complete  master  of  the  subjects  with  which  he 
had  to  deal.  Upon  the  inauguration  of  President 
Cleveland,  Gen.  Baum,  on  March  7,  1893,  tendered  his 
resignation,  which  was  accepted  March  15,  1893.  He 
then  returned  to  his  native  State  and  resumed  the 
practice  of  law  in  Chicago.  The  terse  vigor  of  Gen. 
Raum  as  a  writer  is  evinced  by  his  bureau  reports,  by 
letters  and  magazine  articles,  which  he  frequently  has 
given  to  the  public,  and  in  a  more  marked  degree 
by  his  work,  published  in  1884,  entitled  "  The  Exist- 
ing Conflict  between  Republican  Government  and 
Southern  Oligarchy." 

Gen.  Raum  married  Maria  Field,  in  October,  1851. 
Miss  Field  was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Field,  who  emi- 
grated from  Kentucky  to  Golconda,  111.,  in  1820,  and 
although  of  the  same  name  was  not  related  to  Gen. 
Raum's  grandfather.  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Raum  have 
raised  a  family  of  eight  children,  five  daughters  and 
three  sons,  all  of  whom  are  now  (February,  1894) 
living. 


174 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

ISRAEL  PARSONS   RUMSEY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  records  of  the  Rumsey  family  show  it  to  have 
been  of  ancient  origin,  and  wherever  known  it 
has  been  noted  for  high  honor,  sterling  integrity  and 
unblemished  repute;  and,  as  a  consequence,  for  its 
positions  of  usefulness  and  prominence.  In  the  United 
States  some  of  the  Rumseys  enjoyed  the  confidence 
and  personal  friendship  of  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
of  men — General  George  Washington.  The  liumsey 
family  is  scarcely  less  ancient  than  the  countries 
where  the  name  has  been  found,  and  has  been  honored 
by  the  public  and  rewarded  by  distinction  from  alli- 
ances with  the  first  families  of  the  country.  It  would 
seem  that  from  the  earliest  period  the  predominant 
traits  of  character  found  in  the  family,  with  a  few 
exceptions,  were  an  inflexible  spirit  of  truth  and  a  uni- 
form, serious  sense  of  religious  duty  and  obligation. 
Many  of  the  name  have  filled,  with  distinction,  legisla- 
tive and  judicial  seats.  In  the  early  period  of  the 
American  revolution,  Benjamin  Rmnsey,  of  Maryland, 
was  entrusted  with  political  powers  which  could  have 
been  given  to  no  one  with  safety  unless  to  one  possessed 
of  sound  judgment  and  of  stable  firmness  and  integrity. 
In  scientific  and  inventive  genius,  exhibited  under 
circumstances  of  great  difficulty,  one  of  this  name  has 
won  a  world- wide  reputation,  viz.,  James  Rumsey,. the 
inventor  of  the  steamboat. 

Upwards  of  700  years  ago,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II, 
of  England,  the  family  of  Rumsey  took  their  name 
from  the  ancient  town  of  Romsey.  or  Rumsey,  in  Hamp- 
shire, or  rather  the  town  took  its  name  from  the  family. 
From  a  work  entitled  "Collectanea  Topographica  and 
Genealogtca,"  it  would  appear  the  Rumseys  had,  as 
early  as  the  reign  of  Edward  II,  Anno  1253,  been 
settled  in  Wales.  Of  those  who  emigrated  to  America 
the  exact  date  does  not  appear,  but,  from  inference,  it 
may  be  presumed  to  have  been  between  the  years  1620 
and  1650.  It  is  only  known  that  the  original  ancestor, 
Robert  Rumsey  (or  Rumsie)  settled  in  Fairfield,  Fair- 
field  county,  Conn.,  sometime  between  the  years  1639 
and  1664,  when  his  name  appears  in  the  records  of  that 
town,  January  23,  1664,  as  the  purchaser  of  land  of  one 
Roger  Knapp.  The  family  tree  then  spreads  its 
branches  to  Yermont,  New  York.  Maryland,  and 
thence  to  the  various  States  as  they  were  thereafter 
formed. 

Israel  Parsons  Rumsey,  son  of  Joseph  E.  and  Lucy 
M.  (Ransom)  Rumsey,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  town 
of  Stafford,  Genessee county,  IN.  Y.,  February  9,  1836. 
His  father,  Joseph  E.  Rumsey, was  born  in  Ilubbardton, 
Vt.,  in  the  year  1800.  His  grandfather,  Col.  William 
Rumsey,  moved  with  his  family  in  1801  to  the  Holland 
land  purchase,  Genessee  county,  N.  Y.,  and  located  in 
the  town  of  Stafford,  three  and  a  half  miles  east  of 
Batavia,  the  county  seat.  Col.  Rumsey  was  an  influ- 
ential member  of  the  New  York  Legislature  about  1815. 
He  died  in  1820,  leaving  three  sons  and  seven  daugh- 


ters, of  whom  Joseph  E.  Rumsey  was  the  eldest  son 
and  upon  him  fell  the  great  responsibility  of  the  family 
and  the  debts.  He  only  accomplished  the  payment  of 
these  after  a  hard  struggle,  but  managed  to  save  the 
timbered  farm  to  the  mother  and  ten  children.  In  1822 
Joseph  rode  on  horseback  to  Colchester,  Conn.,  and 
married  Lucy  Mather  Ransom.  After  the  marriage 
both  returned  in  the  same  manner,  and  began  house- 
keeping on  his  portion  of  the  farm.  Besides  helping 
to  educate  his  brothers  and  sisters,  he  worked  bis  farm 
of  123  acres,  and  brought  up  a  family  of  five  sons  and 
four  daughters,  of  whom  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was 
the  sixth  child.  Joseph  E.  Rumsey  was,  as  were  all  hts 
brothers  and  sisters,  a  strong  advocate  of  temperance. 
Lucy  Ransom,  his  mother,  was  a  warm-hearted  Christ- 
ian woman,  whom  all  loved  for  her  deeds  of  kindness 
and  sympathy.  These  fine  traits  of  character  manifest 
themselves  in  the  son,  as  well  as  traits  of  patriotism 
and  philanthropy,  inherited  from  his  father. 

Israel  P.  Rumsey,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
received  his  early  education  at  the  district  school  of  his 
native  town,  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  was  sent  to  the  Bethany  Academy  at  Bethany 
Center,  Genessee  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was 
graduated  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Upon  leaving 
school  he  desired  to  become  a  farmer,  but  his  father 
had  different  views  for  him,  and  in  1853  secured  him  a 
position  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  dry -goods  house  of 
Howard  &  Wbitcomb,  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  His  salary 
for  the  first  year  was  $25  and  board  and  his  work  was 
from  6  a.  m.  until  9  p.  m.  and  often,  during  the  busy 
seasons,  as  late  as  11  p.  m.  He  continued  in  this  posi- 
tion until  he  reached  his  majority,  but  on  a  gradually 
increased  salary,  until,  the  last  year  of  his  stay,  1857, 
he  received  $400,  out  of  which,  however,  he  had  to  pay 
his  own  board. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  he  left  Buffalo  for  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  where  he  found  a  growing,  enterprising  town — 
at  this  time  doing  a  large  wholesale  business  with  the 
country  west  of  it.  This  spring  was  the  beginning  of  the 
panic,  so  well  remembered.  Employers  seemed  to  have 
scarcely  enough  work  for  their  regular  help.  Neverthe- 
less, he  found  a  position  in  a  hardware  store,  at  a  salary 
of  $125  a  year.  Shortly  after  this  the  firm  found  itself 
unable  to  meet  "bills  payable."  Fearing  his  services 
would  no  longer  be  needed,  he  bought  for  $100  the 
delivery  route  of  the  principal  morning  paper  of  the 
town  and  delivered  the  papers  between  one  and  seven 
each  morning.  This  was  hard  work,  but  his  determina 
tion  was  to  do  anything  honorable  rather  than  re-cross 
the  Mississippi  river.  One  month  later  some  new 
parties  bought  the  stock  of  hardware  from  his  old 
employers,  and  sending  for  him  (Mr.  Rumsey),  engaged 
him  at  a  salary  of  $400  per  year,  putting  him  in  charge 
of  the  store.  His  first  move  was  to  engage  his  former 
employers  as  clerks.  In  the  spring  of  1858  the  new 


>, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


177 


owners  ordered  him  to  remove  the  stock  to  Chicago. 
In  the  fall  of  this  year  he  secured  a  situation  in  the 
commission  house  of  Flint  &  Wheeler,  where  he 
remained  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  when 
he  enlisted  in  his  country's  cause,  against  the  wishes 
and  advice  of  his  employers,  who  claimed  that  army 
life  unfitted  a  man  for  business  thereafter.  This  caused 
him  to  make  the  resolve  that  if  he  returned  from  the 
war  alive  it  would  be  his  aim  to  disprove  the  theory. 
Mr.  Rumsey  enlisted  April  23,  1861,  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  organization  of  Taylor's  Chicago  Batten^. 
They  left  Chicago  in  May,  that  year, with  Ezra  Taylor, 
captain,  S.  E.  Barrett,  senior  first  lieutenant,  Levi  "W. 
Hart,  junior  first  lieutenant,  P.  II. White,  senior  second 
lieutenant,  and  I.  P.  Rumsey,  junior  second  lieutenant. 
During  the  summer  of  '61  they  were  stationed  at 
Cairo,  111.,  and  Bird's  Point.  Mo.  The  battery  was  en- 
gaged in  the  battle  of  Belmont,  November,  1861, 
where  Mr.  Rumsey  met  with  a  somewhat  peculiar 
experience.  The  battery  was  loaded  on  the  steamer 
''Champion  "  and  the  fleet  steamed  down  the  Mississ- 
ippi river,  part  way  to  Belmont,  and  tied  up  for  the 
night.  His  bed  that  night  was  a  table  in  the  cabin. 
The  unbuckling  of  the  belt  which  held  his  sword  and 
pistol  was  all  the  preparation  necessary  for  retiring. 
He  arose  before  daylight  the  next  morning,  being 
officer  of  the  day,  and,  still  wearing  his  heavy  cape 
overcoat,  top-boots  and  spurs,  went  on  deck  to  find  the 
bugler  and  have  him  sound  the  feed  call.  The  bow  of 
the  boat  was  loaded  with  the  guns  and  caissons  of  the 
battery,  and  seeing,  what  he  thought  was  the  clear  deck 
beyond,  he  stepped — into  the  Mississippi  river  !  There 
was  nothing  left  but  to  swim  or  drown.  Being  a  good 
swimmer  he  made  the  shore,  and  was  forced  to  accept 
the  captain's  loan  of  a  suit,  cap  and  all,  which  made 
him  look  like  a  uniformed  "  butternut  reb."  In  this 
dress  he  did  his  part  at  the  battle  of  Belmont.  In 
reloading  the  battery,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  he  was 
the  last  man  to  step  on  board.  Two  steps  short  would 
have  left  him  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  in  that 
dress  he  would  have  met  sure  death  as  a  spy. 

When  reviews  were  held  at  Bird's  Point,  Mo.,  or 
expeditions  were  made  while  Gen.  W.  H.  L.  Wallace 
was  in  command,  he  generally  sent  for  Rumsey  to  act 
on  his  staff,  and  when  the  troops  were  organized  for 
the  Fort  Donelson,  Tenn., campaign,  he  was  appointed 
acting  assistant  adjutant-general,  from  which  time  he 
was  near  General  Wallace  night  and  day,  from  Bird's 
Point  to  Fort  Henry,  thence  to  Fort  Donelson,  thence 
to  Savannah  and  Shiloh,  where  General  Wallace  was 
killed  on  the  6th  of  April,  1802.  After  accompanying 
the  general's  remains  to  Ottawa,  111.,  where  they  were 
laid  to  rest,  Lieutenant  Rumsey  returned  to  the  bat- 
tery at  which  time  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
senior  second  lieutenant.  He  commanded  the  center 
section  of  the  battery,  then  part  of  Gen.  W.  T.  Sher- 
man's division,  afterwards  made  the  2nd  division  of 
the  15  corps  of  the  "Army  of  the  Tennessee."  General 
Sherman  first  commanded  the  division,  then  the  corps, 
and  then  the  "Arm  of  the  Tennessee."  The  course 


of  this  army  also  indicates  the  movements  of  the  bat- 
tery, in  which  young  Rumsey  was  an  officer.  To  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  to  Holly  Springs,  to  Jacksonville  and 
to  Memphis,  for  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of  1862-3. 
Later  in  the  winter,  down  the  Mississippi  river  to 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  thence  up  the  Arkansas  river  to 
Arkansas  Post,  and  back  to  Young's  Point,  opposite 
Vicksburg,  camping  on  the  line  of  "  Butler's  Ditch," 
in  reach  of  the  Southerners'  long  range  guns,  so  placed 
as  to  rake  the  whole  line  of  the  ditch.  The  battery 
then  went  with  General  Sherman  in  Grant's  campaign 
around  Vicksburg.  During  this  campaign  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  captaincy  of  Battery  B.,  1st  Illinois 
Light  Artillery,  better  known  as  Taylor's  Chicago 
Battery.  This  battery  constituted  a  part  of  General 
Sherman's  army,  that  marched  from  Vicksburg  to 
Memphis,  and  thence  to  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  taking 
part  in  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge.  It  afterwards 
formed  part  of  the  troops  selected  by  General  Sher- 
man and  taken  to  the  relief  of  General  Burnside,  at 
Knoxville,  Tenn.,  later  returning  to  Chattanooga  and 
from  there  going  to  Larkinsville,  Ala.,  for  winter 
quarters,  in  1863  and  1864.  Here  the  government 
issued  them  a  new  battery  of  12-pound  Napoleons. 
During  this  winter  Captain  Rumsey  had  a  short  leave 
of  absence  (the  only  one  he  took  while  in  the  service) 
and  visited  his  parents,  in  New  York  State. 

During  Sherman's  campaign  from  Chattanooga  to 
Atlanta,  in  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  '64,  Capt. 
Rumsey  commanded  his  own  battery,  and  was  most  of 
the  time  chief  of  artillery  of  his  division.  During  this 
time  he  participated  in  many  hard  fought  battles, 
among  which  were  those  of  Dallas,  Resaca  and  Kene- 
saw  Mountain.  The  principal  battles  in  which  he  par- 
ticipated were  November  7,  1861,  Belmont,  Mo., 
February  13-15,  1862,  Fort  Donelson,  Tenn.;  Shiloh, 
Tenn.,  April  6,  7;  siege  of  Corinth,  Tenn.,  from  April 
30  to  May  30;  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  December 
28-30;  Arkansas  Post,  Ark.,  January  10  and  11,  1863; 
Gen.  Grant's  campaign  against  Vicksburg,  which 
included  Cliampion  Hills,  May  16th;  Black  River,  May 
17th;  Richmond,  La.,  June  15th,  and  the  siege  from 
May  18th  to  July  4th.  In  October  and  November  he 
traveled  nearly  1,000  miles  with  General  Sherman's 
command,  from  Big  Black  River  to  Vicksburg,  thence 
by  boat  to  Memphis,  from  there  marching  to  Chatta- 
nooga and  Missionary  Ridge,  from  November  23  to  25; 
Snake  Creek  Gap,  Tenn.,  May  8,  1864;  Resaca, 
May  13-16;  Dallas,  May  25th  to  June  4th;  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  from  June  9th  to  30th,  and  Niukajack 
Creek,  July  5th.  The  Union  army  was  victorious  in 
all  but  two  of  the  above,  viz.:  Belmont,  Mo.,  which 
was  a  drawn  battle,  and  Chickasaw  Bayou. 

Upon  the  12th  of  July  1864,  the  time  of  enlistment 
expiring,  Captain  Rumsey  received  orders  to  take  his 
command  to  Springfield,  to  be  mustered  out,  having 
faithfully  and  courageously  served  his  country  for 
over  three  years.  Battery  A,  of  Chicago,  whose  term 
expired  at  the  same  time,  accompanied  Captain  Rum- 
sey's  battery.  The  first  lieutenant  was  Captain 


78 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Ramsey's  brother,  who  was  wounded  while  in  com- 
mand of  his  battery  at  the  battle  of  Resaca.  After 
the  "muster  out''  the  two  companies  came  to  Chicago, 
and  were  the  recipients  of  a  grand  welcome  from  the 
citizens,  who  were  very  proud  of  the  work  done. 
Company  A  went  to  the  front  immediately  after  the 
firing  on  Fort  Sumter,  and  Captain  Rumsey's  battery 
followed  soon  after. 

In  the  fall  of  1864,  Captain  Rumsey  entered  the 
employ  of  Spruance,  Preston  &  Co.,  commission  mer- 
chants, Chicago,  taking  charge  of  their  flour  depart- 
ment, and  remained  with  them  one  year,  during  which 
time  he  lost  all  he  had,  $2,500,  in  the  oil  excitement  at 
Port  Huron,  Mich.  He  commenced  business  for  him- 
self as  flour  broker,  on  the  Board  of  Trade,  in  1865, 
and  soon  established  a  remunerative  trade.  Later  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  bis  brother,  under  the  firm 
name  of  I.  P.  &  J.  W.  Rumsey.  At  the  end  of  three 
years,  having  accumulated  $10,000,  they  took  in  with 
them  as  partner,  John  Williams,  carrying  on  a  general 
flour  commission  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Rumsey,  Williams  &  Co.  Their  business  prospered 
exceedingly,  until  it  became  one  of  the  largest  flour 
receiving  firms  on  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  1877,  Mr. 
Williams  retired,  'and  the  Rumseys  associated  with 
them  George  Bartelot,  formerly  of  Philadelphia,  under 
the  style  of  I.  P.  Rumsey  &  Co.  Later  the  firm  was 
caught  in  the  John  B.  Lyon  "wheat  corner,"  in  which 
Munn  &  Scott  were  so  largely  concerned.  Wheat 
broke  sixty  cents  in  two  days,  and,  as  they  were 
unable  to  collect  of  their  customers,  or  to  margin 
their  trades,  they  were  obliged  to  make  a  settle- 
ment. Within  one  year,  however,  they  paid  every 
dollar  they  owed.  Mr.  I.  P.  Rumsey,  nothing 
daunted  by  the  disastrous  culmination  to  his 
hitherto  successful  career  in  the  brokerage  business, 
associated  himself  with  William  B.  Walker,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Rumsey  &  Walker.  This  partnership 
continued  prosperously  for  seven  years.  Mr.  Walker 
then  retired  from  the  business,  Mr.  A.  C.  Buell  taking 
his  place,  the  firm  name  being  changed  to  Rumsey  & 
Buell.  They  did  a  large  and  rapidly  increasing  busi- 
ness until  1889,  making  considerable  money.  In  this 
year  Mr.  Rumsey  decided  to  retire  from  business  on 
the  Board  of  Trade  and  sold  his  interest  in  the  firm  to 
his  partner,  Mr.  A.  C.  Buell,  at  the  time  agreeing  to  re- 
main out  of  the  grain  commission  business  for  two  years. 
During  those  two  years  he  tried  several  manufacturing 
enterprises,  all  of  which  were  failures  and  in  which  he 
lost  heavily,  which  convinced  him  that  a  man  should 
not  abandon  the  business  of  his  life  training  and  en- 
ter upon  an  entirely  new  line  after  he  had  passed 
his  fiftieth  year.  In  April,  1891,  he  started  the  "firm 
of  Rumsey  &  Latta,  with  Mr.  W.  Jack  Latta,  to  do  a 
general  grain  commission  business.  At  the  end  of  a 
year  Mr.  Rumsey  settled  with  Mr.  Latta  and  consoli- 
dated his  business  with  that  of  M.  C.  Lightner  &  Co., 
under  the  firm  name  of  Rumsey,  Lightner  &  Co., 
which  business  has  continued  up  to  the  present  time. 
In  connection  with  J.  C.  Schaffer,  Mr.  Rumsey  se- 


cured the  option  for  the  Indianapolis  Street  Railroad, 
in  1888,  and  associating  others  with  them,  they  bought 
the  same  which  proved  to  be  a  good  investment.  In 
1885,  he,  with  O.  C.  Foster,  bought  the  Chicago 
Photogravure  Company,  and  carried  it  at  a  loss 
until  1892,  when  he  bought  Mr.  Fosters  stock,  placed 
it  under  different  management,  and  since  that  time  the 
business  has  been  successful  from  a  monetary  stand- 
point, as  well  as  from  others.  In  Clay  county,  la.,  he 
owned  1,800  acres  of  land  and  a  town  site,  taken  in 
payment  of  money  advanced  in  business.  In  1884,  he 
sold  to  A.  W.  Sleeper  a  one  quarter  undivided  interest 
in  this  property  and  together  they  organized  and 
started  a  bank  with  $20,000  capital  in  the  town, 
which  the}'  named  Everly.  They  put  up  a  fine 
house  and  barns  adjoining  the  town,  stocking  the 
farm  in  a  modern  manner.  They  also  put  up  substan- 
tial buildings  in  the  town.  This  property  is  now 
valuable  and  advancing  yearly. 

Mr.  Rumsey  at  various  times  has  held  offices  in  the 
Board  of  Trade.  He  was  on  the  arbitration  and 
appeals  committees,  and  was  a  director  in  the  Board 
management  in  1871-72,  at  the  time  of  the  great 
Chicago  fire.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League 
Club.  He  has  been  one  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Citizens'  League,  for  the  suppression  of  the  sale  of 
liquor  to  minors  and  drunkards,  since  its  organization, 
in  1877,  and  its  president  since  the  first  president,  Mr. 
E.  F.  Elmendorf,  died,  in  1885,  and  has  been  instru- 
mental in  guiding  it  through  its  many  successes.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Citizens'  Association, 
the  Loyal  Legion,  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the 
Tennessee,  and  the  Geo.  H.  Thomas  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

In  1859,  Mr.  Rumsey  was  associated  with  George 
W.  Perkins  in  the  organization  of  the  Foster  Mission 
Sunday  School,  and  was  connected  with  it  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  rebellion.  It  was  then  one  of  the 
largest  missions  in  the  city,  having  between  1,000  and 
1,200  scholars.  In  1867.  he  was  instrumental  in 
organizing  the  Ninth  Presbyterian  church,  on  Ellis 
avenue,  and  later  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Grace  Presbyterian  church,  on  Vincennes  avenue.  He 
also  took  an  active  part  in  consolidating  the  two  into 
the  present  Sixth  Presbyterian,  at  the  latter  location, 
and  the  erection  of  the  fine  stone  edifice  was  largely 
due  to  his  agitation  and  efforts.  He  was  a  trustee  in 
all  three  churches,  and  an  elder  in  the  Sixth  Presby- 
terian. After  moving  to  Lake  Forest;  111.,  in  1887,  he 
was  elected  elder  in  the  Lake  Forest  Presbyterian 
church,  which  position  he  at  present  holds. 

Mr.  Rumsey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  M. 
Axtell,  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Henry 
Axtell  and  Juliet  (Lay)  Axtell,  on  June  12th,  1867. 
They  have  had  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing, one  having  died  in  infancy.  The  eldest  daughter. 
Juliet  Lay,  is  married  to  Rev.  Grant  Stroh,  now 
preaching  in  Del  Norte,  Colorado.  The  eldest  son, 
Henry  Axtell,  is  in  his  senior  year  at  Williams  College. 
The  two  younger  daughters  and  one  son  are  now  at 
home  attending  the  schools  in  Lake  Forest. 


PKQMWEtfT  MEW  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


179 


In  politics,  Mr.  Rumsey  finds  his  principles  cham- 
pioned by  the  Republican  party,  and  at  times  he  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  political  campaign  work.  He 
was  present  at  an  indignation  meeting  held  in  his 
ward  (the  fourth)  on  account  of  irregularities  in  the 
primaries,  and,  satisfied  as  to  the  facts,  took  part  in 
nominating  an  independent  candidate,  after  which  he 
was  forced  to  take  the  chairmanship  of  the  campaign 
committee.  The  contest  resulted  in  his  nominee  being 
the  victor  by  a  large  majority  over  the  regular  candidates 
of  both  the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties.  In 
1882  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  mayoralty  contest, 
originating  a  high  license  campaign,  regardless  of 
party,  during  which  the  Chicago  Ti»ws,  then  the 
principal  Democratic  organ,  stated  one  morning  that 


'•  the  political  world  is  revolving  still  around  Rumsey." 
General  I.  N.  Stiles  was  the  leading  representative  of  the 
Democrats  in  the  movement.  After  the  nomination  of  R. 
T.  Crane  for  mayor,  the  Republicans  offered  to  adopt  the 
high-license  platform  if  Mr.  Crane  would  withdraw  in 
favor  of  Judge  Gary,  which  was  agreed  to,  and  only 
fraud  at  the  polls,  it  was  claimed  at  the  time  by  the 
Republicans,  prevented  his  being  seated  as  mayor.  In 
1886  Alderman  O.  D.  "Wetherell,  not  receiving  a 
renomination,  Mr.  Rumsey  took  great  interest  in  his 
re-election,  which  was  accomplished,  much  to  the 
surprise  of  the  ward  workers.  Mr.  Rumsey  is  a  man  of 
more  than  average  height,  carrying  himself  with  mili- 
tary dignity  and  with  an  uprightness  which  tells  how 
lightly  the  years  of  life  lie  upon  him. 


JOHN  J.  MITCHELL, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  J.  MITCHELL,  the  president  of  the  Illinois 
Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  son  of  W.  H.  Mitchell, 
was  born  in  Alton,  111.,  November  2,  1854.  It  may 
truly  be  said  that  Mr.  Mitchell  is  a  banker  both  by 
education,  birth  and  instinct.  His  father  before  him 
was  president  of  the  first  National  Bank  of  Alton,  111., 
for  twenty-nine  years,  and  now,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years,  he  holds  the  position  of  second  vice-president 
of  the  institution  presided  over  by  his  son.  Mr. 
Mitchell,  Sr.,  is  also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Chicago 
and  Alton  railroad,  and  is  largely  interested  in  that 
enterprising  corporation. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  early  educa- 
tion at  home,  and  then  went  to  the  Union  Wesleyan 
Seminary,  at  Kent's  Hill,  Me.,  and  subsequently  to 
the  Waterville  Classical  Institute  in  the  same  State, 
where  he  graduated  in  June,  1873.  Coining  immedi- 
ately to  Chicago,  to  join  his  parents,  who  removed 
from  Alton  to  Chicago  in  that  year,  he  entered  the 
service  of  the  newly-organized  Illinois  Trust  Savings 
Bank  as  messenger.  He  rose  rapidly  through  the 
grades  of  individual  book-keeper,  general  book- 
keeper, and  teller,  to  the  rank  of  assistant-cashier. 
The  bank  started  in  the  year  1873,  with  a  capital 
of  $500.000,  and  essayed  to  do  an  exclusively 
savings  bank  business.  The  period  from  1873  to 
1876  was  disastrous  to  the  savings  banks  of  Chicago, 
and  in  1878  the  Illinois  Trust  cut  its  capital  from 
$500,000  to  $100,000,  and  its  shareholders  thought 
seriously  at  that  time  of  winding  up  its  affairs  and 
adandoning  the  field  as  unprofitable.  Deposits  had 
run  down  to  $100,000,  and  the  outlook  was  gloomy. 
Young  Mitchell  thought  he  could  pull  the  bank 
through,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  was  put  at 
the  helm  and  told  to  go  ahead,  lie  was  called  the  "  boy 
president,"  but  he  soon  demonstrated  that  for  a  boy  he 
was  "  phenomenal  "  in  a  financial  way.  His  first  move 


was  to  make  a  rule  never  to  loan  money  except  on 
collateral.  "Name  paper" did  not  go  at  his  bank,  un- 
less there  were  quick  assets  to  back  up  the  names.  This 
rule  has  never  been  deviated  from.  The  bank  drooped 
at  first,  but  soon  began  to  expand.  In  1880  the  capital 
was  increased  to  $200,000,  in  1884  to  $500,000,  in  1888 
to  $1,000,000,  and  in  1890  to  $2,000,000.  Now  it  has 
$2,000,000  capitalization  and  a  surplus  of  $£00,000, 
while  its  deposits,  which  were  $100,000  in  1878  now 
reach  the  enormous  sum  of  $22,000,000.  It  is  now 
rated  as  the  second  largest  banking  institution  in  the 
West.  It  is  an  admitted  fact  that  the  enormous  and 
wonderful  growth  of  this  institution  is  largely  attribu- 
table to  the  sagacious  management  of  its  affairs  by  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  who  now,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
nine,  finds  himself  surrounded  by  a  group  of  the 
strongest  men  in  the  city,  whose  confidence  in  his 
ability  seems  to  be  without  limit.  They  include 
many  of  the  most  successful  merchants  and  financiers 
of  this  country,  whose  united  wealth  represents  manv 
millions.  Mr.  Mitchell  is  vice-president  of  the  Traders' 
Insurance  Company,  a  director  of  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  and  Transit  Co.,  also  in  Milwaukee  and  Chicago 
breweries,  the  Hyde  Park  Mutual  Gas  and  Fuel  Co., 
and  the  Chicago  Stock  Exchange. 

He  is  president  of  the  First  Infantry  Army  Associ- 
ation, and  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Union  League 
and  Hyde  Park  Clubs,  although  he  is  seldom  seen  at 
any  of  the  clubs,  most  of  his  leisure  time  being  spent  at 
home  in  his  elegant  residence  on  Woodlawn  avenue. 

Mr.  Mitchell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jewett, 
of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  a  woman  of  many  charms,  about 
three  years  ago.  They  have  one  child,  a  little  girl 
baby. 

In  appearance,  Mr.  Mitchell  is  of  medium  height, 
well  built,  has  a  strong  face  and  pleasing  manners. 
He  dresses  plainly  and  is  methodical  in  his  habits, 


i8o 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


never  appearing  in  too  great  haste.  Care  and  respon- 
sibility have  worn  no  wrinkles  in  his  face  or  frosted 
his  head.  He  is  well  known  in  banking  circles  all  over 
the  United  States  and  is  as  popular  with  his  business 
associates  as  with  his  assistants  and  employes.  lie  is 


a  man  of  genial  and  companionable  nature,  friendly 
and  kind  to  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  His 
true  social  pleasures  are  found  in  his  home,  and  there 
he  passes  most  of  his  time  not  taken  up  by  the  exact- 
ing duties  of  business. 


POTTER  PALMER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


A  DISCRIMINATING  writer,  speaking  of  Potter 
Palmer,  for  more  than  forty  years  a  familiar 
figure  in  the  history  of  Chicago,  well  says:  "He  began 
his  remarkable  career  there  when  what  is  now  the 
second  city  in  the  United  States  was  but  a  village,  and 
has  grown  with  its  growth  until  his  name  and  reputa- 
tion are  as  far  reaching  as  those  of  the  city.  His  life 
has  been  one  of  untiring  activity,  and  has  been  crowned 
with  a  degree  of  success  attained  by  the  comparatively 
few.  He  is  of  the  highest  type  of  business  men,  and 
none  more  than  he  deserves  a  fitting  recognition 
among  the  men  whose  hardy  genius  and  splendid 
abilities  have  achieved  results  that  are  the  wonder  and 
admiration  of  the  world." 

Of  English  ancestry,  the  family  to  which  Mr. 
Palmer  belongs  was  first  represented  in  this  country  in 
early  colonial  times.  His  grandparents  removed  to 
New  York  State  about  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  from  New  Bedford,  Vt.,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Albany  county,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Hudson.  They  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
and  Potter  Palmer's  father  held  to  the  same  faith.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  a  man  of  considerable  influence  in 
his  community.  He  was  the  father  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  our  subject  was  the  fourth.  Potter  passed 
his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm  and  received  a  good 
common  English  education.  Not  satisfied  with  a 
farmer's  life,  at  the  age  of  18  he  sought  a  position  in  a 
country  store  and  bank  at  Durham,  in  Green  county, 
N.  Y.  Such  was  his  industry  and  aptitude  for 
the  business  that  at  the  end  of  three  years  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  establishment.  Soon  after 
coming  of  age,  he  started  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  first  in  Oneida  county,  and  afterwards  remov- 
ing to  Lockport,  in  both  places  meeting  with  gratifying 
success. 

He  was  constantly  planning,  however,  for  a  wider 
field  of  operations,  and  with  that  foresight  that  has 
been  a  marked  characteristic  of  his  life,  he  selected 
Chicago  as  the  place  destined  to  become  the  metropo- 
lis of  the  then  undeveloped  West.  At  that  time  Lake 
street  was  Chicago's  principal  thoroughfare,  and  there, 
upon  his  arrival,  Mr.  Palmer  opened  up  a  large  retail 
dry  goods  store,  investing  his  entire  capital.  It  was  not 
long  before  his  store  was  a  center  of  attraction,  and  the 
leading  retail  establishment  of  Chicago.  Enlarging 
his  facilities  to  meet  the  demand  of  his  increasing 


trade,  he  finally  added  to  his  business  a  wholesale 
department,  winch  rapidly  grew  to  great  magnitude 
under  his  skillful  management. 

During  the  thirteen  years  of  his  active  participation 
in  his  business,  before  resigning  it  to  his  partner  and 
successors,  the  volume  of  its  trade  increased  from  $70,- 
000  to  $7,000,000  per  annum,  and  it  had  no  rival  in  the 
United  States  outside  of  New  York.  Mr.  Palmer 
retired  from  mercantile  life  in  1865,  being  then  forty 
years  of  age,  with  a  large  fortune,  the  result  of  his 
foresight  and  business  tact. 

The  last  years  of  his  mercantile  career  were  during 
the  civil  war,  when  public  confidence  wavered  and  when 
strong  men  were  losing  heart  and  predicting  ill.  Not 
so,  however,  with  Potter  Palmer.  With  a  firm  faith  in 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  Union  cause,  he  came  to 
its  aid  with  devoted  loyalty,  and,  while  others  hesitated 
he  was  active ;  when  men  less  loyal  withdrew  or  more 
timid  withheld  their  capital  from  trade,  he  showed  the 
courage  of  his  convictions  by  investing  in  an  immense 
stock  of  goods.  While  this  course  stimulated  trade  and 
inspired  commercial  confidence,  it  at  the  same  time 
increased  his  pecuniary  profits. 

Mr.  Palmer  did  not  by  any  means  retire  from  active 
business;  he  only  changed  the  direction  of  his  energies. 
He  soon  entered  upon  an  era  of  real  estate  improvement 
which  transformed  a  portion  of  State  street  from 
the  appearance  of  a  straggling  street  in  a  country 
village  to  a  business  thoroughfare  of  solid  proportions. 
With  the  double  desire  to  improve  the  architectural 
appearance  of  the  city,  and  at  the  same  time  profit 
thereby,  he  boldly,  and  yet  with  rare  good  judgment, 
purchased,  within  about  six  months,  nearly  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  of  frontage  on  State  street,  at  that  time  the 
principal  retail  street  of  the  city.  With  the  exception 
of  two  blocks,  it  was  narrow  and  filled  in  with  only  the 
commonest  structures.  Mr.  Palmer  at  once  set  to  work 
to  widen  the  street,  moving  back  existing  buildings  to 
a  new  street  line  and  filling  in  vacant  lots  with  new 
structures  on  the  new  line.  The  work  was  attended 
with  great  difficulties,  for  many  persons  were  obstinate, 
and  submitted  to  the  new  order  of  things  only  when 
compelled  to  by  legal  measures.  But  in  four  years  the 
work  was  accomplished,  and  the  transformation  that 
had  taken  place  between  Madison  and  Twelfth  streets, 
a  distance  of  a  mile,  was  a  great  one,  and  entitled  Mr. 
Palmer  to  the  gratitude  of  all  public  spirited  citizens. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


181 


Among  the  dozen  or  more  buildings  which  Mr.  Palmer 
erected,  was  the  first  "  Palmer  House,"  and  a  marble- 
front  building  for  mercantile  purposes,  built  at  a  cost 
of  $100,000.  At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  of  1871,  he 
was  one  of  the  largest  property  owners  in  Chicago,  and 
suffered  greater  loss  than  any  other  single  person.  No 
less  than  thirty-five  buildings,  which  yielded  him  an 
annual  rental  of  $200,000,  were  swept  away  and  he 
found  the  accumulations  of  years  consumed  in  a  single 
night.  With  characteristic  courage  and  still  unlimited 
faith  in  Chicago's  future,  Mr.  Palmer  went  to  work 
with  his  old-time  energy  to  retrieve  his  fallen  fortunes 
and  to  lead  in  the  van  of  heroic  men  who,  like  himself, 
would  not  consent  to  stay  ruined. 

An  army  of  men  were  put  to  work  to  clear  away 
the  smoldering  debris  of  his  ruined  buildings.  Years 
of  honorable  dealing  had  given  him  unlimited  credit, 
which  now  served  to  procure,  on  his  own  terms,  ample 
building  material,  and,  as  if  by  magic,  new  structures 
arose,  surpassing  in  beauty  and  utility  anything  that 
Chicago  had  witnessed.  The  spirit  shown  by  Mr. 
Palmer  was  manifested  by  others;  new  capital  sought 
investment,  new  industries  were  started,  fresh  enter- 
prises sprung  up,  and  before  many  months  a  new  city 
rose  from  the  ashes  of  the  old,  inspired  with  life  and 
bustling  with  activity  before  unknown, 

To  recount  all  of  Mr.  Palmer's  achievements  ih  a 
sketch  of  this  character  is  impossible.  Among  the  many 
achievements  in  which  he  takes  just  pride,  is  the 
palatial  hotel  that  bears  his  name  and  nothing  has 
been  spared  to  make  it  worthy  of  the  world-wide 
reputation  which  it  has.  When  the  "  Lake  Shore 
Drive"  was  laid  out,  in  1873,  he  quickly  divined  its 
future  as  the  leading  fashionable  avenue  of  the  city, 
and,  true  to  his  instincts,  invested  largely  in  property 
bordering  on  it,  erecting  thereon  costly  residences  in 
various  styles  of  architecture.  Here,  too,  at  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  Lincoln  Park  and  overlooking  Lake 


Michigan,  he  built  his  own  home,  wherein  is  embodied 
the  splendid  triumphs  of  modern  architectural  skill;  and, 
with  its  broad  lawns  and  well  kept  gardens  and  luxuri- 
ous furnishings,  it  presents  a  model  of  completeness. 

Colossal  fortunes  impose  vast  obligations,  and  no 
man  is  more  alive  to  this  fact  than  Potter  Palmer.  His 
means  have  been  used  not  alone  in  public  enterprises, 
which,  while  benefitting  his  city,  would  at  the  sarrie 
time  increase  his  millions.  Mr.  Palmer  is  among  the 
foremost  and  most  liberal  givers  for  public  institutions 
and  charitable  objects.  He  was  active  in  securing  the 
location  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at  Chi- 
cago, and  from  its  inception  was  untiring  in  his  zeal, 
and  unsparing  in  his  money  and  time  in  furthering  its 
interest  and  enabling  it  to  be  the  colossal  success  it  has 
been.  In  all  the  plans  and  deliberations  of  its 
managers,  he  has  been  an  earnest  adviser  and  helpful 
coadjutor. 

In  July,  1870,  Mr.  Palmer  married  Miss  Bertha 
Konore,  daughter.of  Mr.  Henry  H.  Honore,  of  Chicago. 
Mrs.  Palmer  is  a  woman  of  superior  intelligence,  and 
with  her  versatile  talents  and  generous  culture,  and 
true  womanly  virtue,  gracefully  adorns  the  high  station 
in  life  she  has  been  called  to  fill.  Not  only  does  she 
enter  heartily  into  the  most  ambitious  projects  of  her 
husband,  aiding  with  her  counsels,  but  she  also  has  her 
own  field  of  action.  She  takes  an  active  part  in 
charitable  enterprises,  and  with  her  ample  means  makes 
wise  use  of  her  opportunities  of  doing  good.  Her 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
have  been  great,  and  no  one  has  done  so  much  as  she 
to  interest  in  its  behalf  the  women  of  our  own  and 
•foreign  lands,  and  in  history  her  name  will  be  insepar- 
ably linked  with  that  great  enterprise.  Her  selection 
as  president  of  its  board  of  lady  managers,  was  a  fitting 
recognition  of  her  unselfish  devotion  to  what  is  to  her 
a  patriotic  service.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer  have 
two  sons,  Honore  and  Potter. 


FRANCIS  P.  OWINGS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MR.  OWINGS  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  having  been 
born  at  Alton,  on  September  23,  1857.  His 
father  was  David  F.,  and  his  mother  Mary  (Blandina) 
Owings,  he  being  one  of  seven  children.  The  father 
was  a  gentleman  of  liberal  education  and  of  excellent 
business  ability,  and  during  the  boyhood  of  young 
Francis  was  engaged  in  the  banking  business.  The 
mother  was  a  woman  of  exalted  character  and  lovable 
qualities.  It  was  to  her  he  largely  owed  his  success  in 
life,  and  to  her  welfare  at  all  times  and  her  comfort  in 
old  age  he  was  affectionately  devoted. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  St.  Louis  public  schools,  afterward  gradua- 
ting from  the  high  school  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  He 


cojnmenced  active  life  as  a  clerk  in  the  agency  of  the 
Wood  Reaper  Co.,  at  Alton,  111.,  at  a  small  salary, 
which,  however,  in  recognition  of  his  faithfulness  and 
aptitude  in  business,  was  doubled  at  the  end  of  six 
months,  and  later  resulted  in  admitting  him  to  an 
interest  in  the  agency.  Later,  still,  young  Owings 
engaged  in  the  seed  trade  business  at  Alton,  which  he 
conducted  with  success,  until  1879.  While  in  this 
business  he  had  occasion  to  visit  Chicago  for  the  first 
time,  during  which  visit  he  was  so  impressed  with  the 
wonderful  growth  and  enterprise  of  the  western 
metropolis  that  he  decided  to  make  it  the  theater  of 
his  future  operations.  He  accordingly  disposed  of  his 
Alton  business,  and  with  $16,000  came  to  this  city. 


182 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


As  a  beginning,  be  invested  about  a  thousand  dol- 
lars in  agricultural  machinery  business,  which,  however, 
proved  to  be  a  failure.  Not  discouraged,  the  young 
man  proceeded  to  form  a  company  for  refining  sugar 
by  a  new  process,  with  a  nominal  capital  of  one  million 
dollars.  This  venture,  like  the  previous  one,  resulted 
in  the  loss  of  all  the  money  invested.  After  a  few 
months,  however,  he  became  associated  with  a  pre- 
tended refiner  of  syrups,  and  with  him  opened  a 
refinery  on  Des  Plaines  street,  where  a  large  business 
soon  gave  promise  of  great  profit,  the  demand  at  times 
exceeding  the  company's  ability  to  supply.  Very  soon, 
however,  wholesale  complaints  from  customers  poured 
in,  goods  were  thrown  back  upon  their  hands,  and 
again  failure  had  to  be  looked  in  the  face.  Other 
unsuccessful  ventures  followed,  until  all  but  a  few 
hundred  dollars  of  the  money  with  which  he  came 
to  Chicago  was  gone,  when  he  took  the  position  of 
accountant  in  a  type  foundry  for  a  short  time.  Mr. 
Owings  then  invested  a  part  of  the  $1,800  he  had  left, 
in  a  lot  on  Oakley  avenue,  and  built  thereon  a  cottage, 
the  whole  investment  amounting  to  $1,100.  This  was 
soon  sold  at  a  profit  of  $600,  and  was  the  beginning  of 
those  transactions  in  real  estate  in  Chicago  which  have 
proved  to  him  so  remunerative.  During  this  and  the 
succeeding  year  he  bought  lots  and  built  thereon  six 
houses,  all  of  which  he  sold  at  an  aggregate  profit  of 
$6,700^ 

From  this  time  onward,  Mr.  Owings  has  been  promi- 
nently known  in  large  real  estate  transactions,  and  as 
a  real  estate  operator,  both  on  the  West  Side  and  in  the 
down  town  business  center.  Among  his  first  buildings 
on  the  West  Side  was  the  Princess  Opera  House,  on 
Madison  street,  near  Ogden  avenue.  A  fair  idea  of  his 


extensive  building  operations  in  the  city. will  be  formed 
by  the  statement  that  these  operations  include  two 
theatres  and  twenty-five  other  buildings.  In  the  down 
town  business  district  Mr.  Owings  lias  erected  and 
owned  a  large  number  of  substantial  buildings  on  such 
streets  as  Adams,  Jackson,  Monroe,  Clark,  Franklin, 
Third  avenue,  etc,  the  most  noted  of  which  is,  perhaps, 
the  '' Owings  Building,"  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Adams  and  Dearborn.  It  is  fourteen  stories  in  height, 
with  a  tower  having  an  altitude  of  228  feet,  and  is  an 
architectural  beauty.  It  cost  $350,000,  and  yields  an 
annual  rental  of  about  $77,000. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  business  history  of  a  man 
whose  enterprise  has  been  equaled  by  few,  and  to  whom 
Chicago  owes  much  of  its  material  prosperity.  To 
but  few  men  has  come  such  unusual  success  in  so  few 
years,  for  Mr.  Owings  is  still  a  young  man.  That  he 
is  a  man  of  great  nerve  and  unwearied  persistence,  as 
well  as  exceptional  ability,  is  apparent  to  all,  while  fair 
dealing  and  sterling  integrity  have  from  the  first  been 
acknowledged  elements  of  his  character.  * 

Personally,  Mr.  Owings  is  a  gentleman  of  fine 
appearance,  and  of  pleasing  address;  genial  and  of 
kindly  disposition,  and  much  esteemed  among  his  many 
friends. 

Married,  in  1887,  to  Miss  Jeanette  A.  Lewis,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  Geo.  A.  Lewis,  of  New  Orleans,  Mr.  Ow- 
ings' domestic  relations  have  been  pleasant.  His  wife, 
one  of  the  belles  of  her  native  city,  and  still  an 
acknowledged  beaut}'  of  great  personal  charms,  has 
been  a  faithful  and  cheering  helper  in  the  days  of 
adversity,  as  well  as  a  loving  companion  and  counselor 
in  the  days  of  prosperity.  One  bright  daughter, 
Eugenie  M.,  has  been  the  result  of  this  happy  union. 


LYMAN    EVERINGHAM, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


LYMAN  EVERINGHAM,  who  is  so  widely  and 
favorably  known  among  the  business  men  of 
Chicago  and  of  the  Northwest,  was  born  at  Geneva, 
N.  Y.,  in  1831,  and  is  the  son  of  Rev.  J.  S.  Everingham, 
a  Baptist  clergyman,  who  for  fifty  years  filled  several 
pulpits  in  central  and  western  New  York,  and  who 
was  considered  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  strong- 
minded  preachers  of  the  day. 

The  early  life  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
passed  at  various  points  in  the  Empire  State,  where 
his  father  was  settled  as  pastor.  He  is  the  oldest  of 
eight  children,  four  brothers  and  four  sisters,  all  of 
whom  are  still  living.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  left 
school  to  take  a  clerkship  in  the  general  offices  of  the 
Buffalo,  Corning  and  New  York  Railroad  Company, 
where  feeling  conscious  of  possessing  ability  and  eager 
to  begin  life  for  himself,  he  performed  his  duties  with 
the  same  enthusiasm  which  has  characterized  his  entire 


life.  His  unflinching  perseverance  and  industrv, 
together  with  iron-clad  principles  and  sterling  worth, 
were  very  soon  recognized,  and  within  two  years  he 
was  promoted  to  the  position  of  auditor  of  accounts 
and  pay-master,  which  position  he  filled  with  great 
credit  to  himself  for  three  years. 

Being  anxious  to  come  West  and  grow  up  with  the 
country,  he  resigned  his  position  in  March,  1858,  and 
accepted  the  position  of  freight  agent  of  the  LaCrosse 
'and  Milwaukee  Railroad,  with  his  office  at  Milwaukee, 
where  he  remained  for  nine  years,  the  line  of  road  men- 
tioned being  embraced  in  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and 
St.  Paul  system  during  the  time.  He  was  known  as  the 
"  model  agent,"  and,  being  courteous  and  gentlemanly 
under  all  circumstances  to  the  patrons  of  the  road,  he 
was  exceed ingly  popular  with  the  public,  and  when 
he  resigned,  in  1865,  he  was  requested  by  the  directors 
to  remain  and  name  his  own  salary.  In  1865  he 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  E.  P.  Bacon,  who  re- 
signed as  general  ticket  agent  of  the  same  road  at  the 
same  time,  to  engage  in  the  general  commission  busi- 
ness at  Milwaukee,  under  the  style  of  Bacon  &  Ever- 
ingham.  Great  success  characterized  their  business 
from  the  first,  but  in  1874  Mr.  Bacon  retired  from  the 
firm,  since  which  time  Mr.  Everingham  has  conducted 
it  under  the  name  of  L.  Everingham  &  Co.,  moving  to 
Chicago  in  1880  to  take  charge  of  their  rapidly  in- 
creasing business  in  this  city. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  Columbian  National 
Bank,  of  Chicago,  in  February,  1891,  Mr.  Everingham 
was  unanimously  elected  as  its  first  president.  This  bank 
very  soon  became  a  popular  institution  and  was  con- 
spicuously prosperous  during  the  brief  term  of  his 
management.  A  pressure  of  business  interests  in 
other  lines,  however,  compelled  him  to  resign  as  presi- 
dent in  October,  1892. 

Mr.  Everingham's  business  record  has  been  one  that 
any  man  would  be  proud  to  possess.  Beginning  at  the 
very  bottom  round  of  the  ladder,  he-  has  advanced 
steadily,  step  by  step,  until  he  is  now  occupying  a  po- 
sition of  prominence  and  trust  reached  by  very  few 
men.  Through  his  entire  business  career  he  has  been 
looked  upon  as  a  model  of  integrity  and  honor,  never 
having  met  with  set-backs  or  making  any  engagement 


185 

that  lie  has  not  performed,  and  he  stands  to-day  an 
example  of  what  determination  and  force,  combined 
with  the  highest  degree  of  business  integrity,  can 
accomplish  for  a  man  of  natural  ability  and  force  of 
character. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  of 
Chicago,  of  which  he  has  been  a  deacon  for  many 
years.  He  was  formerly  a  trustee  and  a  member  of 
the  executive  board  of  the  Chicago  University.  He  has 
been  greatly  interested  in  Sunday-school  work,  having 
had  large  experience  as  superintendent  in  the  mission 
and  the  home  schools  of  the  First  Baptist-  church  of 
Milwaukee,  and  of  the  First  Baptist  church  of 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Everingham  is  very  active  in  all  Christian  and 
benevolent  work,  which  extends  not  only  to  personal 
effort,  but  to  financial  aid  as  well,  he  having  on  several 
occasions,  by  prompt  and  generous  impulse,  been  instru- 
mental in  saving  church  property  when  seriously  em- 
barrassed. He  is  a  man  of  cheerful  countenance,  and 
benignant  appearance,  having  a  friendly  word,  a  kindly 
smile,  and  sympathetic  heart  for  all.  He  is  respected 
by  the  community  at  large  and  honored  by  his  busi- 
ness associates.  He  is  admired  for  his  innate  honor 
and  Christian  spirit  by  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances, 
all  of  whom  he  can  safely  call  his  friends. 


MARSHALL  FIELD, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


TO  say  of  him  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  that 
he  has  risen  unaided  from  comparative  obscurity 
to  rank  among  the  millionaire  merchant  princes  of  the 
world,  is  a  statement  that  seems  trite  to  those  familiar 
with  his  life.  Anything  like  an  adequate  history  of 
his  life  would  involve  the  history  of  the  various 
business  interests  and  philanthropies  with  which  he 
has  been  connected  since  he  began  his  active  career. 

Marshall  Field  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and 
was  born  in  1835.  A^t  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  or 
in  1856,  he  began  his  business  life  in  Chicago  as  a 
clerk  in  the  dry  goods  house  of  Coole}',  Wadsworth  & 
Co.,  then  located  on  South  Water  street,  and  engaged 
in  both  the  wholesale  and  retail  trade.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  the  house  removed  to  Wabash  avenue,  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  Cooley,  Farwell  &  Co.,  and 
the  business  confined  to  the  wholesale  trade.  In  1850, 
Mr.  Field  became  a  partner  in  the  business,  and  four 
years  later  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Farwell, 
Field  &  Co.,  Mr.  L.  Z.  Leiter  becoming  also  a  partner 
at  that  time.  In  18C5,  Messrs.  Field  and  Leiter  with- 
drew from  the  business  and  associated  themselves  with 
Mr.  Potter  Palmer,  who  was  then  conducting  a 
prosperous  dry  goods  business  on  Lake  street,  which 
he  had  established  in  1852,  the  firm  name  becoming 
Field,  Palmer  &  Leiter.  The  business  continued  under 


this  firm  until  January,  1867,  when  Mr.  Palmer  retired, 
and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Field,  Leiter  &  Co. 
In  the  fall  of  1868  the  business  was  removed  to  the 
northeast  corner  of  State  and  Washington  streets 
where  it  continued  to  prosper  until  swept  away  by  the 
general  conflagration  of  Oct.  8  and  9,  1871. 

At  the  time  of  this  disaster,  the  business  of  the  firm, 
amounting  to  $8,000,000  a  year,  was  carried  on  in  a 
single  building.  The  value  of  its  property  destroyed 
was  estimated  to  be  $3,500,000  on  which  $2,500,000 
of  insurance  was  collected.  Field,  Leiter  &  Co.  at  once 
resumed  business  in  the  old  street  railway  barn  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  State  and  Eighteenth  streets  and 
at  once  proceeded  to  replace  the  destroyed  edifice  at 
the  corner  of  State  and  Washington  by  an  elegantly 
planned  structure,  to  be  thereafter  devoted  exclusively 
to  the  retail  trade.  A  commodious  building  was  erected 
at  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Market  streets  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  wholesale  department.  The 
wholesale  department  was  afterwards,  in  1887,  removed 
to  its  present  location  on  Adams  street,  occupying  the 
massive  stone  structure  covering  an  entire  block,  and 
built  expressly  for  it,  and  which  is  regarded  as  among 
the  finest  models  of  commercial  architecture  to  be 
found  anywhere.  Upon  the  completion  of  the  new 
structure  after  the  fire,  the  retail  department  occupied 


1 86 


PKOMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


the  old  site,  and  thenceforward  the  business  has  shown 
a  marvelous  growth,  the  sales  having  increased  from 
$8,000,000  a  year,  before  the  great  fire,  to  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $35,000,000  in  1891.  and  since  then  largely 
increased.  In  1881,  Mr.  Leiter  retired  from  the  firm 
and  the  business  has  since  been  conducted  under  the 
firm  name  of  Marshall  Field  &  Co.,  well  known 
throughout  the  world.  The  retail  business  has  so  grown 
that  recently  the  large  building  adjoining  the  original 
store,  on  the  east,  has  been  also  occupied  by  the 
firm. 

It  certainly  is  not  asserting  too  much  to  say  of  one 
who  can  direct  and  control  a  business  of  such  magni. 
tude,  extending  as  it  does,  from  the  Alps  to  the  Rocky, 
mountains — for  it  involves  branch  houses  in  England 
France  and  Germany — that  he  must  possess,  aside  from 
mercantile  foresight  and  sagacity,  the  happy  faculty  of 
reading  and  judging  men,  unusual  powers  of  organiza- 
tion and  executive  ability  of  a  high  order,  in  a  word 
that  his  must  be  a  master  mind.  And  yet,  if  one  shall 
seek  in  Mr.  Field's  career  the  causes  that  have  led  to 
his  success,  they  will  be  found  along  the  lines  of  well- 
tried  and  old-time  maxims.  Honesty  and  fair  dealing, 
cash  purchases,  short  credits,  promptness,  truthfulness, 
fidelity,  all  these  are  strictly  enforced  and  adhered  to. 
Faithfulness  on  the  part  of  employes  is  promoted  by 
the  knowledge  that  good  service  means  advancement 
as  opportunity  opens,  and  that  neglect  of  duty  will  not 
be  tolerated,  and  is  further  enhanced  by  the  interest 
taken  by  the  employer  in  the  personal  welfare  of  the 
deserving.  While  estimates  of  the  size  of  great  fortunes 
are  often  times  matters  of  guess  work,  it  is  gratifying 
to  know  that  his  strict  adherence  to  correct  business 
principles  has  brought  to  Mr.  Field  a  fortune  that  is 
placed  by  his  close  friends  at  from  thirty-five  to  forty 
millions. 

A  particularly  noticeable  trait  of  Mr.  Field's  charac- 
ter is  modesty.  He  is  of  a  retiring  disposition,  and 
shrinks  from  newspaper  notoriety.  Anything  like 
ostentation  in  charity  he  studiously  avoids.  Though 


he  contributes  freely  to  worthy  "objects,  he  has  pro- 
nounced views  in  the  matter  of  giving,  and  is  careful 
not  to  add  to  the  indiscriminate  benevolence  that  often 
does  more  harm  than  good.  His  policy  is  to  avoid  any 
responsibility,  by  unwise  giving,  for  checking  self- 
reliance  or  for  encouraging  idleness.  He  assists  in 
practically  all  the  commendable  movements  of  a  public 
character  in  his  city  requiring  funds.  Among  his  many 
gifts  may  be  noted  large  donations  to  the  Chicago 
University  and  to  the  Manual  Training  School  of  this 
city,  which  has  been  so  successful.  His  list  of  personal 
beneficiaries  is  very  large,  and  no  one  who  has  any  kind 
of  real  claim  upon  him  is  disregarded.  The  extent  of 
what  he  does  in  this  respect  the  world  will  never  know, 
for  it  is  not  his  practice  to  figure  conspicuously  at  the 
head  of  subscription  papers,  or  to  be  personally  con- 
spicuous anywhere,  but  his  gifts  of  all  kinds  in  the 
course  of  a  year  amount  to  a  large  aggregate.  The 
most  noted  and  truly  princely  donation  of  Mr.  Field 
for  Chicago  institutions  is  the  gift  of  a  million  dollars 
since  the  close  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
for  the  establishment  of  a  great  museum,  in  which  shall 
be  preserved  the  most  valuable  of  the  curious  exhibits 
there  displayed.  In  honor  of  the  principal  donor,  the, 
museum  is  to  be  called  "  The  Field  Museum." 

Mr.  Field  is  a  member  of  many  of  the  principal  clubs, 
but  cannot  be  called  a  club  man.  Thoughtful,  and  per- 
haps somewhat  reserved  in  manner,  he  is  kindly,  genial, 
and  entirety  approachable,  and  there  is  nothing  about 
him  to  indicate  that  his  personality  is  at  all  affected 
by  his  extraordinary  wealth  and  commanding  position. 
Mr.  Field  is  a  gentleman  of  prepossessing  appearance, 
presenting  a  countenance  refined,  thoughtful  and  intel- 
ligent. His  figure  is  somewhat  spare  and  slightly  above 
the  medium  height  and  his  whole  appearance  denotes 
well  trained  nervous  energy  and  the  possession  of  un- 
limited reserve  force.  He  was  married,  in  1863,  to 
Miss  Nannie  Scott,  daughter  of  Mr.  Robert  Scott,  a 
prominent  iron-master  of  Ironton,  O.  They  have  one 
son  and  one  daughter,  both  of  whom  are  married. 


GAGE  E.  TARBELL, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


GAGE  E.  TARBELL,  the  third  vice-president  of 
the  Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society  of  New 
York,  was  born  at  Smith ville,  Chenango  county.  New 
York,  September  20,  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  Chas. 
P.  Tarbell,  and  Mabel  (Tillotson)  Tarbell,  well-known 
residents  of  their  state. 

Young  Tarbell  attended  public  school  for  a  time, 
and  then  entered  the  Clinton  Liberal  Institute  in  New 
York,  from  which  he  graduated  with  honor.  After 
teaching  school  for  a  year  he  studied  law  for  a  time, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  in  1880. 
It  was  while  practicing  that  profession  that  he  did  his 


first  insurance  work,  giving  some  of  his  time  at  this 
period  to  securing  applications  for  the  Equitable  "on 
the  side."  Finding  the  insurance  business  a  lucrative 
one,  he  disposed  of  his  law  interests  and  arranged  to 
give  all  of  his  attention  to  life  insurance,  and  from  the 
time  that  he  made  that  decision  he  made  rapid  strides 
in  the  advancement  of  himself  in  his  chosen  calling. 

In  1884  he  was  made  manager  of  the  Equitable  for 
the  Southern  New  York  department.  In  1888  he 
became  their  general  manager  for  Wisconsin  and 
Northern  Michigan,  with  headquarters  at  Milwaukee, 
where  he  did  a  phenomenal  business  up  to  the  time  he 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


came  to  Chicago,  which  was  in  January,  1889,  when  he 
accepted  a  third  interest  in  the  management  of  the 
Northwestern  department  of  the  Society.  A  year  later 
he  was  given  a  half  interest  in  the  same  department, 
and  in  1891  he  was  made  resident  secretary  of  the 
Society  at  Chicago,  and  since  that  time  up  to  Septem- 
ber 1st,  1893,  has  had  charge  of  the  Chicago  branch 
office,  which  is,  without  doubt,  the  largest  single 
life  insurance  agency  in  the  United  States.  That  he 
filled  the  position  with  entire  satisfaction  to  the  Equi- 
table must  be  understood  from  the  enormous  business 
he  wrote  for  the  company  in  1891,  having  produced 
from  the  State  of  Illinois  alone  over  $14,000,000  of 
business  in  that  year.  As  a  personal  solicitor  Mr. 
Tarbell  has  achieved  remarkable  success,  having  written 
in  one  single  year  about  $3,000,000  of  business,  and 
his  personal  business  for  the  past  five  years  exceeds 
$10,000,000.  As  the  manager  of  an  agency  he  has 
displayed  rare  tact  in  handling  bis  men  so  as  to  get 
their  best  efforts.  They  have  invariably  imbibed  his 
enthusiasm,  and  become  not  only  willing  workers  for 
the  Equitable,  but  staunch  adherents  of  Mr.  Tarbell  as 
well.  Mr.  Tarbell  was  elected  third  vice-president  of 
the  Equitable  September  1st,  1893,  and  now  has  charge 
of  all  the  company's  agencies  in  the  United  States.  We 
quote  from  the  Chicago  Independent  in  its  issue  of 
September,  1893,  which  speaks  as  follows  in  an  article 
on  this  latest  appointment  of  Mr.  Tarbell : 

"The  election  of  Gage  E.  Tarbell  to  the  office  of  third 
vice-president  of  the  Equitable  will  be  gratifying,  not 
only  to  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  but  to  all  those 
who  feel  that  the  field-worker  in  life  insurance  ought  to 
be  recognized  by  home  offices.  He  received  his  training, 
made  his  record,  and  established  his  claim  to  promo- 
tion in  the  field,  where  he  was  one  of  the  most  active 
and  successful  individual  solicitors  as  well  as  an  enter- 
prising and  liberal  manager.  Instead  of  preferring  some 
favorite  or  relative  for  such  a  position,  which  means 
full  charge  of  the  company's  agency  work,  of  the  sales 
department,  President  Hyde  and  his  coadjutors  have 
wisely  chosen  to  give  the  place  as  a  reward  of  merit 
where  alone  merit  of  that  sort  is  to  be  found,  among 
field-workers. 

"It  is  especially  fitting  that  such  a  selection 
should  be  made  by  the  Equitable  and  by  Henry  B. 


187 

Hyde ;  for  Mr.  Hyde  was  himself  an  agent,  and  his 
company's  origin  ivas  from  his  revolt  as  an  agent 
against  the  high  handed  autocracy  of  home-office 
managers.  The  new  company  was  founded  by  an 
agent,  and  because  of  an  agent's  grievance,  and  it  was 
by  agency  activities  that  its  founder  hoped  to  rival  the 
already  great  Mutual  Life  from  which  he  seceded.  *  * 
In  promoting  Mr.  Tarbell,  he  is  indicating  his 
preference  for  his  own  successor  in  his  chosen  sphere 
of  activity.  He  evidently  relies  upon  the  younger  man 
proving  equal  to  the  task  of  continuing  the  Equitable 
in  its  eminence  as  the  agent's  company.  He  certainly 
made  a  good  selection.  The  reports  of  his  prowess  as 
a  solicitor  in  Wisconsin  I  had  already  heard,  but  I  was 
prepared  by  my  previous  acquaintance  with  '  lightning 
solicitors,'  to  see  a  diplomatic,  toneless  individual, 
rather  than  one  remarkably  virile  and  open-faced. 

*  He  liked  soliciting ;  it  was  exhilarating  to  him. 
In  view  of  these  things,  .the  promotion  of  Mr.  Tarbell 
is  more  significant  for  rebate-reform  than  the  resolu- 
tions of  agents  or  even  companies  against  rebating 
when  unaccompanied  by  a  reform  in  agency  contracts. 
A  more  remote  but  none  the  less  direct  result  should 
be  an  abiding  community  of  interest  between  agent 
and  company  and  a  lessening  of  the  temptation  to 
misrepresent,  and  an  increase  in  the  dignity  of  the  office 
of  an  agent." 

Mr.  Tarbell  is  a  member  of  several  clubs,  among 
which  are  the  Union  League,  Chicago  Athletic,  and 
Washington  Park  clubs.  He  has  traveled  over  all  the 
United  States,  and  now  under  the  new  regime  he  must 
travel  much  of  the  time  throughout  the  country. 

Mr.  Tarbell  was  married  December  21, 1881,  to  Miss 
Ella  Swift,  daughter  of  Geo.  L.  and  Louise  (Hunt)  Swift, 
of  Marathon,  New  York.  Two  children  bless  this 
union,  Swift  and  Louise  Tarbell. 

Mr.  Tarbell  is  a  man  of  fine  appearance,  robust  in 
constitution,  and  moves  in  a  quick,  energetic  way,  and 
it  is  said  the  amount  of  business  he  can  dispatch  in  a 
day  is  certainly  marvelous.  A  marked  characteristic 
throughout  his  life  has  been  his  ready  adaptation  to 
circumstances  and  his  ability  to  make  the  most  of  every- 
thing. 

In  his  business  as  well  as  social  habits  he  is 
singularly  genial  and  cordial  in  his  manner,  and  his 
sincerity,  kindness  and  uniform  courtesy  have  endeared 
him  to  his  friends. 


ALEXANDER   N.  FULLERTON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


A  LEXANDER  N.  FULLERTON,  son  of  Nathaniel 
r\  Fullerton,  was  born  in  Chester,  Vermont,  in  1804. 
His  father,  who  died  in  Chester  in  1878  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-seven  years,  was  a  man  of  prominence  in 
Southern  Vermont,  having  been  for  half  a  century 
president  of  the  Bank  of  Bellows  Falls,  and  also  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad. 
Young  Alexander  acquired  his  earlier  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  State,  and  later  entered 


Middlebury  College  from  which  institution  he  gradu- 
ated in  due  course.  He  then  entered  the  famous 
Litchfield  Law  School  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  and 
after  graduating  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  com- 
menced to  practice  his  profession  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  as  a 
partner  of  the  late  Judge  Buell.  In  1833  he  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, having  as  his  partner  Grant  Goodrich,  Esq. 
Being  possessed  of  what  was  in  those  days  considered 


i88 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


a  large  amount  of  money,  Mr.  Fullerton  invested  the 
larger  portion  of  it  in  real  estate  in  Chicago  and  its 
suburbs,  which  he  afterwards  improved  until  his  estate 
comprised  some  of  the  most  valuable  realty  in  the  city. 

Soon  after  leaving  college,  Mr.  Fullerton  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Julia  Ann  Hubbell  at  Champlain, 
N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  Judge  Silas  Ilubbell  of  that  place, 
with  whom  he  lived  a  happy  though  brief  period  of 
married  life  until  her  death  in  1844,  leaving  two 
children.  In  1858  Mr.  Fullerton  was  again  married, 
this  time  to  Mrs.  J.  E,.  Hill,  a  lady  of  tine  education 
and  accomplishments,  and  a  member  of  a  distinguished 
family  of  Midland,  England.  In  1867,  being  in  poor 
health,  Mr.  Fullerton  paid  a  visit  to  Europe,  remaining 
abroad  about  eighteen  months,  and  spending  the  larger 
part  of  the  time  in  Southern  France,  Italy  and  Ger- 
many. 

Politically,   he   was   first  a   member  of  the  Whig 


party,  and  affiliated  with  that  party  until  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Republican  party,  after  which  he  cast  his 
vote  for  that  party's  candidates. 

In  the  city  of  his  adoption  few  men  ranked  higher 
than  did  Mr.  Fullerton,  and  in  every  project  having 
for  its  object  the  advancement  of  the  city's  material 
interests  he  was  one  of  the  most  active  participants, 
taking  in  all  such  a  leading  part.  He  was  the  owner 
of  much  valuable  city  property  in  and  about  Chicago, 
and  Fullerton  Avenue  as  well  as  the  Fullerton  Block 
was  named  for  him.  His  busy  life  drew  to  a  close  in 
September,  1880,  and  there  are  many  who  even  to  this 
time  mourn  his  loss. 

Of  the  three  children  born  to  him  two  died  in 
infancy,  and  the  third,  Mr.  Charles  W.  Fullerton, 
survives  him  and  takes,  as  did  his  father,  a  very 
high  rank  in  the  business  and  professional  circles  of 
Chicago. 


JOHN  EDWIN  OWENS,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  EDWIN  OWENS,  M.  D.,  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  authorities  in  the  surgical  and  med- 
ical profession  in  Chicago,  having  attained  a  degree  of 
eminence  which  is  given  to  but  few  men.  A  distin- 
guished gentleman  who  has  known  Dr.  Owens  long  and 
closely  says:  "Dr.  Owens  stands  in  the  front  of  his 
profession,  in  which  he  is  conceded  to  be  not  onl}'  a 
leader  in  Chicago,  but  to  rank  amongst  the  eminent 
surgeons  of  this  country.  He  is  an  indefatigable  worker 
and  an  enthusiast  in  his  profession,  devoting  to  it  his 
ripe  experience,  his  untiring  energy  and  his  great  skill. 
He  is  a  man  of  broad  reading,  liberal  culture  and  keen 
perceptions,  to  whom  travel  in  this  country  and  abroad 
has  been  a  potent  factor  in  storing  with  knowledge  a 
receptive  and  reflective  mind.  He  is  a  clear  thinker, 
a  logical  reasoner,  and  speaks  well  and  to  the  point  on 
any  subject  under  consideration.  He  is  genial  in  dis- 
position and  social  by  nature,  possesses  generous  im- 
pulses combined  with  deliberate  judgment,  and  has  a 
large  circle  of  warm  friends  and  admirers,  both  within 
and  outside  of  the  medical  fraternity." 

Dr.  John  Edwin  Owens  is  the  son  of  a  Maryland 
planter  and  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  at  Charles- 
town,  Cecil  county,  in  that  State,  on  October  16,  1836. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Martha  (Black)  Owens. 
The  former  although  a  graduate  of  Dickinson  College 
at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  in  every  way  fitted  for  a  profes- 
sional avocation,  preferred  the  life  of  a  farmer.  He  had 
an  extensive  plantation,  and,  as  was  the  universal 
custom  in  the  South  in  those  days,  was  a  large  slave- 
holder. Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  John 
Owens  removed  to  Baltimore,  where  he  died  in  1874. 
The  Owens  family  originally  came  from  Wales,  the 
American  branch  having  been  established  by  Dr. 


Owens'  great  grandfather,  Jonas  Owens,  who  came  to 
this  country  early  in  the  present  century.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  passed  his  boyhood  on  the  farm  in 
Charlestown,  and  his  first  schooling  was  received  in  the 
private  schools  of  that  section.  He  next  attended  the 
West  Nottingham  academy  and  afterwards  was  a 
student  at  the  Elkton  academy. 

His. education  was  completed  under  the  direction  of 
Edwin  Arnold,  LL.  D.,  at  Mount  Washington,  Md., 
and  shortly  thereafter,  he  began  the  stud}'  of  medicine 
at  Elkton  with  Dr.  Justice  Dunnott  and  his  son,  Dr. 
Thomas  J.  Dunnott,  the  former  at  that  time  being 
considered  the  most  skillful  surgeon  in  that  section  of 
Maryland.  One  year  of  study  under  Drs.  Dunnott 
was  followed  by  two  full  courses  at  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1862.  While  at  the  college  Dr.  Owens  took  a 
special  course  in  surgical  anatomy  and  operative 
surgery  with  Dr.  D.  Hayes  Agnew,  the  distinguished 
surgeon  of  Philadelphia,  and  made' rapid  progress  in 
his  profession.  For  years  it  had  been  the  practice  in 
Maryland  families,  in  accordance  with  the  teachings 
and  desires  of  their  parents,  for  the  sons,  even  when 
educated  to  one  of  the  professions,  to  settle  in  their 
native  county.  Dr.  Owens,  under  other  conditions, 
might  have  followed  this  rule,  but  the  opportunities 
afforded  in  Cecil  county  for  advancement  in  his  pro- 
fession were  too  limited  to  meet  with  the  approval  of 
a  man  of  his  strong  ambition  and  liberal  views.  Soon 
•after  his  graduation  he  was  elected  resident  physician 
at  Blockley  Hospital,  in  Philadelphia,  and  there  he 
remained  thirteen  months.  Dr.  Owens  tendered  his 
services  to  the  hospital  branch  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Union  army  early  in  1863,  and  was  sent  to 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Chicago  and  assigned  to  duty  in  the  military  hospital 
there.  Shortly  after  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
newly-organized  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and  is  still 
senior  surgeon  of  that  institution. 

Dr.  Owens  has  been  a  prominent  instructor  in 
Chicago  medical  colleges  for  many  years.  His  first 
connection  as  a  teacher  with  any  medical  college  was 
as  lecturer  on  the  surgical  diseases  of  the  urinary 
organs,  from  1867  to  1871,  in  Rush  Medical  College. 
In  the  same  institution  he  lectured  on  the  principles 
and  practice  of  surgery  in  the  spring  course  from  1871 
to  1882.  He  was  also  appointed  professor  of  "  Ortho- 
paedic Surgery"  in  1879  and  resigned  in  1882.  He  was 
appointed  professor  of  "  Principles  and  Practice  of 
Surgery"  in  the  Woman's  Medical  College  in  1877  and 
resigned  in  1883.  In  1882  he  severed  his  connections 
with  Rush  Medical  College  to  accept  the  chair  of 
"Operative  Surgery  and  Surgical  Anatomy  in  the 
Chicago  Medical  College — the  medical  department  of 
the  Northwestern  University.  In  the  fall  of  1891  he 
was  transferred  from  the  chair  of  Operative  Surgery 
and  Surgical  Anatomy  to  that  of  the  principles  and 
practice  of  surgery  and  clinical  surgery  in  that  college. 
Dr.  Owens  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Society,  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  the  Chicago 


189 

Medical  Society,  the  Chicago  Medico-Historical  Society, 
the  Medico  Legal  Society  and  a  Fellow  of  the  American 
Surgical  Association.  For  twenty  years  he  has  been 
the  superintending  surgeon  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railway,  and  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  the  chief 
surgeon  of  the  Chicago  &  North  western  Railway.  In 
addition  to  these  positions,  he  was  the  medical  director 
of  the  "World's  Columbian  Exposition,  his  commission 
bearing  date  June  1,  1891. 

Dr.  Owens  combines  excellent  executive  and  admin- 
istrative ability  with  his  great  professional  skill,  and 
these  characteristics  have  contributed  to  his  success  in 
the  organization  and  supervision  of  the  surgical  depart- 
ments of  the  great  corporations  by  whom  he  is 
employed.  The  possession  by  this  gentleman  of  these 
organizing  and  administrative  qualities  led  to  his 
selection  for  the  important  and  prominent  position  of 
medical  director  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion, which  has  afforded  him  a  wide  field  for  the 
display  of  his  powers  of  mind,  his  skill  and  executive 
ability. 

Dr.  Owens  was  married  on  December  30,  1869,  to 
Miss  Alethia  S.  Jamar,  the  daughter  of  Reuben  D. 
Jamar,  of  Elkton,  Md.  They  have  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, Miss  Marie  Girvin  Owens. 


ISAAC  N.  CAMP, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ISAAC  N.  CAMP  was  born  in  Elmore,  Lamoille 
county,  Vermont,  on  December  19, 1831.  He  is  the 
son  of  Abel  and  Charlotte  (Taplin)  Camp,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  the  Green  Mountain  State.  His 
father  was. a  farmer,  and  one  of  the  leading  men  and 
postmaster  in  the  town  in  which  he  lived.  He  also 
had  charge  of  a  large  tract  of  land  left  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont  by  Guy  Catlin,  and  among  his  privi- 
leges in  connection  therewith  was  that  of  a  scholarship 
at  the  above  named  University,  placed  at  his  disposal 
by  Mr.  Catlin,  to  use  in  whatever  way  he  thought  fit. 
Mr.  Camp  died  December  22,  1890.  aged  ninet}'  years. 
His  father,  grandfather  and  great-grandfather  also 
lived  to  extreme  old  age. 

Young  Camp  prepared  for  college  at  Bakersfield 
Academy,  Vermont,  paying  for  his- board  by  teaching 
music.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont,  and,  to  his  credit  be  it  said,  earned  in 
his  spare  time  the  money  required  to  meet  his  current 
expenses.  After  four  years  of  hard  study  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1856.  At  the  conclusion 
of  his  college  course  he  was  offered  and  accepted  a. 
position  as  assistant  principal  in  the  school  where  he 
had  prepared  for  college,  viz.,  Barre  Academy  (trans- 
ferred from  Bakersfield).  He  remained  there,  teach- 
ing mathematics  and  music,  until  I860,  when  he  became 
principal  of  the  high  school  at  Burlington,  Vermont,  a 


position  which  he  filled  until  his  removal  to  Chicago, 
in  1868  (April  20).  Forming  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
II.  L.  Story,  under  the  style  of  Story  &  Camp,  this 
partnership  continued  until  the  spring  of  1884,  when 
the  Estey  Organ  Company  purchased  Mr.  Story's 
interest  in  the  business,  and  the  firm  became  Estey  and 
Camp,  under  which  style  it  continues  until  the  present 
time  (1894).  The  business  was  commenced  with  a 
small  capital,  but  by  energy,  perseverence  and  enter- 
prise the  firm  became  one  of  the  most  substantial  and 
reputable  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  at  the  time  of 
Mr.  Story's  withdrawal  their  capital  exceeded  half  a 
million  dollars,  he  receiving  as  his  portion  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  capital  of  the  firm 
to-day  amounts  to  something  over  one  million  dollars. 

Mr.  Camp  is  and  has  been  prominently  connected 
with  public  enterprises,  being  a  director  in  the  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary,  and  of  the  Chicago  Guar- 
antee Life  Association,  and  also  of  the  Royal  Safety 
Deposit  Company.  In  April,  1891,  he  was  elected  a 
director  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  and  was 
a  member  of  its  committee  on  Agriculture  and  Liberal 
Arts.  _ 

Though  a  Republican  in  politics,  he  is  by  no  means 
a  politician,and  rarely  takes  any  active  part  in  political 
matters  more  than  to  perfi  rm  his  duties  as  a  citizen. 

In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Congregationalist,  and  a 


190 

member  of  Union  Park  Congregational  church,  being 
also  president  of  its  board  of  trustees.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Illinois  and  Union  League  Clubs. 

Mr.  Camp  was  married  January  1,  1S652,  to  Miss 
Flora  M.  Carpenter,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Carlos 
Carpenter,  of  Barre,  Vt.  They  have  had  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living.  The  daughter  is  Mrs. 
M.  A.  Farr;  the  eldest  son,  Edwin  M.,  is  in  business 
with  his  father;  while  the  joungest,  William  C.,  is  now 
preparing  for  college. 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Mr.  Camp  has  traveled  extensively  with  his  family, 
both  in  Europe  and  the  United  States.  In  personal 
appearance  he  is  of  medium  height,with  fair  complexion 
and  of  robust  physique,  has  a  pleasing  presence  and 
address,  and  is  social  and  genial  in  manner.  He  is  a 
man  of  generous  impulses,  and  contributes  generously 
to  church,  charitable  and  benevolent  enterprises.  The 
architect  of  his  own  fortunes,  he  has  built  up  a  large 
and  solid  business,  and  as  a  citizen  of  Chicago  he  is 
deservedly  popular  and  highly  esteemed. 


DEMPSTER  OSTRANDER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


F^EMPSTER  OSTRANDER  was  born  inOnondaga 
l_y  county,  New  York,  November  20,  1834,  being 
the  son  of  Jas.  H.  and  Asenath  (Sheffield)  Ostrander. 
He  was  descended  on  his  father's  side  from  an  old 
Dutch  family,  prominent  in  the  early  history  of  New 
York.  His  mother's  ancestry  was  of  English  origin, 
of  the  old  name  of  Sheffield,  and  her  father  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Young  Ostrander,  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  was 
brought  to  the  wild  and  unsettled  wilderness  of  Wis- 
consin, coming  across  the  prairies  of  Indiana  and  Illi- 
nois by  team,  in  company  with  his  parents.  He  passed 
through  Chicago,  then  nothing  but  a  little  frontier 
town,  hidden  in  the  muddy  swamp  which  surrounded 
it  on  all  sides,  save  .to  the  east,  where  stretched  the 
vast  expanse  of  the  great  lake.  The  pioneers  crossed 
the  Chicago  river  by  means  of  a  ferry,  or  float  bridge, 
which  had  been  established  for  the  use  of  the  strag- 
gling traffic  which  was  in  those  days  so  irregularly 
kept  up  towards  the  western  wilderness.  When  his 
father  settled  in  Wisconsin,  there  were  not  more  than 
half  a  dozen  other  settlers  upon  the  adjacent  600  square 
miles,  which  to-day  are  so  thickly  populated.  Here,  in 
this  wilderness,  visited  only  at  rare  intervals  by  white 
men,  and  on  friendly  terms  with  the  roving  bands  of  red 
men,  the  early  life  of  Mr.  Ostrander  was  spent.  His 
school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  ten  years,  was  na- 
ture's vast  domain,  and  his  teacher  was  experience. 
Year  by  year,  however,  there  had  gathered  around  the 
lonely  farm  of  Mr.  Ostrander  a  community  of  hardy 
pioneers,  and  it  was  finally  decided  that  a  school  house 
should  be  constructed  and  maintained  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  children.  This  was  done,  and  young  Os- 
trander. who  had  some  preparation  in  the  way  of 
"  book  learning"  from  his  father,  received  his  first 
school  education  in  this  primitive  structure,  entering 
school  at  the  age  of  ten.  At  the«ige  of  twenty  with 
much  effort  and  personal  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  his 
father,  he  was  placed  in  the  University  of  Wisconsin, 
at  Madison. 

At  the  age  of  thirty-one  (in  the  year  1865)  Mr. 
Ostrander  became  connected  with  the  manufacturing 


business  at  Jefferson,  Wis.  Through  all  the  intervening 
time,  he  has  retained  a  silent  interest  in  this  enterprise. 
He  has  been  connected,  more  or  less,  since  1855,  with  the 
insurance  business,  in  which  he  has  become  quite  a 
prominent  figure.  He  studied  law,  and  in  1861  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Jefferson,  Wis.,  but  he  has 
never  taken  up  the  practice  of  the  profession. 

Mr.  Ostrander  is  a  man  of  decided  literary  tastes 
and  ability.  When  he  has  returned  from  the  day's  toil 
in  his  office,  it  is  his  greatest  pleasure  to  repair  to  his 
library,  and  there,  among  the  famous  works  of  Hugo, 
Spencer,  Dickens,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  Macaula}', 
Adam  Smith  and  Bui  wer,gi  ve  himself  up  to  their  perusal. 
He  has  been,  for  some  time  past,  a  contributor  to  the 
journals  and  magazines  of  this  country,  and  has  given 
more  to  the  public  concerning  insurance  law  than 
perhaps  any  other  man  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Ostrander  was  united  in  marriage  on  the  24th 
of  December,  1856,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Manville,  of 
Jefferson,  Wis.  To  her  cheerful  aid  and  sympathy,  in 
the  performance  of  the  duties  which  have  fallen  to  his 
lot,  Mr.  Ostrander  attributes  much  of  his  success. 
About  seven  years  ago  he  came  to  Chicago,  from  Mil- 
waukee, where  he  had  resided  for  many  years  with  his 
family.  They  have  three  children:  Frank,  not  yet 
thirty-two,  and  a  well-known  business  man  of  West 
Superior;  Minnie,  married  to  W.  H.  Mylrea,  a  leading 
lawyer  of  Wausaw,  Wis.,  and  Belle,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Theodore  Starrett,  architect  and  builder  of  this  city. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ostrander  is  affiliated  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  although  he  has  never  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  politics,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  he 
was,  before  the  war,  a  warm  advocate  of  anti-slavery 
principles,  and  took  great  interest  in  the  campaigns 
which  were  waged  on  the  slavery  question.  He  has 
never  held  any  public  civic  offices,  however,  and  is 
content  to  fulfill  his  obligations  to  his  party  by  the 
casting  of  his  ballot.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Unitarian 
society  and  is  an  ardent  follower  of  Ralph  Waldo  Em- 
erson's teachings.  His  interest  in  religious  and  char- 
itable enterprises  takes  a  practical  form  in  open-handed 
giving. 


o 


I. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


193 


In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Ostraader  is  a  man  of 
more  than  the  average  height,  of  pleasing  and  genial 
manner,  and  one  who  makes  friends  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  He  is  popular  with  his  business 
associates  and  esteemed  highly  in  the  social  circles  in 
which  he  moves. 

"When  Mr.  Ostrander  was  invited  by  the  writer  to 
relate  the  most  important  events  of  his  life,  he  replied  : 
" There  is  nothing  but  a  'distinguished  littleness'  in 
everything  with  which  I  have  had  to  do.  Aside  from 
the  unimportant  part  I  had  in  the  Civil  War,  I  have 
never  experienced  nor  even  witnessed  anything  tragic 
or  heroic;  there  has  been  but  little  that  I  can  recall 
that  can  be  said  to  have  been  even  impressive.  Inci- 
dents have  been  rare  that  were  important  enough  to 
interest  any  one  outside  of  the  narrow  circle  of  personal 
friends.  In  all  this  there  has  been  nothing  that 
concerns  the  public.  From  eight  years  of  age  I  have 
earned  my  daily  bread.  Even  during  my  school  days 
I  was  not  excused  from  manual  labor.  Afterwards, 
when  the  liberty  was  given  me  to  indulge  the  higher 
aspirations,  this  privilege,  too,  was  so  persistently 
qualified  by  the  limitations  of  opportunity,  so  encum- 
bered by  the  struggle  for  existence,  that  in  most  cases 
I  was  compelled  to  accept  unsatisfactory  compromises 
where  much  had  been  hoped  for.  There  is  not  one  line 
of  poetry  or  romance  in  any  page  of  my  experience. 
The  duties  which  I  have  been  appointed  to  perform 
have  all  been  severely  commonplace.  They  have  been 
of  an  order  generally  useful  and  seldom  aesthetic.  My 
pathway,  even  in  dreams,  has  never  led  to  any  paradise 
of  beauty,  to  no  '  dizzy  heights  '  of  power.  While  the 
companions  of  my  life  have  frequently- turned  aside  to 
find  pleasure  or  distinction,  I  have  been  whipped  forward 


by  a  necessity  which  has  given  me  no  opportunity  to 
choose  between  pleasure  and  duty." 

In  this  respect  Mr.  Ostrander's  experience  is  not  so 
exceptional  as  to  arrest  attention.  Nature  is  not  capri- 
cious in  her  giving,  for  she  exacts  full  compensation  for 
every  benefit  bestowed.  The  Emersonian  saying,  "  if 
you  want  a  thing,  pay  the  price  and  take  it,"  declares 
the  rule.  Labor  and  self-denial  are  full-weight  coin, 
and  have  the  highest  purchasing  qualities.  Out  of  the 
deprivations  and  economies  of  early  life  and  the  inces- 
sant and  sustained  application  of  later  years,  has  come 
the  toughened  mental  and  moral  fiber  that  gives  to 
ripened  manhood  its  chief  honor  and  greatest  power. 
The  noblest  gift  of  genius  is  the  capacity  to  work  ;  to 
him  who  has  this  possession  all  other  things  are  pos- 
sible. There  are  no  rules  for  building  characters. 
Science  can  analyze,  but  can  no  more  construct  a  char- 
acter than  it  can  a  flower  or  a  tree.  As  the  elemental 
and  fructifying  forces  of  nature  combine  to  produce 
the  oak,  so  are  the  moral,  intellectual  and  sympathetic 
forces  of  man  developed,  trained  and  organized  into 
characters.  The  processes  in  one  case  are  no  more 
mysterious  and  ''  past  finding  out "  than  in  the  other. 
We  know  that  the  oak  grows  in  particular  soils  and 
climates,  and  that  certain  influences  produce  particular 
types  of  character,  and  that  neither  is  a  hot-house  pro- 
duct. In  Mr.  Ostrander's  character  there  is  something 
which  he  has  found  in  the  little  log  school  house,  with 
slab  roof  and  earth  floor,  which  he  has  brought  down 
from  the  early  forties,  and  to  this  have  been  added  the 
later  accretions  of  knowledge  which  he  has  gathered 
from  books  and  experience,  and  the  whole  has  been 
crystallized  into  a  substantial  form,  that  gives  to  his 
influence  a  power  that  is  far  reaching  and  permanent. 


SAMUEL  J.  JONES, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


O  AMUEL  J.  JONES,  a  native  of  Bainbridge,  Penn.. 
O  was  born  on  March  22,  1836,  the  son  of  Dr. 
Robert  H.  and  Sarah  M.  (Ekel)  Jones.  The  father,  who 
died  in  1863,  was  of  Welsh  descent,  although  himself  a 
native  of  Donegal,  Ireland.  He  was  a  practicing 
physician  in  Pennsylvania  for  thirty-three  years.  The 
mother,  of  Swiss  and  Huguenot  descent,  belongs  to  one 
of  the  oldest  families  of  the  old  town  of  Lebanon,  in  the 
above  State.  In  early  life  the  son  enjoyed  good  edu- 
cational advantages,  and,  having  finished  his  prepara- 
tory studies,  he  entered,  at  the  age  of  17,  Dickinson 
college,  at  Carlisle,  Penn.,  graduating  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  in  1857,  being  then  21  years  of  age. 

Three  vears  later  he  received  from  his  alma  mater 

f 

the  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  in  1884  the  same  institution 
conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D.  He 
early  decided  to  fit  himself  for  the  medical  profession, 
and  upon  leaving  college,  and  with  that  purpose  in 


view,  spent  three  years  in  study  under  the  preceptorship 
of  his  father,  and  in  1858  attended  his  first  course  of 
lectures  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  graduating  in  1860,  just  thirty  years 
after  the  graduation  of  his  father  from  the  same  insti- 
tution. Being  attracted  to  the  United  States  naval 
service  by  reason  of  its  many  advantages  for  the  young 
practitioner,  both  professionally  and  otherwise,  he  sub- 
mitted to  a  competitive  examination  for  the  position  of 
assistant  surgeon,  and,  having  been  successful,  received 
his  appointment  just  before  the  beginning  of  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion.  In  April,  1861,  he  was  ordered  to 
the  United  States  steam  frigate  "Minnesota,"  which 
sailed  under  sealed  orders  from  Boston  on  Ma}'  8, 1861, 
as  the  flagship  of  the  Atlantic  blockading  squadron. 
Dr.  Jones  participated  in  the  naval  battle  at  llatteras 
Inlet  in  August,  1861,  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of 
the  confederate  forts,  and  ended  the  troublesome 


i94 

blockade-running  at  that  point,  and  in  which  fifteen 
hundred  prisoners  were  taken.  It  was  the  first  naval 
battle  in  history  in  which  steamships  were  used  and 
kept  in  motion  while  in  action. 

In  January,  1862,  he  was  temporarily  detached 
from  the  "Minnesota,"  and  detailed  as  surgeon  of 
Flag-Officer  Goldsborough's  staff  on  the  Burnside  and 
Goldsborough  expedition  against  Eoanoke  Island. 
After  its  capture,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as  the  staff- 
surgeon  of  Commander  Rowan,  in  the  expedition  which 
resulted  in  the  capture  of  Newbern,  Washington,  and 
other  important  points  on  the  inner  waters  of  North 
Carolina.  Later  he  accompanied  Lieutenant  Gushing, 
of  "  Albermarle "  fame,  and  Lieutenant  Lamson,  in 
iheir  operations  on  the  Nansemond  river  for  the  relief 
of  the  Union  forces  then  shut  in  by  General  Long- 
street,  at  Suffolk,  Va.  In  the  spring  of  1863,  Dr.  Jones 
was  assigned  to  duty  at  Philadelphia,  and  there  passed 
a  second  examination  and  was  promoted  to  the  grade 
of  surgeon.  He  was  next  assigned  to  duty  at  Chicago, 
where,  in.  addition  to  his  other  duties,  he  was  examin- 
ing surgeon  of  those  desiring  to  enter  the  medical 
corps  for  the  naval  service  on  the  Mississippi  river. 
While  on  that  duty  he  visited  four  of  the  Western 
military  prisons,  and  examined  and  passed  over  three 
thousand  Confederate  prisoners,  who  had  asked  to  be 
shipped  into  the  government  naval  service. 

In  1864  he  was  ordered  to  the  sloop-of-war  "  Ports- 
mouth," of  Admiral  Faragut's  West  Gulf  blockading 
squadron,  but  soon  thereafter  was  assigned  to  duty  as 
surgeon  of  the  New  Orleans  Naval  Hospital.  In  the 
fall  of  1865,  the  war  having  closed.  Surgeon  Jones  was 
sent  to  Pensacola,  Fla.,  as  surgeon  of  the  navy  yard 
and  naval  hospital,  and  remained  there  until  again  as- 
signed to  duty  at  Chicago,  in  1866.  When  the  marine 
rendezvous  there  was  closed,  in  1867,  he  was  ordered  to 
the  frigate  ;'  Sabine,"  a  practice  ship  for  naval  appren- 
tices cruising  along  the  Atlantic  coast. 

In  1868,  desiring  to  engage  in  private  practice,  he 
tendered  his  resignation,  which  was  accepted  on  the 
first  of  March  of  that  year,  and  his  connection  with 
the  nav}' closed,  after  eight  years  of  active,  and,  during 
much  of  the  time,  hazardous  service. 

Upon  leaving  the  Government  service,  Dr.  Jones 
returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  was  sent  as  a  delegate 
from  the  American  Medical  Association  to  the  meet- 
ings of  the  medical  societies  of  Europe,  being  at  the 
same  time  commissioned  by  Governor  Geary,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, to  report  upon  hospital  and  sanitary  matters 
in  England  and  on  the  continent.  He  attended  meet- 
ings of  noted  European  medical  societies  at  Oxford. 
Heidelberg  and  Dresden,  and  at  the  last  named  place 
participated  in  organizing  the  first  otological  congress 
ever  held.  This  was  in  September,  1868.  He  spent 
the  remainder  of  that  year  visiting  the  various  parts  of 
Europe,  extending  his  investigation  in  medical  sanitary 
affairs,  and  giving  special  attention  to  the  subject  of 
diseases  of  the  eye  and  of  the  ear.  He  returned  to  the 
United  States  and  established  himself  at  the  end  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


1868  in  private  practice  at  Chicago.  During  the  next 
year  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Board  of  Examin- 
ing Surgeons  for  United  States  Pensions  at  Chicago 
and  was  also  made  a  member  of  the  medical  staff  of 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and  he  there  established  a  depart- 
ment for  the  treatment  of  the  eye  and  of  the  ear,  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  since  its  establishment. 
In  1870  he  was  again  accredited  a  delegate  from  the 
American  Medical  Association  to  meetings  of  European 
associations,  and  while  abroad  spent  several  months  in 
research  and  investigation.  During  the  same  year  he 
was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  ophthalmology  and 
otology,  just  established  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  North  western  University  (Chicago  Medical  College), 
a  professorship  which  he  has  continued  to  hold  ever 
since.  He  also  established  an  eye  and  ear  de- 
partment at  Mercy  Hospital  and  another  at  the 
South  Side  Dispensary,  and  had  charge  of  them  for 
some  ten  years,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  one 
of  the  attending  staff  of  the  Illinois  Charitable  Eye  and 
Ear  Infirmary,  located  at  Chicago. 

Dr.  Jones  has  applied  himself  to  the  acquirement  of 
knowledge  pertaining  to  the  special  department  to 
which  he  has  devoted  himself  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years,  and  is  recognized  as  authority  on  matters  per- 
taining to  ophthalmology  and  otology.  He  has  always 
stood  high  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  practitioners,  and 
has  been  active  and  influential  in  their  councils  and 
deliberations.  In  1876  he  was  a  delegate  from  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society  to  the  Centennial  Inter- 
national Medical  Congress,  at  Philadelphia.  In  1881 
he  represented  the  American  Medical  Association  and 
the  American  Academy  of  Medicines  at  the  Seventh 
International  Medical  Congress,  at  London,  England. 
Again,  in  1887,  at  the  Ninth  International  Medical 
Congress,  held  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  as  president  of  the 
section  of  otology,  he  was  ex-officio  member  of  the  execu- 
tive committee,whose  duty  it  was  to  arrange  the  prelimi- 
nary organization  of  the  congress.  In  1889,  at  its 
Thirteenth  Annual  Meeting,  held  in  Chicago,  Dr.  Jones 
was  elected  president  of  the  American  Academy  of 
Medicine,  whose  objects,  as  stated  in  its  constitution, 
are :  "  First,  to  bring  those  who  are  alumni  of 
collegiate,  scientific  or  medical  schools  into  closer 
relation  with  each  other.  Second,  to  encourage  young 
men  to  pursue  regular  courses  of  study  in  classical  and 
scientific  institutions,  before  entering  upon  the  study  of 
medicine.  Third,  to  extent  the  bounds  of  medical 
science,  to  elevate  the  profession,  to  alleviate  human 
suffering  and  to  prevent  disease." 

Being  himself  a  man  of  broad  culture  and  extensive 
knowledge  of  the  principles  and  practice  of  medicine, 
Dr.  Jones  has  labored  untiringly  to  raise  the  standard 
of  medical  education  to  the  highest  plane,  both  by  his 
work  in  the  various  societies  and  associations  with 
with  which  he  is  connected,  and  by  his  writings,  which 
frequently  have  appeared  in  the  medical  journals.  He 
was  for  several  years  editor  of  the  Clicago  Me<l!>-nl 
Journal  and  Examiner,  one  of  the  leading  medical 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


195 


periodicals  of  this  country.  He  is  an  active  participant 
in  local,  state,  national  and  international  medical  organ- 
izations. He  has  been  for  twenty-five  years  a  member 
of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  is  a  member 
of  its  board  of  trustees. 

Dr.  Jones  is   a   man   of   fine   physical  proportions, 
with   a   rugged   constitution.      He   is  a  man  of   fixed 


opinions,  with  a  decided  will-power  and  strong  deter- 
mination, and  by  nature  a  leader.  Courteous  in  manner, 
genial  and  generous,  yet  dignified  in  bearing  he  has 
attracted  to  himself  a  wide  and  influential  clientele,  in 
the  special  department  to  which  he  has  devoted  himself, 
and  enjoys  the  reward  of  his  painstaking  and  conscien- 
tious work. 


EDWIN    WALKER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  father  of  Edwin  Walker  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  but  removed  to  New  York  State 
when  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
character  and  strict  integrity,  and  enjoyed  the  fullest 
confidence  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  a  farmer, 
and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  died  in  the  year 
1887,  at  the  rare  age  of  ninety-two. 

Edwin  was  born  in  Genessee  county,  New  York. 
He  received  a  thorough  academic  education,  and  at  an 
early  age  adopted  the  law  as  his  profession.  He  pro- 
secuted his  professional  studies  in  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  in  1854. 
Soon  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  made  his  way 
westward,  locating  in  Logansport,  Ind.,  where  he 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession,  remaining 
there  until  1865,  and  becoming  a  recognized  leader  of 
the  bar  of  that  State. 

During  this  time,  in  1860,  he  was  appointed  general 
solicitor  of  the  Cincinnati,  Richmond  and  Logansport 
Railroad  Company,  which  in  1865  was  extended  to 
Chicago,  under  the  name  of  the  Chicago  and  Great 
Eastern  Railroad  Company,  at  which  time  his  office, 
together  with  the  general  offices  of  the  company,  was 
removed  to  Chicago.  From  that  date  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  city,  and  in  active  prosecution  of  his 
profession.  In  1870  this  road  was  merged  with  and 
made  a  part  of  the  Pennsylvania  system.  Mr.  Walker 
retaining  his  connection  with  the  legal  department 
until  the  year  1883.  In  1869  he  was  appointed  general 
solicitor  of  the  Chicago,  Danville  and  Vincennes  Rail- 
road Company,  and  in  1870  the  Illinois  solicitor  of  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company, 
with  which  road  he  has  been  intimately  connected  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  He  is  also  special  counsel  for 
several  insurance  companies  and  other  corporations. 

Mr.  Walker  has  been  so  long  and  so  prominently 
connected  with  railroads  that  he  is  most  widely  known 
as  a  corporation  lawyer,  and  his  reputation  as  such  is 
of'  the  highest  character.  He  has  prominently  ap- 
peared in  most  of  the  important  railroad  litigation  in 
the  State  and  Federal  courts,  and  his  skill  and  ability 
are  attested  by  so  many  reported  cases  that  he  has 
become  an  authority  upon  all  the  varied  and  intricate 
questions  of  corporation  law.  ID  general  practice  he 
has  a  large  clientage.  He  is  popular  with  the  bar,  and 
has  the  confidence  of  the  bench  wherever  he  appears. 


While  he  has  been  thoroughly  devoted  to  his  profes- 
sion, he  has  been  connected  with  many  business  enter- 
prises. More  than  twenty  years  ago  he  formed  a  co-part- 
nership with  Col.  W.  P.  Rend,  in  the  coal  and  transpor- 
tation business.  The  firm  of  W.  P.  Rend  &  Co.  is  one 
of  the  best  known  in  the  West,  and  is  an  extensive 
operator  in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania.  The  relations 
between  these  two  men  have  been  of  the  most  intimate 
character. 

Politically,  Mr.  Walker  has  ever  been  a  Republican, 
but,  while  shrinking  from  political  office  and  party 
strife,  he  has  always  been  ready,  regardless  of  politics 
when  circumstances  seemed  to  warrant  it,  to  join  with 
independent  citizens  in  movements  to  secure  the  cor- 
rection of  the  local  abuse  of  political  power. 

He  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
World's  Fair  from  its  inception.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  first  sub-committee  on  legislation,  having  charge  of 
the  work  in  Washington  while  Congress  was  considering 
the  selection  of  a  location;  and  when  Chicago  was 
finally  chosen,  he  was  one  of  the  committee  selected  to 
frame  necessary  and  proper  legislation.  He  was  elected 
a  director,  made  chairman  of  the  committee  on  legisla- 
tion, and  was  a  member  of  the  executive  and  con- 
ference committees. 

In  the  year  1857  Mr.  Walker  was  married  to  Miss 
Lydia  Johnson,  daughter  of  Col.  Israel  Johnson,  a 
prominent  citizen  and  successful  merchant  of  Logans- 
port.  She  lived  but  two  years  after  their  removal  to 
Chicago,  but  during  the  few  years  of  their  married 
life  she  became  endeared  to  a  large  circle  of  friends 
and  promoted  in  every  possible  way  the  success  of  her 
husband.  Of  this  union  three  sons  were  born — the 
two  eldest,  Edwin  C.  and  J.  Brandt  are  married,  and 
have  pleasant  homes  in  Chicago.  They  are  associated 
together  in  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Walker 
&  Company,  and  are  successful  commission  merchants. 
The  youngest  son,  Wilmer  Earl,  a  boy  of  great  promise, 
died  in  his  twenty-first  year,  at  the  commencement  of 
his  senior  year  at  Yale  College.  His  attainments  were 
of  a  high  order,  and  he  was  being  carefully  educated 
and  trained  for  the  legal  profession. 

In  1870  Mr.  Walker  married  Mrs.  Desdemona 
Kimball,  daughter  of  Major  Samuel  Edsall,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  best  known  citizens  in  the  public  and  social 
life  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  Few  women  in  Chicago 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


have  a  larger  circle  of  social  and  admiring  friends  than 
Mrs.  "Walker,  and  none  could  more  worthily  preside 
over  the  pleasant  home  of  the  successful  lawyer,  made 
more  attractive  by  the  presence  of  her  two  daughters, 
Alma  L.  and  Louise  E.  Kimball. 

Mr.  "Walker  is  a  member  of  the  Grace  Episcopal 
Church  of  Chicago,  and  during  the  past  seventeen 
years  has  been  an  active  officer  of  the  church,  either 
vestryman  or  warden.  Though  past  the  prime  of  life, 
his  physical  health  is  such  that  his  friends  may  reason- 


ably  anticipate  many  more  years  of  active  and  useful 
work. 

Although  a  member  of  many  prominent  social 
clubs  of  the  city,  he  best  enjoys  himself  with  his  family 
and  friends  in  his  attractive  home  on  Michigan  avenue, 
participating  in  such  social  events  as  his  professional 
and  other  duties  will  permit.  Fond  of  travel,  he  seeks 
each  summer  some  place  of  rest  and  pleasure,  either  in 
this  country  or  in  Europe,  constantly  forming  new 
friendships  and  associations. 


CHARLES  D.  HAMILL, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


CHARLES  D.  HAMILL,  son  of  Dr.  Robert  C.  and 
>^>  Eliza  (Davisson)  Hamill,  was  born  at  Blooming- 
ton,  Ind.,  on  the  14th  day  of  November,  1839.  His 
father,  who  was  a  physician  of  the  highest  standing, 
was  born  at  Xenia,  Ohio,  in  1808  and  died  in  Chicago 
in  July,  1886.  His  mother  was  also  born  in  Xenia, 
Ohio,  and  is  now  in  her  84th  year.  She  lives  with  her 
son  in  Chicago. 

The  first  eight  years  of  Charles  D.  Hamill's  life 
were  passed  in  Bloomington,  Ind.,  when  he  came  to 
Chicago  with  his  parents  and  for  one  term  attended 
the  private  school  of  Rev.  A.  M.  Stewart,  which  was 
held  in  the  basement  of  the  old  Presbyterian  church,  at 
that  time  a  frame  structure  that  stood  on  Clark,  near 
Washington  street.  He  then  returned  to  Bloomington 
where  he  remained  until  1852,  when  his  parents  came  to 
Chicago  to  live  permanently. 

Charles  was  placed  in  the  well-known  dry  goods 
house  of  L.  D.  Olmstead  &  Company,  then  at  140  Lake 
street,  where  he  received  $50  for  his  first  year's  work. 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  T.  B.  Carter  &  Co., with 
whom  he  remained  for  two  years,  attaining  to  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier,  after  which  he  took  a  position  as  clerk 
in  the  Bank  of  Commerce.  He  left  in  about  a  year  to 
accept  the  position  of  paying  teller  in  the  bank  op- 
erated by  the  Western  Marine  Insurance  Company  of 
Chicago.  With  this  company  he  remained  for  seven 
years  and  the  experience  thus  gained  has  had  no  small 
influence  upon  the  financial  success  that  has  since 
attended  his  business  transactions. 

In  1863,  Mr.  Hamill  first  engaged  in  the  packing 
business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Singer  &  Co. 
From  that  date  until  1873,  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
the  Board  of  Trade,  where  he  represented  the  interests 
of  his  own  firm  and  part  of  the  time  managed  also  the 
enormous  business  of  Howard  Priestly.  During  this 
time  he  made  many  of  the  largest  grain  deals  known 
in  the  history  of  the  trade,  but  the  continuous  mental 
straiu  and  too  close  application  to  business  so  impaired 
his  health,  never  too  robust,  that  by  the  advice  of  his 
physicians  he  gave  up  business  for  a  time  and  went 
abroad,  spending  nearly  two  years  in  easy  traveling  in 


search  of  rest  and  recreation.  He  returned  in  1875 
with  his  health  fully  restored  and  formed  the  commis- 
sion house  of  Van  Inwagen  &  Hamill.  The  partner- 
ship continued  until  1882.  when  it  was  dissolved  and 
for  two  years  Mr.  Hamill  continued  the  business  alone. 
In  January,  1885,  he  and  Mr.  George  J.  Brine  formed 
a  co-partnership  under  the  name  of  Hamill  &  Brine, 
which  continued  for  three  years,  after  which  to  the 
present  time  Mr.  Hamill  has  had  associated  with  him 
his  son,  Mr.  Robert  W.  Hamill.  Having  been  for 
many  years  prominent  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  Mr.  Hamill  was  in  1892  nominated  by  his 
friends  as  a  candidate  for  the  presidency  in  opposition 
to  Mr.  J.  G.  Steever,  the  regular  caucus  nominee,  and 
after  an  exciting  contest  that  brought  out  the  largest 
vote  known  in  the  history  of  the  board,  he  was  elected 
and  is  now  serving  his  second  term,  having  been  re- 
elected  at  the  expiration  of  the  first  term.  Notwith- 
standing the  pressure  of  his  business  interests  Mr. 
Hamill  has  found  time  to  devote  to  his  inborn  love  for 
music  and  the  fine  arts,  and  with  others  of  congenial 
tastes  he  has  done  much  to  educate  and  foster  the 
public  interest  in  this  direction. 

In  1858  Mr.  Hamill  was  a  delegate  to  the  first 
musical  convention  ever  held  in  Chicago,  and  was  one 
of  the  leading  spirits  in  the  formation  of  the  Mendels- 
sohn Society  of  which  he  was  a  charter  member.  He 
also  took  an  active  part  in  several  other  musical 
societies.  Very  early  in  the  history  of  the  famous 
Apollo  Club  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  its  manage- 
ment, and  for  many  years,  or  until  1882,  was  chairman 
of  its  music  committee,  when  he  resigned  his  member- 
ship in  order  to  give  more  of  his  attention  to  perfecting 
the  arrangements  for  the  great  musical  festival  of  that 
year,  which,  under  the  direction  of  Theodore  Thomas, 
was  such  a  brilliant  success  that  it  was  repeated  in 
1884.  The  result  of  this  and  other  projects  of  similar 
character  was  the  establishment  of  the  now  famous 
Chicago  Orchestra,  and  to  Mr.  Hamill  is  due  much  of 
the  credit  for  conceiving  and  bringing  to  life  a  musical 
organization  in  Chicago  that  easily  takes  a  leading 
rank  among  similar  organizations  of  the  world.  After 


The  Century  Bjilisiung  &  Engraving  Go.  Chic  ago  • 


PkuMlNENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST 


199 


bringing  the  great  festival  of  1884  to  a  more  than 
successful  issue  Mr.  Ilamill  rejoined  the  Apollo  Club 
anil  in  1S87  was  elected  its  president  and  gave  to  that 
body  an  able  administration  that  materially  extended 
its  influence  and  put  the  organization  into  a  very 
prosperous  shape.  He  is  also  a  strong  supporter  and 
steadfast  friend  of  the  Chicago  Art  Institute,  and 
having  been  a  director  from  the  outset  has  done  much 
to  bring  the  institute  up  to  its  present  standing.  He 
is  a  fine  judge  of  art  and  artistic  work  and  his  private 
collection  is  the  result  of  many  year's  careful  collecting. 
On  the  19th  day  of  December,  1861,  Mr.  Ilamill 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Susan  Wai  bridge, 
daughter  of  Judge  Henry  S.  Walbridge  of  Ithaca,  N- 
Y.  Thev  have  six  children,  Robert  W.,  now  in  busi- 
ness witli  his  father,  Charles  II.,  Paul,  Philip  W.,  Lau- 
rence and  Kannie  D.,  (the  latter  the  wife  of  Mr.  E.  J. 
Phelps.  Mr.  Hamill  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 


Washington  Park  Club,  and  is  now  its  vice-president. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Club  since  1875 
and  has  served  it  as  a  director,  as  vice  president  and 
for  many  years  as  chairman  of  its  house  committee. 
He  is  also  connected  with  the  Calumet  and  Chicago 
Clubs,  is  a  trustee  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  Associa- 
tion and  president  of  the  Twentieth  Century  Club. 

As  a  business  man  Mr.  Hamill  takes  a  leading  rank 
in  Chicago.  He  is  quick  to  grasp  all  points  of  a  busi- 
ness transaction  or  offer  and  as  prompt  to  act,  and  com- 
bines with  great  business  ability  a  good  knowledge  of 
finance.  As  a  ma.n  he  is  broad  minded  and  liberal  in 
his  opinions  and  generous  in  dealing  with  his  fellow- 
men.  In  demeanor  he  is  modest  and  unassuming  and 
courteous  to  all;  he  readily  makes  friends  and  easily 
retains  them.  With  all  he  is  exceedingly  popular  and 
no  one  denies  to  him  the  honor  and  respect  so  justlv 
his  due. 


WILLIAM   R.  KERR, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  R.  KERR  was  born  in  Dayton,  Ohio, 
September  11,  1849.  He  inherited  the  sturdy 
qualities  of  the  Scotch  from  his  father  and 
those  of  the  German  from  his  mother.  When  but  six 
years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Muscatine,  Iowa,  and 
five  years  later,  or  in  1860,  they  went  farther  West, 
settling  in  Leaven  worth,  Kansas.  Here  his  father 
secured  the  contract  for  suppling  the  frontier  military 
posts  with  beef  during  the  war,  and  in  1864,  young 
Kerr,  although  only  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  enlisted 
in  the  ninety  day  service  for  duty  in  Missouri;  butout- 
side  of  guard  duty  his  company  saw  no  active  service. 
Up  to  this  time  young  Kerr  had  attended  the  public 
schools  at  the  different  places  where  he  had  lived, but  he 
now  determined  to  acquire  a  better  education.  Accord- 
ingly he  entered  the  Canadaigua  Academy  in  New  York 
State,  graduating  from  this  institution  three  years 
later.  Returning  to  Leavenworth,  he  entered  the  whole- 
sale boot  and  shoe  house  of  Seares  &  Earle,  as  book- 
keeper, where  he  remained  a  short  time,  when  his 
father  removing  to  St.  Louis,  he  entered  the  service  of 
Newhall  Brothers,  wholesale  boots  and  shoes,  as 
traveling  salesman. 

In  1868  his  father  removed  to  Chicago  with  his 
family  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  taking 
William  as  partner,  the  firm  name  being  James  M. 
Kerr  ct  Son.  Their  office  was  at  123  Clark  Street. 
Not  long  afterward,  having  become  familiar  with  fire 
insurance  matters,  Mr.  Kerr  was  offered  and  accepted 
a  position  as  special  agent  and  adjuster  of  the  Hartford 
Fire  Insurance  Company.  He  soon  demonstrated  his 
ability  in  this  line  of  business,  and  was  offered  the 
position  of  secretary  and  general  manager  of  the  St. 
Joseph  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company  at  St. 


Joseph,  Mo.,  which  he  accepted.  He  remained  with 
this  company  until  1875,  when  he  became  Western 
manager  of  the  Scottish  Commercial  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  which  was  amalgamated 
with  the  Lancashire  Fire  in  1880,  and  he  took  charge 
of  the  local  department  of  the  firm  of  W.  H.  Cunning- 
ham &  Co.,  remaining  with  them  until  1889. 

After  twenty  years  of  service  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness Mr.  Kerr  desired  a  change,  and  became  secretarv 
of  the  Metropolitan  Investment  Company.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1891,  he  purchased  the  Morgan  tract  of  land,  one 
mile  west  of  Pullman,  and  organized  the  West  Pull- 
man Land  Association,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $1.200- 
000,  of  which  association  he  was  elected  secretary  and 
general  manager.  It  is  in  this  enterprise  that  Mr. 
Kerr  has  demonstrated  his  conspicuous  energy  and 
ability.  Although  but  little  over  two  years  have 
elapsed  since  the  organization  -of  the  company,  West 
Pullman  has  become  a  most  thriving  and  still  rapidly 
growing  town.  It  has  several  large  manufacturing 
enterprises  already  established,  and  others  in  prospect. 
It  also  contains  many  "fine  residences,  and  being  on  the 
direct  line  of  all  the  great  trunk  lines  of  railroad,  it 
promises  to  rival  Pullman  itself  as  a  manufacturing 
and  residence  center. 

For  several  years  pa  t  Mr.  Kerr  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  politics  in  connection  with  the  Republican 
part}'.  He  was  collector  for  the  town  of  Hyde  Park 
before  annexation,  and  when  it  became  a  part  of  Chi- 
cago he  was  elected  alderman  from  the  thirty-second 
ward,  which  position  he  has  held  ever  since,  having 
been  re-elected  four  times.  At  the  Republican  National 
Convention  held  in  Minneapolis,  in  1892,  Mr.  Kerr  was 
a  delegate  from  the  first  congressional  district.  Illinois 


2OO 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


and  was  a  prominent  and  peristent  advocate  of  the 
nomination  to  the  presidency  of  James  G.  Elaine.  Mr. 
Kerr  has  been  an  influential  member  of  the  city 
council  of  Chicago  since  his  first  connection  with  it, 
working  actively  for  the  city's  interests.  It  was  at  his 
suggestion  that  Mayor  Cregier  appointed  a  citizens' 
committee  of  one  hundred  to  go  to  Washington  to  urge 
the  claims  of  Chicago  for  the  World's  Fair,  with  what 
success  the  world  now  knows.  He  also  was  among  the 
leaders  at  Springfield,  in  the  interest  of  the  $5,000,000 
appropriation  bill  afterward  passed  by  the  legislature. 
During  the  progress  of  the  Exposition  Mr.  Kerr  was  an 
earnest  and  efficient  worker  for  its  success,  and  it  is 
generally-conceded  that  largely  to  his  management  was 
due  the  unparallelled  success  of  the  famous  "  Chicago 


Day  "  on  October  9,  1893,  he  having  been  designated 
by  the  city  council  as  chief  manager  in  behalf  of  the  city. 
In  social  life  Mr.  Kerr  is  known  for  his  genial  and 
courtly  nature,  and  has  a  very  large  circle  of  friends.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  Illinois  Club, 
Kenwood  Club  and  Hyde  Park  Club,of  which  latter  he  is 
vice-president.  He  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Mintie 
L.  Miller,  daughter  of  W.  E.  Miller,  ex-chief  justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Iowa,  and  has  three  children,  two 
daughters  and  one  son,  respectively  named  Eugenia, 
Lulu  and  Ralph.  The  former  was  recently  married  to 
Mr.  John  A.  Eddy,  of  Cincinnati.  Mr.  Kerr  has  trav- 
eled quite  extensively,  and  in  1880  he  spent  almost  a 
year  in  Europe  with  his  wife,  visiting  all  the  important 
places  on  the  continent  and  in  Great  Britain. 


RICHARD    CONOVER  LAKE, 

RAPID  CITY,  SOUTH  DAKOTA. 


RICHAED  CONOVER  LAKE,  son  of  James  and 
Hannah  (Dye)  Lake,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Mon- 
tour  county,  Penn.,  on  the  20th  day  of  July,  184&,  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  He  is  a  de- 
scendent  of  one  of  the  families,  who,  coming  to 
America  in  its  early  history,  settled  in  New  Jersey, 
and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  moved 
to  Pennsylvania.  He  received  a  good  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  state,  and  being  inclined  to  read- 
ing and  study  rather  than  the  outdoor  life  of  a  farm,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  a  firm  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  and  flour-milling,  in  the  capacity  of  assistant 
bookkeeper  and  cashier,  at  Espy,  Columbia  county, 
Penn.,  to  which  place  his  father's  family  had  moved. 

When  eighteen  years  of  age  he,  with  his  older 
brother,  went  to  Colorado,  arriving  at  Denver  on  July 
1, 1861,  after  a  tedious  overland  journey  through  a  hos- 
tile Indian  country.  Traveling  on  to  Central  City  he 
secured  employment  in  a  large  mercantile  house,  and 
four  years  later  became  a  partner.  After  nine  years  he 
retired  from  the  firm,  and  removed  to  Deadwood,  S.  D., 
reaching  there  in  April,  1877.  .  Here  he  again  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  meeting  with  great  success.  In 
August,  1879,  he  purchased  stock'  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Deadwood  and  was  elected  president,  although 
not  actively  engaged  in  the  bank  until  the  fall  of  1880; 
when  he  took  charge  and  remained  its  executive  officer 
for  three  years,  during  which  time  he  established  the 
Lead  City  Bank,  now  First  National  Bank  of  Lead 
City,  and  also  the  bank  of  Lake  &  Halley,  now  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Rapid  City,  both  in  South 
Dakota. 

Mr.  Lake  is  now  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank,  of  Rapid  City,  one  of  the  largest  banking  insti- 
tutions of  western  South  Dakota,  and  also  of  the  bank 


of  Chadron,  Neb.  He  is  a  director  in  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Custer,  of  the  first  National  Bank  of 
Sturgis,  of  the  Buffalo  Gap  Bank,  of  Buffalo  Gap,  and 
of  the  Harney  Peak  Bank,  at  Hill  City,  all  of  South 
Dakota.  He  has  also  extensive  interests  in  the  cattle 
business,  in  which  he  first  engaged  in  1883.  He  takes 
an  active  part  in  every  enterprise  promising  to  advance 
the  interests  of  the  region  in  which  he  resides,  giving 
both  his  time,  money  and  influence  to  further  these 
interests. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  has 
filled  most  of  the  important  offices  of  that  order.  He 
is  a  Repulican  in  politics,  and  a  consistent  advocate  of 
civil  service  reform,  and  favors  the  election  to  office  of 
men  of  unblemished  character  onlv.  He  is  communi- 
cant of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  is  not  only  ever 
ready  to  aid  the  cause  of  Christianity,  but  never  deaf 
to  calls  upon  his  benevolence. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Randolph,  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  Virginia's  oldest  families,  on  September 
14,1871.  Six  children  have  sprung  from  this  fortun- 
ate and  happy  union. 

Personally  Mr.  Lake  is  a  gentleman  of  fine  appear- 
ance, being  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  and  weighing 
about  two  hundred  pounds.  He  is  quick  in  his  move- 
ments, and  an  active,  energetic  and  capable  man  of 
business,  enjoying  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides,  and  of  his  many  East- 
ern acquaintances.  His  exceptionally  successful  life  fur- 
nishes a  fine  illustration  of  what  ability,  energy  and 
integrity  can  accomplish  toward  carving  out  a  fortune 
for  their  possessor.  Mr.  Lake  is  in  the  broadest  sense 
a  self-made  man,  starting  in  life  with  no  capital  beyond 
a  pair  of  willing  hands  and  an  active  brain.  For  what 
he  has  accomplished  he  is  entitled  to  great  credit. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

COL.  H.  A.  FRAMBACH, 

KAUKAUNA,  WISCONSIN. 


2OI 


HA.  FRAMBACH,  son  of  Charles  August  and 
.  Moray  Frambach,  was  born  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
on  the  twenty-first  day  of  November,  1840.  His 
parents  both  came  from  German}',  and  his  father,  who 
was  a  noted  linguist,  passed  his  life  as  a  teacher  of 
languages  in  some  of  the  best  colleges.  The  mother 
died  in  1845,  and  the  family,  consisting  of  the  father 
and  four  children,  moved  to  Racine,  Wis.,  where,  eight 
years  later,  in  1854,  the  father  also  passed  away, 
leaving  our  subject,  a  youth  of  fourteen  years,  to  battle 
with  the  world  alone.  The  succed ing  years  he  was  em- 
ployed working  on  a  farm  and  ''doing  chores"  during 
the  spring  summer  and  autumn  months,  and  attending 
school  during  the  winter,  and  thus  in  the  little  country 
school  house  laying  the  foundation  for  his  excellent 
business  education. 

After  leaving  school  he  operated  a  wood-boat  on 
the  Illinois  river,  and  was  engaged  in  this  business 
when  the  war  broke  out.  At  the  first  call  to  arms  he 
disposed  of  his  boat,  and  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Com- 
pany G,  Sixty-first  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  served  as  a  private  until  after  the  battle 
pf  Shiloh,  when  he  was  detailed  in  that  most  responsible 
and  dangerous  department  of  army  work,  the  secret 
service.  He  served  gallantly  in  this  capacity  with 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  under  Generals,  Logan, 
Brayman  and  others,  until  1863,  when  he  was  appointed 
chief  of  the  department  of  secret  service  in  Arkansas, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

When  the  war  was  over  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  where 
he  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  though  still  retain, 
ing  his  connection  with  the  secret  service  department. 
He  moved  to  Kaukauna,  Wis.,  in  1872,  and  with 
his  brother,  John  Stooeken,  built  the  first  raper  mill 
operated  in  that  place.  This  mill  was  situated  upon 
the  present  site  of  the  Kaukauna  paper  mill,  and  while 
operating  it  Col.  Frambeach  was  also  engaged  in 
mercantile  business,  and  in  1876  was  chairman  of  the 
board  of  supervision  of  Kaukuuna.  In  1878  he  went 
to  Menasha,  where  for  two  years  he  operated  the 
Menasha  Paper  and  Pulp  Company's  mills,  returning 
to  Kaukauna  in  1880.  He  then  operated  the  Eagle 
Paper  Mills  until  it  was  destnyyed  by  fire  in  August, 
1880,  when  he  rebuilt  the  mill  at  his  own  expense,  and 
operated  it  as  the  Frambach  Paper  Mill.  In  1881,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Rogers,  of  Appleton,  and  the  Van 
Nortwicks,  of  Batavia,  111.,  he  organized  the  Union 
Pulp  Company,  with  which  he  was  connected  until 
1884,  in  which  year  he  sold  his  interests  to-  the  Van 
Nortwick  syndicate,  and,  in  company  with  Hon. 
Joseph  Vilas,  of  Manitowoc,  Wis.,  he  organized  the 
Badger  Paper  Company,  and  commenced  building  a 
plant.  The  mills  were  ready  for  work  early  in  1885, 
and  have  been  continuously  in  operation  up  to  the 
present  time. 

In  addition  to  his  extensive   interests   in   the  paper 


manufacturing  business  Col.  Frambach  in  1885  organ 
ized  the  Manufacturer's  Bank  in  South  Kaukauna,  which 
two  years  later  was  merged  into  the  First  National 
Bank.  This  change  was  made  at  Col.  Frambach's  sug- 
gestion, as  he  wished  to  give  to  the  people  of  Kaukauna 
better  facilities  and  therefore  asked  his  friends  to  join 
him  in  the  enterprise,  with  the  result  that  there  is 
hardly  another  city  of  its  size  in  the  country  that  has  a 
stronger  list  of  stockholders  in  its  principal  bank.  The 
fact  that  Col.  Frambach's  ideas  in  this  matter  were 
correct  has  been  amply  demonstrated,  for  there  is  not 
another  bank  in  Wisconsin  that  more  fully  enjoyes  the 
confidence  of  its  depositors.  Upon  the  organization  of 
the  bank,  Col.  Frambach  was  elected  its  president,  and 
has  since,  with  the  aid  of  an  efficient  corps  of  assistants, 
conducted  the  business  and  protected  the  interests  of 
stockholders  and  depositors.  They  do  a  general  bank- 
ing business,  buy  and  sell  foreign  and  American  ex- 
change, and  their  list  of  corresponding  banks  embraces 
some  of  the  strongest  financial  institutions  in  the 
country.  Besides  the  business  interests  already  men- 
tioned, Col.  Frambach  is  prominently  connected  with 
many  others,  and  has  for  more  than  twenty  years  been 
a  leading  spirit  in  every  enterprise  that  had  for  its 
object  the  advancement  of  Kaukauna's  material  inter- 
ests. He  was  the  first  mayor  of  the  citv  and 
the  estimation  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow  citi- 
zens is  best  evidenced  by  the  many  offices  of  honorand 
trust  that  they  have  offered  him 

He  was  the  principal  promoter  of  the  project  of 
making  a  live  paper  exhibit  at  the  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion. Upon  the  organization  of  the  company,  he  was 
made  president  and  became  its  general  manager.  The 
exhibit  was  a  creditable  one,  as  borne  out  by  the  inter- 
est manifested  by  the  public  during  the  exhibition  and 
the  continuous  large  crowd  around  the  exhibit.  He 
was  also  Republican  candidate  for  congress  in  the 
Eighth  Wisconsin  district,  and  was  defeated  in  the 
"land  slide"  of  1892.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  other  patriotic  organizations 
and  naturally  takes  a  leading  part  in  any  organization 
with  which  he  may  be  connected. 

On  the  8th  day  of  November,  1865,  Col.  Frambach 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Fannie  M.  Claspell, 
daughter  of  J.  H.  Claspell,  of  Springfield,  111.  They 
have  five  children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  and 
their  handsome  home  is  one  of  the  most  pleasantlv 
situated  in  Kaukauna.  Col.  Frambach,  notwithstanding 
the  adverse  circumstances  of  his  youth,  has  by  dint  of 
hard  work,  steady  application  and  unfaltering  integ- 
rity risen  to  his  present  position  of  honor  and  fortune 
solely  by  his  own  efforts.  During  his  long  residence 
in  Kaukauna  he  has  gained  a  most  enviable  reputation 
as  a  public-spirited,  generous  man,  who  is  well  worthy 
of  the  confidence  and  respect  reposed  in  him  by  the 
entire  communitv. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


PHILIP  D.  ARMOUR, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MR.  ARMOUR  is  distinctively  American.  So  were 
his  ancestors,  both  lineal  and  collateral,  for  gen- 
erations. The  maternal  branch  of  the  family  is  of  old 
Puritan  stock,  and  said  to  possess  an  unusual  amount  of 
good  common  sense.  Such  was  the  ancestry  of  Danforth 
Armour  and  Juliana  Brooks,  the  father  and  mother. 
They  left  Union,  Conn.,  September,  1825,  and  settled 
at  Stockbridge,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  where  Philip 
was  born,  May  16,  1832.  There  were  six  brothers  and 
two  sisters.  Farming  was  their  occupation.  Habitual 
frugality  and  industry  were  the  fundamental  principles 
and  characteristic  features  of  the  parents.  These 
family  tenets  were  laid  down  in  their  simplest  forms 
and  instilled  with  human  sunshine  into  the  life  of'each 
child.  Their  school  days  were  the  best  the  local  red 
school  house  could  afford.  Some  of  the  children,  among 
whom  was  Philip,  were  fortunate  enough  to  attend  the 
neighboring  village  seminary.  He  was  genial  to  a 
degree,  healthy,  resolute  and  strong,  holding  his  own 
wherever  events  found  him ;  not  a  follower  but  a  leader 
among  his  schoolmates. 

During  the  winter  of  1851  and  1852  the  excitement 
attending  the  gold  discovery  in  California  having 
spread  over  the  country,  a  party  was  organized  to 
make  the  overland  trip.  Mr.  Armour  was  invited  to 
join  them,  and  was  influenced  by  a  growing  desire  to 
get  out  into  the  world.  A  country  life  on  Stockbridge 
hills  was  too  obscure  for  one  so  tempered.  He  was 
entering  his  manhood,  and  to  go  was  only  to  satisfy  his 
ambition.  The  party  left  Oneida,  New  York,  in  the 
spring  of  1852,  and  reached  California  six  months 
later.  In  1856  he  returned  to  the  East  and  visited  his 
parents,  whom  he  always  held  in  reverential  affection. 
He  minutely  laid  before  them  all  he  had  accomplished 
during  his  absence,  including  the  fact  that  he  had  made 
some  money. 

After  remaining  with  them  for  a  few  weeks,  he 
once  more  turned  westward,  and  finally  located  in 
Milwaukee,  where  he  formed  a  co-partnership  and 
entered  the  commission  business  with  Frederick  B. 
Miles,  which  was  a  success  until  they  dissolved  in  1863. 
The  able  and  persistent  way  in  which  he  pursued  his 
business  and  the  characteristic  manner  he  had  of 
grasping  new  ideas  brought  him  prominently  before 
his  fellow  townspeople,  and  led  to  a  partnership,  in  the 
spring  of  1863  with  John  Plankinton,  which  proved  to 
be  of  much  importance  in  his  subsequent  career.  Mr. 
Plankinton  had  been  for  some  years  previously  engaged 
in  the  pork-packing  industry  with  Frederick  Layton. 
This  firm  had  dissolved,  as  that  also  of  Miles  &  Armour 
before  mentioned.  Mr.  Plankinton  was  Mr.  Armour's 
senior,  and  had  been  a  resident  of  Milwaukee  for  a 
much  longer  period.  He  had  established  a  most 
thriving  business,  which  had  been  conducted  with 
unerring  judgment.  He  stood  high  as  a  merchant, 
and  commanded  the  respect  of  all  as  a  public-spirited 


citizen.  This  was  Mr.  Armour's  opportunity.  How 
well  he  handled  the  business  that  fell  to  him  the  history 
of .  the  commercial  world  has  since  shown.  To  the 
pork-packing  business  of  Mr.  Plankinton,  he  brought 
that  unremitting  labor  and  concentration  of  thought 
that  were  so  peculiarly  his  own.  The  fluctuations  in 
the  price  of  the  provisions  at  the  closing  scenes  of  the 
war  left  the  firm  with  a  fortune.  This,  with  the 
development  of  the  country,  gave  them  an  opportunity 
for  extending  their  growing  business. 

In  1862,  Mr.  Armour's  brother,  Herman  O.  Armour, 
had  established  himself  in  Chicago  in  the  grain  com- 
mission business,  but  was  induced  to  surrender  this  to 
his  younger  brother,  Joseph  F..  in  1865,  and  take 
charge  of  a  new  firm  in  New  York,  then  organized 
under  the  name  of  Armour,  Plankinton  &  Co.  The 
organization  of  the  New  York  house  was  most  fortunate. 
The  financial  condition  of  the  West  at  that  period  did 
not  permit  of  the  large  lines  of  credit  necessary  for  a 
business  assuming  such  magnitude,  and  it  was,  as 
events  proved,  most  fortunate  that  the  duties  devolv- 
ing on  the  head  of  the  house  should  fall  to  one  so  well 
qualified  to  handle  them.  He  was  not  only  equal  to 
the  emergency,  but  became  favorablv  known  as  a  man 
possessing  great  financial  ability,  and  was,  in  fact,  the 
eastern  financial  agent  of  the  western  houses. 

The  firm  name  of  H.  O.  Armour  &  Co.  was  contin 
ued  at  Chicago  until  1870.  They  continued  to  handle 
grain,  and  commenced  packing  hogs  in  1868.  This 
part  of  the  business,  however,  was  conducted  under  the 
firm  name  of  Armour  &  Co.,. and  in  1870  they  assumed 
all  the  business  in  Chicago.  The  business  of  all  these 
houses,  under  their  efficient  management,  grew  to 
dimensions  that  were  the  marvel  of  the  trade.  Their 
brands  became  as  well  known  in  all  the  markets  of  the 
world  as  at  home. 

It  having  become  evident  to  the  Armours  that  the 
packing  business  could  be  carried  on  to  good  advan- 
tage near  the  center  of  the  then  stock  producing  district 
of  the  country  they,  in  1871,  established  at  Kansas 
City  the  firm  known  as  Plankinton  &  Armour.  This 
enterprise  was  under  the  immediate  supervision  of 
Mr.  Simeon  B.  Armour,  an  elder  brother.  The  failing 
health  of  Joseph,  in  charge  of  the  Chicago  house, 
necessitated  assistance,  and  Milwaukee,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  had  brains  to  spare;  consequently  Philip 
moved  to  Chicago  in  1875,  where  he  has  since 
resided. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  managers  of 
the  many  millions  that  were  invested  at  the  other 
points  mentioned  should  take  their  cue  and  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  intrepid  California  pioneer  at 
Chicago.  It  is  impossible  to  convey  to  one  not  familiar 
with  the  scope  of  the  business  an  idea  of  its  magnitude. 
The  distributive  sales  of  the  Chicago  houses  alone  are 
in  excess  of  the  gross  receipts  of  any  railroad  corpora- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


2O : 


tion  in  the  \vorlil.  Even  in  a  business  of  these  dimen- 
sions there  was  nothing  loo  great  for  Mr.  Armour  to 
handle,  nothing  too  small  for  him  to  overlook.  Mr. 
Armour's  capacity  for  work  is  something  wonderful. 
lie  is  at  his  desk  by  7  A.  it.,  and  frequently  before,  and 
fatigue  seems  to  be  unknown  to  him.  II o  has  traveled 
extensively,  whenever  time  would  allow,  and  his  eyes 
have  ever  been  open  to  the  wants  of  the  people,  who 
are  the  consumers  of  his  products,  and  he  has  thus  also 
kept  in  touch  with  his  numerous  representatives  at 
various  points,  as  well  as  gauged  the  requirements  of  the 
people  and  their  condition.  lie  is  a  close  observer,  and 
is  usually  able  to  give  an  accurate  forecast  of  the  pros- 
pective financial  condition  of  the  country.at  all  times. 

Mr.  Armour  was  married  to  Belle  Ogden,  at 
Cincinnati,  O.,  in  October,  1862.  She  was  the  only 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Ogden.  Their  home  life  has 
been  notably  a  happy  one,  where  domestic  economy 
and  kindly  hospitality  ever  reigns.  They  have  two 
sons,  Jonathan  Ogden  and  Philip  D.,  both  active  part- 
ners with  their  father,  and  able,  upright  business  men. 

In  January,  1881,  Joseph  F.  Armour  died,  and 
bequeathed  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the 
founding  of  a  charitable  and  religious  institution.  He 
wisely  directed  that  the  carrying  out  of  his  benevolent 
design  should  be  chiefly  entrusted  to  his  brother 


Philip.  In  accepting  the  trust  so  imposed,  he  has 
given  to  it  the  same  energetic  and  critical  attention 
that  he  has  given  to  his  private  affairs,  and  has  also 
added  a  large  amount  to  his  brother's  bequest. 

While  Mr.  Armour  is  liberal  in  his  religious  views 
his  interest  centers  in  the  church  (Congregational)  of 
his  choice.  In  the  afternoon  of  everv  Sunday  durim* 

J  o 

the  year  the  Armour  Mission,  founded  by  his  brother, 
and  cherished  by  himself,  has  his  presence,  and  the 
benefit  of  his  earnest  work  and  wise  counsels.  His 
benefactions  are  without  number,  and  not  only  be- 
stowed without  ostentation,  but  with  that  discrimina- 
tion which  makes  the  gift  doubly  valuable,  because 
bestowed  upon  deserving  objects.  The  most  impor- 
tant, perhaps,  of  his  many  benefactions,  is  the  recent 
building  and  equipment  of  the  Armour  Institute,  for 
the  manual  and  other  training  of  boys,  and  under  the 
charge  of  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Gunsaulus. 

Philip  D.  Armour  is  unquestionably  one  of  the 
strongest  and  most  influential  men  whose  lives  have 
become  an  essential  part  of  the  history  of  Chicago  and 
of  the  West.  Tireless  energy,  keen  perception,  honesty 
of  purpose,  genius  for  devising  and  executing  the  right 
thing  at  the  right  time,  joined  to  every-day  common- 


sense  guided    by  resistless 
characteristics  of  the  man. 


will    power,  are   the  chief 


BISHOP  SAMUEL  FALLOWS,  D.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BISHOP  SAMUEL  FALLOWS,  D.D.,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Anne  Fallows,  was  born  in  Pendie- 
ton,  New  Manchester.  England,  December  13,  1835. 
His  parents  came  to  the  United  States  when  he  was 
but  a  boy.  After  attending  public  school  he  took  a 
course  in  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  and  graduated 
therefrom  with  honors.  He  was  then  offered  the  vice- 
presidency  of  the  Galesville  University  of  Wisconsin, 
and  for  two  years  he  taught  there  successfully.  He 
then  entered  the  university  as  pastor  of  the  Methodist 
church  at  Oshkosh,  where  he  soon  gained  fame  as  an 
eloquent  orator.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  went  to 
the  front  as  chaplain  of  the  22d  Wisconsin  Infantry. 

On  the  field  he  imbibed  the  spirit  of  conflict  and  he 
organized  the  -iOth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  composed 
entirely  of  the  graduates  and  students  of  the  various 
institutions  of  that  State.  Such  a  band  of  educators 
had  not  been  known  in  the  army,  aud  it  was  nicknamed 
the  "  God  and  Morality  Regiment."  One  of  the 
privates  in  this  command  was  James  L.  High,  the  well 
knawn  Chicago  lawyer,  who  afterward  became  adju- 
tant of  Col.  Fallows'  later  regimen',  and  also  adjutant- 
general  of  one  of  the  Missouri  brigades.  Another 
private  in  the  command  was  ex-United  States  Senator 
John  C.  Spooner. 

Later,  Col.   Fallows  became  colonel   of  the  49th 


Infantry,  and  held  important  military  offices  in  Mis- 
souri. Guerrilla  warfare  in  this  State  kept  Col.  Fal- 
lows pretty  busily  engaged,  and  there  he  did  most  of 
his  good  work  for  the  Union.  As  a  soldier  his  record 
is  a  bright  one. 

Colonel  Fallows  re-entered  upon  his  clerical  duties  at 
the  close  of  the  war,  and  later  on  he  was  made  rector 
of  the  Spring  Street  Methodist  church,  in  Milwaukee. 
During  his  pastorate  there  Governor  Pritchard  ap- 
pointed him  to  the  office  of  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  and  afterward  the  people  re-elected  him 
twice  to  the  same  important  office. 

In  1873,  Lawrence  University  conferred  upon  him 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  lie  was  tendered 
the  chair  of  Logic  and  Rhetoric,  in  the  State 
University,  after  this,  but  he  declined,  preferring  to 
work  in  the  pulpit.  Traces  of  his  splendid  work  as 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  are  visible  in  the 
public  schools  of  Wisconsin  to  the  present  time.  In 
1874,  Bishop  Fallows  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of 
the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  at  Bloomington,  and 
there  too  his  ability  as  an  educator  was  demonstrated. 

In  1875  he  left  the  Methodist  church  to  become  a 
Reformed  Episcopalian,  and,  one  year  later,  in 
response  to  a  call  from  St.  Paul's  Reformed  Episcopal 
church  here,  he  came  to  Chicago  to  be  its  rector.  At 


204 


2'SOMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


that  time,  the  congregation  worshipped  in  an  old 
frame  structure  at  St.  John's  Place  and  Lake  street. 
Afterward  the  society  rented  the  American  Reformed 
church,  on  Washington  boulevard,  and  later  they  pur- 
chased the  old  Third  Prespyterian  church,  at  Carpenter 
street  and  Washington  boulevard.  Still  later*  this 
property  was  sold,  and  the  present  fine  structure  at 
Winchester  avenue  and  Adams  street  was  erected. 
This  property  is  valued  at  $60,000.  During  all  of  this 
time,  since  1876,  Bishop  Fallows  has  held  the  pulpit, 
anil  has  been  elected  presiding  bishop  three  times.  He 
was  first  elected  bishop  in  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
church  after  he  had  been  rector  of  St.Paul's  for  one  year. 
Bishop  Fallows  church  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  and 
best  known  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  All  the  seatings 
are  free  in  the  evenings,  and  a  fixed  pew  rental  is  paid  by 
only  those  who  can  afford  to  do  so.  A  marked  feature 
in  this  congregation  is  the  prevailing  sociability. 

Remembering  his  gallant  deeds  on  the  field,  the 
surviving  members  of  the  Wisconsin  Brigade,  includ- 
ing the  Fortieth,  Forty-ninth,  Fiftieth  and  Fifty- 
second  Infantry  regiments,  have  honored  Bishop 
Fallows  by  making  him  president  of  their  organiza- 
tion, and  he  wears  the  G.A.R.  button  with  pride.  For 
several  years  he  was  department  chaplain  of  the 
Illinois  G.  A.  R.,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Veteran 
Union  League,  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  is  also 
chaplain  of  the  Second  Infantry,  I.  N.  G.,  in  which 
the  West  Side  takes  a  deep  interest,  as  many  of  its 
sons  carry  the  musket  in  that  command. 

Bishop  Fallows  has  earned  the  distinction  of  being 
a  "  good  all-around  man."  He  has  demonstrated  his 
excellent  fighting  qualities,  his  ability  as  an  educator 
and  his  eloquence  as  a  pulpit  orator.  He  does  not 
confine  his  texts  to  scriptural  subjects,  but  treats  the 
important  topics  of  labor,  commerce  and  philanthrophy 
as  well.  His  style  is  clear  and  forceful,  as  well  as 
simple.  In  literature  he  has  made  his  mark  also, 
through  his  "  Synonyms  and  Autonyms,"  his  "  Progres- 
sive Supplemental  Dictionary,"  his  "  Home  Beyond," 
his  "  Bible  Story  "  and  his  "  Young  American  Annual." 
He  is  also  the  author  of  the  "  Webster  Encyclopaedic 
Dictionary,"  and  he  is  a  frequent  contributor  to  the 
leading  magazines.  For  a  number  of  years  he  ably 
edited  the  Appeal,  which  is  the  organ  of  the  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church.  He  was  chairman  of  the  recent 
general  committee,  World's  Congress  Educational 
Auxiliary,  of  the  Columbian  Exposition,  and  is  now 
president  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Illinois 
State  Reformatory  at  Pontiac.  So  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  demands  upon  his  time  are  numerous.  His  church 
claims  the  greater  share  of  his  attention,  however,  and 
he  is  very  proud  of  it. 

Among  those  who  sit  under  his  ministrations  are 
Everett  St.  John,  B.  A.  Eckart,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Sands.  C.  E. 
Rollins,  J.  M.  Ball,  R.  F.  Seabury,  J.  C.  Borcherdt, 
Fill  more  Weigley,  Dr.  G.  Dickson,  P.  R.  Westfall,  B.  F. 
Deming,  Walter  N.  Mills,  Dr.T.  O.  Butler  and  Ernest 
Wright. 


Just  at  the  present  time,  Bishop  P'ullows  is  actively 
engaged  in  securing  the  necessary  funds  to  complete 
the  proposed  edifice  of  the  People's  Institute,  which 
surely  will  be  one  of  the  big  institutions  of  the  West 
Side.  He  is  president  of  the  organization,  and  this 
West  Side  philanthropic  organization  hopes  soon  to 
be  able  to  dedicate  a  fine  home  of  its  own  on  the 
present  site  of  its  temporary  quarters.  The  objects  of 
the  society  are  entertainment,  education,  philanthropy 
and  patriotism  and  during  its  career  of  one  year  it  has 
met  with  great  success,  crowding  its  hall  on  all 
occasions. 

The  old  political  wigwam  will  be  replaced  by  a 
structure  cosyng  $50,000  as  soon  as  the  money  can  be 
raised.  James  M.  Banks  has  already  generously  con- 
tributed, conditionally,  $10,000,  and  with  Bishop 
Fallows  the  collection  of  the  total  amount  is  only  a 
matter  of  a  short  time.  The  proposed  auditorium  will 
accomodate  3,000  people,  and  will  be  the  largest  in  the 
city,  save  the  Auditorium  proper.  A  large  reading 
room  will  be  one  of  the  free  features  of  the  institution, 
which  will  be  closed  against  no  creed  or  class.  It  will 
be  a  "People's  Institute"  in  the  fullest  sense  of 
the  term,  and  as  such  will  be  a  credit  to  West 
Chicago. 

The  building  will  be  four  stories  high,  and  the  reve- 
nue from  the  stores  and  society  rooms  will  be  applied 
to  the  support  of  the  institution.  The  commercial 
branches  and  also  the  higher  branches  will  be  taught 
for  a  small  tuition  fee.  There  will  be  a  cooking  school, 
a  sewing  school,  and  a  gymnasium.  Aid  and  endorse- 
ment are  being  asked  for  from  the  various  labor,  com. 
mercial,  industrial,  educational,  scientific  and  benevo- 
lent organizations,  as  well  as  from  political  and 
religious  bodies.  President  Harper,  of  the  Chicago 
University,  and  President  Rogers,  of  the  Northwest: 
ern  University,  are  of  the  advisory  board.  Bishop 
Fallows  is  president  and  Rev.  William  G.  Clarke 
secretary. 

Since  1876  Bishop  Fallows  has  been  one  of  the  best 
known  men  in  Chicago,  being  identified  with  all  philan- 
thropic work,  and  with  all  movements  for  the  better- 
ment of  the  city  and  its  masses.  He  is  well  known  in 
religious  work  all  over  the  country,  and  his  varied 
work  as  soldier,  educator  and  preacher,  has  won  for 
him  the  title  of  "  The  Fighting  Parson." 

In  I860.  Bishop  Fallows  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy 
B.  Huntington,  daughter  of  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  P.  Hunt- 
ington,and  niece  of  Rt.  Rev.  F.  D.  Huntington,  S.  T.  D., 
Bishop  of  Central  New  York.  Four  children  have 
blessed  their  union.  Their  names  are  Helen  Mary, 
Edward  Huntington,  Alice  Katharine,  and  Charles 
Samuel. 

Bishop  Fallows  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance- 
with  a  hearty  expression  of  fellowship  that  it  is  a  de, 
cided  pleasure  to  come  in  contact  with.  He  has  many 
friends  and  admirers  all  over  the  United  States.  In 
appearance  he  is  tall,  well-built  and  muscular,  and  in 
character,  energetic  and  courageous. 


PKUMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST 


JOHN  WESLEY  DOANE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


205 


JOHN  WESLEY  DOANE,  president  of  the  Mer- 
chants' Loan  and  Trust  Company,  of  Chicago, 
and  for  forty  years  a  leading  merchant  of  Chicago, 
was  born  at  Thompson,  Windham  county,  Conn.,  on 
the  23d  of  March,  1833,  and  is  the  son  of  Joel  and 
Olivia  Primrose  Doane.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  State  and  early 
acquired  those  habits  of  industry,  temperance  and 
economy  which  have  enabled  him  to  become  in  the 
prime  of  life  one  of  the  prominent  merchants  and 
leading  financiers  of  this  city. 

While  still  a  boy  he  had  formed  ambitious  projects 
for  his  future  and  saw  in  the  West  a  new  field  for 
their  realization.  Accordingly,  at  twenty-two  years 
of  age  he  came  to  Illinois,  as  many  others  of  the  hardy 
sons  of  New  England  had  done.  Arriving  in  Chicago 
with  a  very  small  capital,  he  rented  a  store  and  began 
business  as  a  grocer.  He  gradually  increased  his  busi- 
ness year  by  year  until  1870,  when  his  firm's  sales 
were  the  largest  in  their  line  in  the  Northwest. 

As  the  city  of  Chicago  grew  in  population  and 
importance  Mr.  Doane's  business  participated  in  the 
advantages  of  a  larger  market,  and  he  worked  hard 
and  unceasingly  to  develop  it.  He  prospered  so  well 
in  the  business  that  it  had  been  increased  to  $3,000,- 
000  per  annum  by  1870,  and  was,  as  before  stated,  the 
largest  of  its  class  in  the  city.  Then  came  the  disas- 
trous fire  of  .1871,  in  which  the  fortunes  of  so  many 
Chicago  citizens  perished.  The  firm  of  J.  W.  Doane 
&  Co.  was  involved  in  the  general  ruin.  Mr.  Doane, 
however,  was  not  a  man  to  sit  down  and  lament  over 
his  misfortune.  On  the  contrary,  he  devoted  to  the 
task  of  reconstructing  his  business  an  energy  and 
courage  surpassing  that  by  which  he  had  built  it  up. 
The  credit  which  so  many  years  of  strict  integrity  and 
honorable  dealing  enabled  him  to  command  was  as 
good  as  capital  at  this  crisis,  and  with  the  assistance 
of  an  Eastern  friend  the  firm  was  soon  re-established.  ' 
In  a  short  time  their  losses  were  retrieved  and  the  firm 
was  once  more  prosperous. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Doane  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the 
firm  to  Messrs  Fowle  &  Eoper,  and  entered  into  a  new 
field  of  enterprise.  The  Chicago  merchants  in  his  line 
had  previously  been  accustomed  to  replenish  their 
stock  in  the  eastern  markets,  but  Mr.  Doane  deter- 
mined to  import  goods  direct  from  the  various  produc- 
ing countries  of  the  world,  and  his  firm  was  the  first 
Chicago  importers  of  teas  and  coffees,  to  which  were 
afterwards  added  spices  and  fruits.  The  first  cargo  of 
coffee  imported  by  him  was  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  in 
1872,  by  the  steamship  "Dauntless,"  via  Mobile.  The 
firm  has  since  established  a  branch  house  in  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  through  which  all  its  importations  from  that 
port  are  consigned.  To  this  new  branch  of  business 
Mr.  Doane  has  devoted  a  large  share  of  his  attention, 


and  has  cultivated  it  so  assiduously  that  his  warehouse 
is  now  at  the  head  of  western  importing  houses. 

Since  his  election  to  the  presidency  of  the 
Merchants'  Loan  &  Trust  Co.,  some  years  ago,  Mr. 
Doane  has  taken  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  the 
management  of  the  affairs  of  that  institution.  On 
monetary  and  financial  questions  he  is  considered  an 
authority,  and  his  opinions  upon  such  questions  are 
much  valued.  He  is  a  director  in  several  of  our  largest 
commercial  corporations,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company. 

During  the  preliminary  discussions  in  reference  to 
the  location  of  the  World's  Fair,  Mr.  Doane  was  promi- 
nent and  lent  valuable  assistance,  and  although  taking 
no  active  or  prominent  part  before  the  public,  he  was 
instrumental  in  procuring  the  wished  for  legislation  by 
congress.  When  the  committee  of  the  senate  at  Wash- 
ington were  adopting  the  World's  Fair  bill,  after  its 
passage  by  the  house  of  representatives,  there  was  con- 
siderable opposition  to  Chicago  being  developed.  Sen- 
ator Kenna,  of  West  Virginia,  insisted  upon  some 
written  proof  of  Chicago's  ability  to  make  good  the 
promised  guarantee  of  $10,000,000.00,  and  finally  Sen- 
ator Farwell  telegraphed  to  Chicago  for  the  necessary 
document.  A  -written  statement  sent  by  Lyman  J. 
Gage,  John  W.  Doane,  J.  J.  P.  Odell,  and  Wirt  Dexter, 
was  forwarded  to  Washington,  conveying  the  assurance 
of  the  signers  that  the  subscription  fund  would  be  col- 
lected, and  was  laid  before  the  committee.  This  re- 
moved all  doubts  and  the  bill  was  favorably  reported 
to  the  senate  and  passed. 

Mr.  Doane  was  one  of  the  founders  and  an  influential 
member  of  the  Chicago  Club,  having  twice  been  elected 
its  president.  He  occupied  this  office  when  President 
Grant  was  entertained  •  by  the  various  social  clubs  of 
this  citv,  on  his  return  from  his  trip  around  the  world, 
in  1879.  Among  the  foremost  of  those  who  extended 
their  hospitality  to  the  ex-president  on  this  occasion 
was  the  Commercial  Club,  who  tendered  him  a  banquet 
at  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel,  at  which  Mr.  Doane  offici- 
ally presided,  representatives  of  the  Commercial  Club 
of  Boston  being  also  present  as  guests.  Mr.  Doane 
has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Calumet  Club  since  its 
organization,  and  in  1885  succeeded  Edson  Keith  as 
president  of  the  organization.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
several  other  social  clubs  of  Chicago. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Doane  is  an  unswerving  Democrat, 
and  some  years  ago  the  Democratic  clubs  of  the  city 
used  all  their  influence  to  induce  him  to  accept  the 
nomination  for  congress  from  the  first  district,  but  he 
did  not  consent  until  a  few  days  before  election  day. 
Nevertheless,  he  reduced  the  Republican  majority  in 
that  district  by  6,500  votes,  coming  within  500  votes  of 
election.  His  opinions  have  always  carried  weight 
with  his  party,  and  in  an  unobtrusive  way  he  does 


206 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


much  to  strengthen  the  party  organization.  Mr.  Doane 
is  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  communion, 
and  has  for  a  number  of  terms  been  chosen  as  a  vestry- 
man of  Trinity  Episcopal  Church. 

Among  the  various  merchants  of   Chicago  who  have 
carved  out  splendid  fortunes  by  thnir  own   endeavors, 


and  who  have  contributed  so  much  to  its  present  great- 
ness, no  one  is  more  deserving  of  honor,  and  none  can 
show  a  more  honorable  record  than  J.  W.  Doane. 

Mr.  Doane  was  married  on  Nov.  10,  1857,  to  Miss 
Julia  A.  Moulton,  daughter  of  Mr.  Josiah  Moulton  of 
Laconia,  N.  II. 


WILLIAM   HOUSER  GRAY,  . 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch,  William  Houser  Gray, 
is  a  native  of  the  Buckeye  State,  having  been  born 
at  Piqua,  Ohio,  September  23,1847  being  the  son  of 
Jacob  C.  and  Catherine  (Houser)  Gray.  His  father 
was  a  contractor  and  builder,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a 
resident  of  the  same  neighborhood  (Piqua,  Ohio,)  for 
over  sixty  years.  He  was  a  man  who  stood  exceed- 
ingly high  in  his  locality,  and  was  a  deacon  of  the 
Baptist  church  for  over  fifty-five  years,  being  famil- 
iarly known  as  "Deacon  Gray,"  not  only  in  the  imme- 
diate neighborhood,  but  throughout  the  State.  A 
great  believer  in  and  a  practical  supporter  of  every 
object  tending  to  the  advancement  of  education  gen- 
erally, though  the  advantages  he  himself  had  received 
were  few,  he  gave  all  of  his  children  an  excellent  ed- 
ucation. He  died  in  1881  aged  79,  beloved  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him. 

Our  subject's  mother  is  the  daughter  of  the  late 
Jacob  Houser,  of  Dayton,  Ohio.  She  is  still  living, 
though  at  an  advanced  age,  being  in  her  seventy-fourth 
year,  and  is  happy  in  the  possession  of  all  her  faculties, 
having  been  able  to  visit  the  World's  Fair  in  September, 
1893.  Always  identified  with  the  work  of  the  Baptist 
church,  she  is  a  much  esteemed  member  thereof,  and  a 
frequent  attendant  of  its  various  meetings.  She  has 
reared  a  family  of  six  children — two  boys  and  four  girls 
—Mr.  J.  H.  Gray,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  being  the  other 
son.  It  is,  perhaps,  somewhat  interesting  to  know  that 
no  member  of  this  family  has  ever  used  tobacco  in  any 
shape  or  form. 

Receiving  his  early  education  in  and  graduating 
from  the  Piqua  High  School,  young  Gray  subsequently 
entered  Denison  University,  where  he  remained  three 
years.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  education  he  assisted 
his  father  in  his  building  operations  for  a  time,  and 
afterwards  entered  the  employ  of  the  Lake  Erie  & 
Western  Railroad  Company  as  civil  engineer.  Upon 
the  failure  of  this  company,  he  entered  into  the  lumber 
business  at  Piqua-,  Ohio,  and  continued  thus  engaged 
until  after  the  great  Chicago  fire.  Disposing  of  this 
concern  in  1871,  he  then  became  connected  with  a  life 
insurance  company.  His  headquarters  were  at  Indian- 
apolis. Subsequently,  Mr.  Gray  was  transferred  to 
Ohio,  and  in  1877  he  organized  the  Knights  Templar 
and  Masons  Mutual  Aid  Association,  of  Cincinnati. 
Ohio,  which,  under  his  management,  became  the  leading 


company  (of  this  class),  at  that  time,  in  the  United 
States.  In  1883  he  severed  his  connection  with  this 
company,  leaving  it  in  a  highly  flourishing  condition^ 
the  result  of  his  splendid  organization. 

During  the  twelve  months  following  he  engaged  in 
private  business,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  came 
to  Chicago,  and  on  May  4,  1884,  organized  the 
"  Knights  Templars  &  Masons  Life  Indemnity  Company, 
of  Chicago,  111.,"  and  with  this  corporation,  as  a 
director  and  its  general  manager,  he  has  been  identified 
ever  since.  The  success  with  which  this  company  has 
met,  from  the  time  of  its  organization  up  to  the  present 
date,  has  been  truly  phenomenal,  for  to-day  it  stands 
as  the  guarantee  for  upwards  of  twenty-six  million 
dollars  of  insurance;  a  result  which  is  mainly  attributa- 
ble to  the  efficient  management  and  great  administra- 
tive abilities  of  William  Houser  Gray. 

Mr.  Gray  has  been  active  among  those  who  have 
abided  in  the  development  of  the  natural  gas  field  of 
Indiana,  and  owns  an  interest  in  that  at  Noblesville, 
Ind.  He  is  an  extensive  owner  of  real  estate,  possess- 
ing 6,000  acres  of  land  in  Texas,  700  acres  in  Indiana, 
near  Indianapolis,  1,000  acres  in  Illinois,  and  three 
houses  and  lots  on  the  upper  end  of  Dearborn  avenue. 
He  conceived  the  plan  and  was  the  originator  of  the 
company  which  removed  the  old  Libby  Prison,  of 
Richmond,  Va.,  to  Chicago.  He  was  at  one  period  its 
.treasurer,  being  in  fact  the  original  and  sole  purchaser 
of  that  historic  structure.  Upon  .its  being  disposed  of 
to  the  syndicate  who  now  own  it,  he  resigned  the 
position  of  treasurer  after  its  removal  and  completion 
at  Chicago. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  and  Mar- 
quette  Clubs  and  is  also  a  member  of  St.  Bernard  Com- 
mandery  (K.  T.)  and  other  Masonic  bodies. 

One  who  has  traveled  extensively,  his  summer 
vacations  are  always  spent  on  the  coast  of  Maine,  or 
at  his  splendid  country  home  near  Indianapolis,  Ind., 
and  here,  together  with  his  family,  he  enjoys  at  least 
once  during  the  twelve  months  of  the  year,  a  thorough 
change  and  a  much  needed  rest. 

In  matters  of  religion  Mr.  Gray  is  a  Baptist,  though 
not  an  active  member  of  the  church.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican,  though  in  no  sense  of  the  word  a  poli- 
tician. Married  February  17,  1881,  to  Miss  Orpha  Ella 
Buckingham,  a  graduate  of  the  Mt.  Carroll  (111.)  Semi- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


209 


nary,  the  union  has  been  blessed  by  three  children,  viz  : 
Ina  B.,  aged  ten  years;  Willie  B.,aged  eight  years;  and 
Ralph  B  ,  aged  four  and  one-half  years. 

An  ardent  believer  in  the  protective  value  of  insur- 
ance for  all,  lie  himself  carries  a  large  amount  of  life 
insurance. 

Mr.  Gray  was  chairman  of  the  "invitation  committee" 
of  the  sixth  and  seventh  Knight  Templars  Charity  Balls, 
and  chairman  of  the  general  committee  of  the  eighth 
ball,  so  noted  in  this  city.  He  is  a  practical  sympa- 


thizer with  all  objects  of'a  benevolent  nature,  and  is 
generous  to  a  fault. 

In  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Gray  is  of  medium 
height,  with  dark  hair  and  complexion  and  of  magnetic 
presence.  Jn  manner  he  is  courteous  and  refined,  an 
agreeable  companion  and  loyal  friend,  while  in  busi- 
ness affairs  he  is  energetic,  prompt  and  notably 
reliable.  Socially  he  possesses  rare  qualities,  while  as 
a  public-spirited  citizen  he  enjoys  the  esteem  of  all 
who  know  him. 


WILLIAM   BEST, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  BEST    was  born  in  the  ancient  city  of 
Canterbury,  England,  in  1841,  and  is  the   son 
of  William  and  Mary  Ann  (Whitehead)  Best.     Canter- 
bury was   his   father's  native  city,  while  his   mother 
came  originally  from  Sussex,  England. 

Arriving  in  this  country  when  he  was  but  ten  years 
of  age  (in  1852),  our  subject  came  almost  directly  to 
Chicago,  and  completed  his  education  in  the  public 
schools,  gaining  a  good  commercial  and  thoroughly 
practical  education.  In  1857  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Messrs.  John  C.  Partridge  &  Co., wholesale  tobacconists, 
as  an  office  boy,  at  a  salary  of  five  dollars  per  week. 
At  the  end  of  one  year  he  was  promoted,  and  such 
was  his  ability  and  value  to  the  firm  that  he  finally 
became  a  partner  in  the  business.  Mr.  John  C.  Part- 
ridge dying  in  187G,  Mr.  Best  became  head  of  the 
house,  and  shortly  afterward  organized  the  firm  of 
Best,  Russell  &  Co.,  which  succeeded  to  the  business 
of  John  C.  Partridge  &  Co.  On  May  1, 1891,  the 
concern  of  Best,  Russell  &  Co.  was  incorporated  under 
the  State  laws,  under  the  name  of  Best  &  Russell  Com- 
pany, Mr.  Best  being  elected  president  of  the  same. 
In  1883,  Mr.  Best  was  elected  collector  of  taxes  of  the 
town  of  South  Chicago,  being  nominated  without  his 
knowledge  or  consent.  He  reluctantly  accepted  the 
nomination  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his  friends, 
and  at  the  election  which  followed  he  ran  far  ahead  of 
his  ticket,  and  that,  too,  without  any  canvassing  or 
solicitation  on  his  part.  The  bond  which  he  furnished 
amounted  to  the  immense  sum  of  seven  million  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  the  seventeen 
men  who  signed  it  represented  twenty-four  million 
dollars.  It  was  undoubtedly  the  largest  bond  ever 
given  in  the  West,  and  worthily  evidenced  the  great 
confidence  and  trust  reposed  in  Mr.  Best's  honesty  and 
integrity,  for  his  bond  it  must  be  remembered  was 
signed  by  business  men  and  not,  as  is  usually  the  case, 
by  banks,  whose  recompense  it  is  to  have  control  of 
all  surplus  collections.  Mr.  Best  filled  his  office"  until 
1884,  with  great  ability  and  satisfaction  to  the  tax- 
payers, and  to  his  credit  be  it  said  he  refused  to  retain 
the  two  per  cent,  usually  retained  by  occupants  of  this 
position. 


He  was  married  in  August,  J865.  to  Miss  Louise  C. 
Sterling,  daughter  of  Isaac  B.  Sterling,  of  Chicago. 
Mr.  Best  has  two  children  living — William  and  Flor- 
ence G.  Another  daughter,  Grace  L.,  died  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  years.  He  was  apppointed  in  March,  1886, 
South  Park  commissioner,  as  successor  to  Mr.  Bernard 
Callaghan.  The  position  came  to  him -unsolicited,  and 
he  consented  to  accept  it  only  upon  the  urgent  demands 
of  those  who  recognized  his  fitness  and  abilitv.  The 
proposition  to  extend  Michigan  avenue  boulevard  south 
of  Thirty -fifth  street  was  at  that  time  a  much  discussed 
topic.  Interested  parties  were  greatly  at  variance  in 
their  opinions,  and  Mr.. Best,  though  asked  to  make  his 
views  public,  with  that  prudence  and  honesty  which  are 
so  characteristic  of  him,  refused  to  state  his  views  or 
how  he  would  vote  if  he  became  a  member  of  the 
board  until  he  was  thoroughly  informed  and  under- 
stood the  matter  in  all  its,bearings,  and  to  use  his  own 
words,  "Until  I  have  so  informed  myself,  I  will  not 
put  myself  on  record  as  holding  to  any  opinion  or 
pledge  myself  to  vote  either  way — not  for  all  the 
offices  in  the  country."  This  reply  was  straight  for- 
ward ;  it  was  the  reply  of  a  man  accustomed  to  weigh 
well  his  motives,  and  who  never  promises  what  he  does 
not  intend  to  perform.  His  reply  pleased  the  judges,  and 
he  was  recommended  by  them  as  a  thoroughly  reliable 
and  competent  man.  He  was  elected,  giving  a  bond  (as  is 
usual)  of  $50,000.  In  1887  Mr.  Best  was  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  board,  and  held  that  position  until  the 
expiration  of  his  term,  in  1891.  He  was  the  unani- 
mous choice  of  the  Circuit  Court  judges  to  succeed 
himself  as  commissioner,  an  action  which  reflected 
high  honor  upon  Mr.  Best,  and  has  resulted  in  great 
benefit  to  Chicago's  park  system. 

In  September,  1886,  he  was  nominated  for  the 
shrievalty  of  Cook  county.  His  nomination  was  sub- 
stantially by  acclamation,  and  was  the  result  of  the 
high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  community 
wherein  his  active  life  has  been  spent.  When  his  name 
was  mentioned  for  a  more  desirable  place  than  the 
sheriff's  office,  one  that  would  make  smaller  demand  upon 
his  personal  attention,  Mr.  Best  was  emphatic  in  his 
refusal  to  be  considered  a  candidate.  His  nomination  for 


2IO 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


the  sheriff's  office  was  an  expression  of  the  popular  wish, 
and  Mr.  Best  at  first  made  an  effort  to  accede  to  the 
popular  wish,  but  on  further  consideration  was  forced 
to  withdraw  his  name.  The  demands  of  his  extensive 
business  already  engrossed  so  much  of  his  time  and 
attention  that  to  accept  this  office  and  still  attend  to 
his  business  affairs  must  have  resulted  in  great  injus. 
tice  to  one  of  those  interests.  His  retirement  was 
marked  by  the  kindliest  feeling  of  his  party. 

Politically  a  Democrat,  he  is  one  of  the  party's 
staunchest  supporters,  but  his  business  interests  are  so 
great  and  his  time  so  fully  occupied,  that  he  is  unable 
to  devote  to  party  organization  that  attention  which 
he  would  otherwise  be  glad  to  give. 

Socially,  he  is  connected  with  some  of  our  best 
clubs,  such  as  the  Washington  Park,  Calumet,  Doug- 
las, Iroquois,  etc.  He  is  a  Mason  of  the  thirty-second 
degree,  and  a  member  of  Apollo  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar. 

In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Presbyterian.     He  is  an  • 
attendant  at  the  Sixth  Presbyterian  church,  and  for 


many  years  has  been  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  building  committee  at  the 
time  the  present  church  building  was  erected  at  the 
corner  of  Vincennes  and  Oak  avenues,  and  laid  the 
corner  stone  of  the  same  on  Tuesday,  July  8,  1879,  and 
has  always  been  prominent  in  all  its  affairs.  Mr.  Best 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  "World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
and  was  official  proxy-holder  of  shares  subscribed  for 
the  same  for  the  purpose  of  electing  directors  thereof, 
and  had  sufficient  proxies  which,  with  his  own  shares, 
would  have  elected  him  a  director,  but  being  president 
of  the  South  Park  board  of  commissioners,  and  knowing 
that  the  "site"  question  would  come  up  between  the 
two  bodies,  he  chose  to  cast  his  votes  for  others  than 
himself. 

As  a  representative  of  one  of  Chicago's  great  com- 
mercial enterprises,  and  as  a  citizen  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary prominence,  William  Best  is  well  deserving  a  place 
in  a  work  which  contains  the  biographies  and  the  his- 
tory of  Chicago's  most  eminent  citizens  and  representa- 
tive business  men. 


CHARLES  EUGENE  FLANDRAU, 


ST.  PAUL,  MINNESOTA. 


CHARLES  EUGENE  FLANDRAU,  son  of  Thom- 
as H.  and  Elizabeth  (Macomb)  Flandrau,  was 
born  in  New  York  city  on  the  15th  day  of  July,  1828. 
His  paternal  ancestors  were  Huguenots,  who  after  the 
noted  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  left  La 
Eochelle,  France,  and  joined  a  colony  of  their  breth- 
ren who  came  to  America,  and  settling  in  Westchester 
county,  New  York,  founded  the  town  of  New  Rochelle. 
The  mother  of  Chas.  E.  Flandrau  was  a  half-sister  of 
General  Alexander  Macomb,  who  was  commander  in- 
chief  of  the  United  States  army  from  1828  to  1841, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  General  Winfield  Scott. 

Thomas  H.  Flandrau.  the  father  of  Charles  E.,  was 
a  graduate  of  Hamilton  College,  N.  Y..  and  a  gentle- 
man of  culture,  natural  talent  and  many  acquirements. 
When  a  young  man  he  left  New  Rochelle  and  located 
at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  where  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Judge  Nathan  Williams,  an  eminent  and  well-known 
practitioner.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  the  gifted  and  accomplished  but 
somewhat  erratic  American  statesman,  Aaron  Burr, 
formerly  vice-president  of  the  United  States,  and 
removed  to  New  York  city,  where  he  practiced  with 
Colonel  Burr  for  many  years.  In  1824  or  1825  he 
married  Elizabeth  Macomb,  and  shortly  afterwards 
returned  to  Oneida  county.  N.  Y.,  where  he  continued 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  January  2d,  1855. 

The  youthful  education  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  received  at  Georgetown,  D.  C.,  but  at  the  tender 
age  of  thirteen  he  decided  to  enter  the  United  States 


navy,  and  backed  by  some  friends,  applied  to  Hon. 
George  E.  Badger,  of  North  Carolina,  then  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  for  a  warrant  as  midshipman.  He  was 
one  year  too  young,  however,  and  the  appointment 
could  not  be  made.  Still  bent  on  a  seafaring  life,  he 
immediately  shipped  "before  the  mast"  in  the  United 
States  revenue  cutter  "  Forward,"  on  which  vessel  he 
served  a  year,  and  then  shipped  in  the  revenue  cutter 
"  Van  Buren,"  where  he  served  another  year.  He  then 
made  several  coasting  voyages  in  a  merchantman,  con- 
tinuing in  this  occupation  for  about  three  years. 
Abandoning  his  intention  of  becoming  a  sailor,  he,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  left  the  sea  and  returned  to  George- 
town, and  again  entered  school.  Some  months  later, 
however,  he  left  school  and  went  to  New  York  cit}'  to 
"seek  his  fortune."  He  found  employment  in  the 
metropolis  in  the  large  mahogany  mills  of  Mahlon 
Burnell,  corner  of  Pike  and  Cherry  streets,  and  here 
he  remained  three  years,  becoming  very  proficient  in 
every  branch  of  the  business.  He  then  went  to  White- 
boro,  N".  Y.,  entered  his  father's  office,  and  commenced 
the  study  of  law.  After  two  years  of  continuous  and 
close  application  to  study  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  Oneida  county,  January  7,  1851.  He  entered  into 
partnership  with  his  father  at  Whiteboro,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  the  fall  of  1853.  when  he  determined  upon 
removing  to  and  permanently  locating  in  the  then 
young  territory  of  Minnesota. 

In  the  latter  part  of  November,  1853,  he,  in  com- 
pany with  Horace  B.  Bigelow,  Esq.,  landed  in  St.  Paul. 
They  were  admitted  to  the  bar  and  immediately 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


2I3 


opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  law  on  Third  street 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bigelow  &  Flandrau.  At  that 
da}'  Minnesota  lawyers  had  a  goodly  portion  of  spare 
time  on  their  hands  from  the  demands  of  their  profes- 
sion. The  former  law  partner  and  intimate  asso- 
ciate of  Judge  Flandrau,  lion.  Isaac  Atwater,  in  a 
a  well  written  sketch,  which  has  heretofore  been  pub- 
lished in  the  Magazine  of  Western  History  for  April, 
1888,  thus  describes  the  situation  and  narrates  certain 
incidents  in  the  early  career  of  Judge  Flandrau  in  Min- 
nesota: 

"The  practice  of  law  in  Minnesota  in  early  days  was 
neither  an  arduous  nor  especially  remunerative  source 
of  business.  Some  business  was  furnished  by  the 
United  States  land  office,  but  commerce  was  in  its 
infancy  and  the  immense  and  profitable  business 
furnished  the  profession  by  the  railroads  was  then 
wholly  unknown.  It  so  happened  that  during  the 
winter  of  1853-4  certain  capitalists  in  St.  Paul  engaged 
the  services  of  Mr.  Flandrau  to  make  an  exploration  in 
the  Minnesota  Valley  and  to  negotiate  for  the  purchase 
of  property  connected  therewith,  especially  of  the 
'Captain  Dodd  Claim'  at  what  was  then  called  Rock 
Bend,  now  St.  Peter.  His  report  was  favorable  to  the 
purchase,  and  he  was  so  impressed  with  the  prospective 
advantages  of  the  country  that  he  decided  to  locate  in 
the  valley  himself.  St.  Peter  was  then  unknown. 
Traverse  des  Sioux  was  the  only  settlement  in  the 
vicinity,  and  consisted  of  a  few  Indian  traders  and 
their  attaches,  and  a  number  of  missionaries. 

"  Here  he  met  Stuart  B.  Garvie,  a  Scotchman,  who 
had  just  been  appointed  clerk  of  the  district  court  of 
Nicollet  county  by  Judge  Chatfield,  and  occupied  an 
office  with  him.  Of  course  their  law  business  was 
very  limited.  The  young  men  were  frequently  at 
their  wits'  end  for  devices  to  'keep  the  wolf  from  the 
door.'  Indeed,  they  did  not  wish  to  keep  him  from 
the  door,  in  a  literal  sense.  Instead  of  an  enemy  the 
wolf  became  their  friend.  They  placed  the  carcass  of 
a  dead  pony  within  easy  rifle  shot  of  the  back  window 
of  their  office,  and  this  proved  a  fatal  attraction  to  the 
prairie  rovers.  Every  night  many  of  them  fell  victims 
to  the  rifles  of  the  young  lawyers,  who  skinned  the 
carcasses  and  sold  the  hides  for  seventy-five  cents  a 
piece." 

But  happily  this  state  of  affairs  did  not  last  long, 
for,  according  to  Judge  Atwater,  immigration  began  to 
pour  into  the  Minnesota  Valley  with  the  opening  of 
the  season  of  1854.  In  June  of  that  year  the  first 
house  was  built  in  St.  Peter,  and  for  the  next  five  years 
the  settlement  of  the  county  progressed  rapidly.  Mr. 
Flandrau  continued  to  reside  at  Traverse  des  Sioux 
until  1864.  In  1854  he  held  the  office  of  notary  public, 
was  deputy  of  the  county  clerk  and  later  was  district 
attorney  for  Nicollet  county.  In  1856  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Territorial  Council  for  a  term  of  two 
years,  but  served  but  one  session  and  resigned  the 
following  year.  In  1857  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  and  served  in  the 


"  Democratic  branch  "  presided  over  by  General  Sibley. 
On  August  16th,  1856,  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Pierce  the  United  States  agent  for  the  Sioux 
Indians  of  the  Mississippi.  The  agencies  of  these 
Indians  were  on  the  Minnesota  river  at  Redwood,  and 
on  the  Yellow  Medicine  river,  a  few  miles  from  its 
mouth.  The  following  March  he  took  an  active  part 
in  the  pursuit  of  Nik-pa-du-ta  and  his  band  of  Sioux 
Indians  (the  perpetrators  of  the  Spirit  Lake  and  Spring, 
field  massacres),  and  was  chiefly  instrumental  in 
returning  to  freedom  and  friends  the  unfortunate  cap- 
tives, Mrs.  Margaret  A.  Marble  and  Miss  Abbie 
Gardner.  In  conjunction  with  Rev.  Mr.  Riggs,  Mr. 
Flandrau  issued  the  somewhat  celebrated  "  Territorial 
Bond "  to  obtain  money  wherewith  to  reward  those 
who  brought  back  Mrs.  Marble.  He  received  Mrs. 
Marble  in  person  and  brought  her  back  to  St.  Paul, 
and  equipped  and  sent  out  and  rewarded  the  Indians 
who  recovered  Miss  Gardner.  Subsequently  he  headed 
an  expedition  of  soldiers  and  volunteers  that  killed 
"  Roaring  Cloud,"  a  son  of  Nik-pa-du-ta,  and  made  his 
squaw  a  prisoner. 

In  the  year  1857  he  resigned  his  position  as  Indian 
agent,  and  July  17th  was  appointed  by  President 
Buchanan  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  Territory  of  Minnesota.  He  held  several  terms  of 
the  District  Court  in  various  circuits  in  his  district, 
but  owing  to  the  brief  period  intervening  between  his 
appointment  and  the  admission  of  the  State,  only  one 
general  term  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  held,  January, 
1858,  at  which  he  occupied  a  seat  on  the  bench.  He 
never  allowed  his  personal  convenience  to  interfere 
with  the  public  interests,  and  became  very  popular 
with  the  bar,  and  the  communities  with  which  he 
came  in  contact.  In  the  convention  of  the  Democrats 
in  1858,  for  the  nomination  of  State  officers  under  the 
constitution  that  had  been  framed  the  same  year, 
Judge  Flandreau  was  nominated  for  associate  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  for  seven  years.  The  entire 
Democratic  ticket  was  elected,  and  upon  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  constitution  by  Congress  and  the  admission 
of  the  State,  early  in  1858,  he  qualified  and  entered  on 
the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  office.  His  record 
as  a  jurist  is  chiefly  to  be  found  in  the  first  nine 
volumes  of  the  Minnesota  Reports.  His  opinions 
speak  for  themselves.  The  first  Supreme  Court  of 
Minnesota  had  much  important  work  to  do.  At  the 
time  the  State  was  ver}r  new,  and  pleadings  and 
practice  were  in  a  transitional  condition.  The  code 
had  but  recently  been  adopted.  Each  of  the  other 
States  had  its  own  precedents  and  line  of  decisions, 
and  as  they  were  often  conflicting  Minnesota  uniformly 
followed  none  of  them.  The  court  had  not  even  the 
benefit  of  a  systematic  line  of  decisions  of  the  terri- 
torial bench.  In  many  instances  the  court  was  forsed 
to  select  from  former  decisions  of  other  courts  certain 
principles  which  should  govern  it  in  its  rulings,  but  in 
many  other  cases  it  was  of  more  importance  that  the 
law  should  be  definitely  settled,  than  was  the  principle 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


2I4 

adopted  in  its  settlement.  The  construction  of  a  large 
number  of  statutes  was  also  to  be  determined  for  the 
first  time,  and  from  these  causes  more  than  ordinary 
labor  was  imposed  upon  the  court,  compared  with  the 
number  of  cases  on  the  calendar. 

While  on  the  supreme  bench  Judge  Flandrau  was 
the  author  of  some  notable  decisions  and  opinions.  In 
November,  1858,  he  delivered  a  dissenting  opinion  from 
the  decision  of  a  majority  of  the  court  in  the  case  of 
the  Minnesota  and  Pacific  Eailroad  vs.  Governor  II.  H. 
Siblev,  which  attracted  general  attention  and  has  often 
been  the  subject  of  comment.  The  railroad  company 
had  mandamused  the  Governor  to  compel  him  to  issue 
and  deliver  certain  bonds  to  its  agents,  and  the  case 
had  come  before  the  Supreme  Court.  Judge  Flandrau 
sustained  the  position  of  the  governor  that  the  State 
had  a  right  to  an  exclusive  lien  upon  the  roads,  lands 
and  franchises  of  the  railroad  companies  to  the  amount 
of  the  State  bonds  issued  to  th'em,  and  that  trust  deeds 
should  be  filed  accordingly.  (M.  &  P.  R.  R.  vs  Sibley, 
2  Minn.  Rep.  p.  13  et  seq.)  The  adverse  decision  to 
Judge  Flandrau's  opinion,with  other  causes,  led  to  the 
well-known  repudiation  action  of  the  State,  with  its 
consequent  stigma  and  the  long  controversy  which 
resulted, which  was  finally  terminated  by  the  assumption 
by  the  State  of  the  greater  part  of  the  indebtedness  in 
July,  1860. 

The  language  of  Judge  Flandrau's  decisions  is 
always  plain,  simple  and  clear,  vigorous  and  decided. 
The  decisions  themselves  are  models  of  perspicuity  and 
judicial  soundness.  It  ought  to  be  borne  in  mind  that 
all  of  these  decisions  were  rendered  before  the  author 
had  reached  the  age  of  thirty -six  years,  and  many  of 
them  while  he  was  yet  under  thirty.  On  October  25, 
1858,  Judge  Flandrau  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Siblev,  Judge  Advocate-General  of  the  State,  aposition 
he  held  during  the  Governor's  administration. 

But  distinguished  and  valuable  as  was  Judge  Flan- 
drau's service  in  the  civil  departments  of  the  State  of 
Minnesota,  it  is  in  her  military  history  that  his  name 
will  always  be  most  conspicuously  placed,  and  his  mil- 
itary services  will  doubtless  be  the  best  rememberedj 
and  that  in  connection  with  the  rising  of  the  Sioux 
Indians  in  August,  1862.  The  outbreak  of  the  savages 
on  the  18th  of  August  was  as  sudden  as  the  leap  of  a 
panther,  and  far  more  deadly  and  cruel.  The  news 
reached  Judge  Flandrau  at  his  residence  at  Traverse 
des  Sioux  at  4  o'clock  the  following  morning,  brought 
by  a  courier  from  New  Ulm,  thirty -live  miles  away. 
Flandrau  knew  the  Indian  character  thoroughly,  and 
knew  these  Indians  particularly  well.  Appreciating 
the  situation  instantly,  he  put  all  his  women  and  child- 
ren into  a  wagon  and  sent  them  to  Minneapolis,  ninety 
miles  distant.  lie  then  proceeded  to  St.  Peter,  a  mile 
distant,  where  a  company  of  115  volunteers,  some  of 
whom  were  mounted,  was  at  once  raised,  armed  and 
equipped  as  well  as  possible.  On  the  organization  of 
the  company  Judge  Flandrau  was  chosen  captain,  and 
bv  noon  was  in  the  saddle  at  the  head  of  his  company 


and  on  the  way  to  the  rescue  of  the  town  of  New  Ulm. 
History  tells  the  story;  the  distance,  thirty-five  miles, 
was  covered  just  in  time.  Already  100  savages 
had  attacked  the  place  and  a  considerable  portion 
of  it  was  on  fire.  The  advance  guard  of 
Flandrau  and  his  men  galloped  in,  charged 
upon  and  drove  off  the  Indians,  extinguished  the  fire 
and  calmed  the  terror-stricken  people.  The  citizens 
hailed  Flandrau  as  their  deliverer,  and  he  was  unani- 
mously chosen  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces 
engaged  in  the  defense  of  the  town.  With  skill  and 
judgment  he  prepared  to  receive  the  enemy,  whom  he 
knew  would  soon  be  upon  them,  and  with  rare  bravery 
he  decided  to  stand  and  fight,  no  matter  what  the  odds 
or  what  might  be  the  result.  He  put  his  hastily  organ- 
ized men  under  -the  best  discipline  possible,  and 
strengthened  his  defenses.  In  the  heart  of  the  town  a 
circular  barricade  was  constructed,  within  which  were 
placed  the  women  and  children,  some  1,200  in  number. 
After  three  days  of  preparation  came  the  attack.  On 
the  evening  of  the  23rd  about  700  well  armed  Indians, 
a  majority  of  whom  had  been  besieging  Fort  Ridireley, 
attacked  New  Ulm  and  Flandrau  with  his  300  men, 
mostly  armed  with  hunting  rifles  and  fowling  pieces. 
After  two  days  of  continuous  fighting,  during  which 
the  greater  part  of  the  town  was  burned,  the  whites 
had  ten  men  killed  and  fifty  wounded,  which  losses 
occurred  in  the  first  hours  of  the  fight.  The  Indians, 
whose  loss  was  presumably  greater,  retired.  The  fol- 
lowing morning,  his  ammunition  and  provisions  nearly 
exhausted  and  still  menanced  by  a  largely  superior 
force  of  savages,  Judge  Flandrau  vacated  the  town, 
taking  with  him  153  wagon  loads  of  women  and 
children,  sick  and  wounded,  and  a  large  number  on  foot 
and  marched  in  the  direction  of  Mankato,  which  was 
reached  in  safety. 

Judge  Flandrau  continued  in  the  service  for  some 
time  after  his  deliverance  of  New  Ulm.  August  20th 
Governor  Ramsey  authorized  him  to  raise  troops, 
appoint  officers,  and  to  generally  perform  whatever 
service  he  deemed  best  for  the  defense  of  the  south- 
west frontiers.  On  the  3d  of  September  he  was  com- 
missioned by  the  governor  as  colonel  of  State  militia, 
and  was  given  a  letter  and  warrant  of  authority  bv 
General  Pope,  then  in  command  of  the  department. 
He  raised  and  organized  several  companies  of  men,  and 
as  commander  of  the  Southern  frontier  posted  them  in 
successions  of  picket  posts  from  New  Ulm  to  the  Iowa 
line.  In  October,  after  the  Indians  had  been  driven 
from  the  State,  and  the  State  and  United  States  forces 
had  been  fully  organized  and  were  in  full  control  and 
command  of  the  situation,  he  turned  over  the  command 
at  South  Bend  to  Colonel  Montgomery,  of  theTwent}7- 
iifth  Wisconsin,  and  resumed  the  discharge  of  his 
official  duties. 

In  the  spriny  of  1864  he  resigned  his  position  on 
the  supreme  bench,  and  going  to  the  Territory  of 
Nevada,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  with  his  for- 
mer associate.  Judge  Isaac  At  water,  at  Carson  and 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T   WEST. 


215 


Virginia  City.  A  year  later  lie  went  to  Washington 
to  attend  to  the  business  of  the  firm  before  the 
departments,  intending  to  return  to  Nevada.  But 
his  family  were  averse  to  the  proposed  change  of 
residence,  and  having  received  a  favorable  offer 
of  partnership  with  Colonel  R.  II.  Musser,  of  St.  Louis, 
a  very  accomplished  lawyer,  he  accepted  it  and  located 
in  that  city  late  in  1865.  In  less  than  a  year,  however, 
he  returned  to  Minnesota,  and  early  in  1867  joined 
his  former  partner,  Judge  Atwater,  in  the  practice  of 
law  at  Minneapolis.  The  same  year  he  was  elected 
city  attorney  of  Minneapolis;  and  in  1868,  was  chosen 
the  first  president  of  the  board  of  trade  of  that  city 
under  its  original  organization.  In  1870,  he  removed 
to  St.  Paul  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Biglow  and 
Clark.  The  firm,  by  reason  of  changes  in  its  member- 
ship, is  now  Flandrau,  Squire  &  Cutcheon,  and  has 
always  been  ranked  as  one  of  the  strongest  in  the  pro- 
fession in  the  Northwest.  Its  practice  of  general  busi- 
ness is  very  large;  its  clientage  most  respectable,  and 
its  success  most  marked.  Judge  Flandrau,  the  senior 
partner,  preforms  his  full  share  of  the  work  done,  and 
was  for  some  time  the  president  of  the  Ramsey  county 
Bar  Association.  lie  is  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  intel- 
lectual and  physical  strength,  and  in  appearance  re- 
sembles almost  any  other  character  than  the  veteran 
lawyer  and  jurist,  which  he  is. 

In  politics  Judge  Flandrau  is  a  Democrat  of  the 
Jeffersonian  school.  He  has  never  changed  his  belief 
in  the  righteousness  and  wisdom  of  the  old-time  cardi- 
nal principles,  and  while  keeping  in  line  with  his  party 
on  the  questions  of  the  day,  he  lias  never  accepted  a 
theory  in  contravention  of  them. 

On  more  than  one  occasion  he  has  protested  against 
the  action  of  his  party  in  an  orderly  and  dignified 
manner,  but  he  has  never  been  denounced  as  a  bolter 
or  considered  a  "mugwump.''  In  1867  he  was  the 
candidate  of  his  part}'  for  governor  of  .Minnesota, 
against  General  William  R.  Marshall,  but  owing  to  the 
large  Republican  majority  in  the  State  he  was  defeated. 
In  1869,  he  was  also  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  but  ad  verse  circum- 
stances were  again  too  powerful  to  be  overcome  and 
he  was  defeated  by  Judge  Ripley.  Neither  of  these 
nominations  were  sought,  however,  by  Judge  Flan- 
drau, for  he  never  was  an  office  seeker  or  a  place 
hunter,  bu  this  loyalty  to  his  party,  whose  principles  he 
believed  in,  and  which  had  honored  him  in  the  days 
of  his  prosperity,  compelled  him  to  obey  its  call  for 
service.  Personally  Judge  Flandrau  is  universally  popu- 
lar. Of  large  brain  and  kindly  heart,  he  is  interesting 
and  instructive  in  conversation,  courteous  and  genial  in 
deportment,  and  affable  and  agreeable  at  all  times. 
He  is  a  fluent  and  forcible  speaker,  an  attractive 


and  correct  writer,  and  a  gentleman  of  ripe  scholarship 
and  large  information.  His  social  qualities  are  really 
accomplishments,  and  these,  added  to  his  exalted  traits 
of  character,  have  given  him  legions  of  friends  and 
admirers.  He  is  public  spirited  to  an  eminent  degree, 
and  has  always  done  much  in  behalf  of  the  national 
interests  and  general  welfare  of  his  resident  community. 
In  all  the  relations  of  life,  whether  as  sailor  boy, 
mahogany  sawyer,  jurist,  officer,  military  leader,  sol- 
dier, citizen  and  man,  he  has  always  been  faithful  and 
true,  and  upon  his  life  work,  eventful  and  varied  as  it 
has  been,  there  is  not  in  any  part  of  it  the  mark  of 
wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil  doing. 

Judge  Flandrau  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  August  10,  1859,  was 
Isabella  Ramsav  Dinsmore,  daughter  of  Colonel  James 
Dinsmore.  of  Boone  county,  Ky  ,  and  a  most  beautiful 
and  accomplished  lady.  She  died  June  30, 186",  leaving 
two  daughters.  The  elder  is  now  Mrs.  Tilden  R. 
Selmes,  and  the  younger  Mrs.  Frank  W.  M.  Cutcheon, 
both  of  St.  Paul.  On  February  28,  1871,  he  married 
as  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Blair  Riddle,  a 
daughter  of  Judge  William  Mc'Clure,  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  and  to  this  marriage  there  have  been  born  two 
sons.  Claries  E.  Flandrau,  Jr.,  and  William  Blair 
Mc'Clure  Flandrau,  both  with  their  father. 

Judge  Flandrau  has  acquired  a  moderate  estate, 
and  is  interested  in  all  the  banks  in  St.  Paul  but  one, 
and  is  connected  with  many  other  financial  enterprises 
in  Minnesota.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Merchant's  Na- 
tional Bank  of  St.  Paul,  which  is  presided  over  by 
Governor  Merriam,  and  also  in  the  St.  Paul  Marine 
and  Fire  Insurance  Company. 

In  the  year  1891  the  State  of  Minnesota  erected  a 
handsome  bronze  monument  on  the  battle-field  of  New 
Ulm  to  commemorate  that  event,  on  which  it  placed  a 
medallion  likeness  of  Judge  Flandrau  in  demi-relief. 
In  the  dedicator}'  speech  of  Governor  Merriam  on 
the  unveiling  of  this  monument,  he  .said  of  Judge 
Flandrau  : 

"I  feel  assured  that  I  voice  your  sentiments,  as 
well  as  that  of  all  the  citizens  of  this  commonwealth, 
when  I  speak  words  of  commendation  or  praise  for  the 
man  whose  wise  leadership,  whose  unselfish  and  heroic 
actions,  defeated  the  maddened  and  revengeful  fol- 
lowers of  the  Sioux  chiefs,  and  drove  them  back  scat- 
tered and  demoralized.  His  prompt,  energetic  and 
faithful  services  entitled  him  to  the  gratitude  of  our 
people,  and  the  better  to  show  their  appreciation  of  his 
loyal  services  the  commission  selected  to  erect  this 
monument  properly  caused  a  likeness  of  his  face 
engraved  upon  the  side  of  this  shaft,  a  just  tribute  to 
the  noble  part  he  bore  in  the  contest  which  occurred 
here  in  1862." 


2l6 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  MCANDREWS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  McANDREWS  was  born  at 
Honesdale,  Wayne  county.  Pa.,  September  20, 
1850,  being  the  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah  A.  McAndrews. 
His  father  was  born  in  Scotland  and  educated  in  Dub- 
lin. His  mother  was  of  English  extraction.  His  father 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1840,  and  became  one  of 
the  largest  building  contractors  in  the  East.  He  con- 
structed the  "Old  State  Mill,"  one  of  the  landmarks  of 
Elmira,  N.  Y.,  and  was  accidently  killed  in  its  con- 
struction. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  at  his 
Eastern  home,  where  he  early  manifested  a  strong  pas- 
sion for  inventing,  and  his  later  boyhood  and  manhood 
days  were  spent  in  experimenting  on  inventions. 
When  the  civil  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  and  served 
throughout  the  struggle.  Returning  home  he  again 
resumed  his  work  with  inventions,  but  soon  entered 
the  railroad  service,  eventually  becoming  a  detective. 
In  this  capacity  he  has  earned  considerable  reputation. 
In  1882,  he  removed  to  Ohio,  and  there  developed  an 
invention  in  connection  with  sanitary  improvement, 
which  has  since  revolutionized  old  systems  of  house 
drainage  and  sewer  ventilation.  From  Youngstown 
he  removed  to  Cincinnati,  and  from  there  to  Lex- 
ington, Ky.,  but  finally  came  to  Chicago,  and  here  he 
has  probably  accomplished  the  great  work  of  his  life, 
in  the  invention  of  his  sewing  machine  attachment. 
The  benefit  of  this  device  on  any  sewing  machine  is 
almost  incalculable.  It  compels  the  machine  to  start 
in  the  right  direction  every  time,  thus  preventing  the 
breaking  of  needle  and  thread,  and  removing  the 
objections  incident  to  the  use  of  the  crank  motion. 
There  being  no  dead  center  to  overcome,  the  operator 


is  not  required  to  use  the  hand  to  start  the  machine; 
it  decreases  the  hand  or  motion  power  62  per  cent; 
it  prevents  all  dangerous  results  to  the  operator  from 
using  the  sewing  machine,  because  it  is  a  varied  motion, 
as  in  walking,  allowing  the  operator  to  take  a  long  or 
short  stroke,  exercising  or  resting  the  muscles  of  the 
limbs  at  will,  without  changing  the  motion  of  the 
machine.  He  has  also  invented  an  automatic  pump 
with  which  to  fill  the  pneumatic  tires  of  bicycles  and 
track  sulkies  which  take  in  air  as  they  run.  This 
device  is  placed  on  the  inside  of  the  tire  and  so  ad  justed 
as  to  keep  the  space  filled  all  the  time.  He  is  now 
working  on  an  electric  light  multiplier,  which  when 
completed,  it  is  expected,  will  practically  revolutionize 
the  electric  light  system.  It  will  make  one  little 
incandescent  light  equal  to  twenty  in  power  and  bril- 
liancy. He  has  also  a  system  formulated  designed 
to'  prevent  all  dangers  of  manhole  explosions.  By  a 
clever  contrivance  and  the  use  of  phosphorous  candles 
he  "engages  to  extract  all  the  foul  air  from  sewers  of 
any  size,  and  at  the  same  time  uses  such  material  as 
accumulates  in  his  device  in  the  manufacture  of  a 
superior  quality  of  lubricating  oil.  He  has  expressesed 
himself  as  willing  to  place  his  device  in  any  of  the  city 
sewers  at  his  own  expense  merely  in  order  to  obtain 
this  accumulation  of  matter,  knowing  that  the  value  of 
the  oil  will  more  than  compensate  him  for  any  outlay. 
The  name  of  the  firm  with  which  Mr.  McAndrews 
is  connected  is  the  World's  Patent  Office  and  Business 
Exchange,  and  with  a  man  of  such  inventive  genius  and 
business  ability  at  its  head,  it  seems  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  most  prominent  firms  in  the  country.  The 
company  is  located  in  the  Reaper  Block,  in  Chicago. 


VINCENT  LOMBARD  HURLBUT, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


VINCENT  LOMBARD  HURLBUT  was  born  June 
28,  1829,  in  West  Mendon,  N.  Y.  The  ances- 
tors of  his  mother,  Sabrina  Lombard,  were  Vermont 
people,  and  his  father,  Horatio  Nelson  Hurlbut,  is 
descended  from  Thomas  Hurlbut  of  Say  brook  and 
Westmoreland,  Conn.,  who  came  to  America  as  early 
as  1637.  His  only  sister,  Arozina  Lucinda,  now  de- 
ceased, was  the  wife  of  Major  Toby,  an  old  and 
highly  esteemed  citizen  and  prominent  Mason  of 
Chicago.  While  he  was  yet  a  child  his  parents  moved 
to  Jefferson,  Ohio.  He  made  good  use  of  the  local 
schools,  and  was  graduated  with  honor  from  the  Jeffer- 
son Academy.  Choosing  the  medical  profession  at  the 
age  of  17,  he  pursued  his  studies  under  the  guidance  of 
his  father,  an  old  and  eminent  physician,  and  also 


attended  lectures  at  the  medical  college  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  the  recipient  of  special  attention 
from  Prof.  Horace  A.  Ackley. 

In  1851,  going  to  Chicago  with  his  father,  he 
matriculated  at  Rush  Medical  College  and  was  gradu- 
ated therefrom  in  1852.  He  very  soon  commenced  a 
practice,  the  great  and  continued  success  of  which  is 
shown  in  the  affectionate  regard  entertained  for  him  in 
the  community.  It  is  shown  in  such  tributes  as  that 
paid  him  by  the  board  of  the  Woman's  Hospital, which, 
when  be  would  have  retired  after  two  years  of  service 
as  surgeon  in  that  institution,  would  not  accept  his 
resignation,  and  also  in  the  high  rank  he  holds  in  medical 
societies  and  institutions,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  his 
relations  with  all  being  of  the  closest  and  his  official 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


219 


position  of  the  most  honorable  character.  Dr.  Hurl- 
but  is  a  member  of  Chicago  Medical  Society,  Chicago 
Medico-Legal  Society,  Illinois  State  Medical  Society, 
and  the  American  Medical  Association. 

Catholicity  is  what  Emerson  calls  culture.  Cer- 
tainly '  Dr.  llurlbut  is  eminently  possessed  of  it. 
Standing  in  the  foreground  of  his  profession,  he  is  a 
close  student  of  new  discoveries  and  progress  in  the 
science  of  medicine,  and  yet  finds  time  to  devote  to 
many  other  branches  of  popular  interest  and  inquiry. 
He  has  given  much  attention  to  the  rise,  character  and 
progress  of  Freemasonry,  is  an  enthusiastic  member, 
and  in  the  highest  station  which  the  craft  affords  has 
gained  a  national  reputation.  Previous  to  the  great 
Chicago  fire  of  1871,  he  had  collected  one  of  the  finest 
Masonic  libraries  in  the  country,  containing  many  rare 
volumes,  which  were  lost  and  can  never  be  recovered. 
Dr.  Hurlbut  first  became  a  Mason  in  1860,  in  Wauban- 
sia  Lodge,  No.  160,  and  during  the  same  year  was 
exalted  to  the  degree  of  Royal  Arch  in  Washington 
Chapter,  No.  43.  He  was  created  a  Knight  Templar 
in  Appollo  Commandery,  No.  1,  and  afterward  in  the 
Occidental  Consistory  and  its  co-ordinate  and  subor- 
dinate bodies,  took  the  Scottish  Kite  degrees  to  the 
thirty-second,  inclusive.  The  thirty-third  degree  he 
took  at  Boston,  Mass.,  in  the  Supreme  Council  of 
Sovereign  Grand  Inspectors-General  of  the  thirty-third 
and  last  degree  of  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  for 
the  Northern  Masonic  Jurisdiction  of  the  United  States 
of  America;  Grand  East,  Boston,  Mass.,  north  latitude 
12°  21'  22"  ;  east  longitude  5°  59'  18",  in  the  annual 
session  on  the  6th  day  of  the  month  Gyzar,  5626,  an- 
swering to  the  18th  day  of  May,  1865. 

Since  his  connection  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
Dr.  llurlbut  has  filled  the  most  important  positions, 
being  in  1863-64  and  in  1867  Commander  of  Apollo 


Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  and  also  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  Occidental  .Sovereign  Con- 
sistory of  Chicago,  as  well  as  charter  member  and 
official  of  the  Royal  Order  of  Scotland,  and  charter 
member  and  Master  of  St.  Andrew  Lodge.  In  1867 
he  was  elected  Grand  Commander  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  holding  office  one  year,  and  for  a  term  of 
three  years,  beginning  with  1870,  was  Illustrious 
Deputy  of.  the  Supreme  Council,  thirty-third  degree, 
for  the  district  of  Illinois.  Finally,  in  1871,  he  was 
elected  Grand  Generalissimo  of  the  Grand  Encamp- 
ment of  Knights  Templar,  at  Baltimore,  and  on  the 
expiration  of  this  term,  in  1874-,  was  elected  Deputy 
Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Encampment  of  Knights 
Templar,  at  New  Orleans.  In  1877  he  was  elected 
Most  Eminent  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Encamp-' 
ment,  K.  T.,  U.  S.  A.,  for  three  years  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  Dr.  Hurlbut  has  never  married,  being  devoted  to 
his  studies  and  the  duties  of  his  profession.  Neverthe- 
less he  is  a  man  of  fine  social  qualities,  having  been  for 
years  a  notable  figure  at  the  famous  game  dinners 
given  by  Mr.  John  B.  Drake,  of  the  Grand  Pacific 
Hotel,  of  Chicago.  He  was  brought  up  in  the  Con- 
gregational church,  but  is  now  a  Universalist,  and  in 
his  religious  belief  liberal,  conscientious  and  firm. 

As  to  the  personal  character  of  Dr.  Hurlbut,  we 
quote  from  a  more  extended  article  by  Henry  H. 
Hurlbut,  of  Chicago:  "In  the  prime  of  manhood, 
affable,  genial  and  intelligent,  unselfish  and  generous 
to  a  fault,  he  is  the  royal  prince  of  companionship  and 
fellowship  and  is  justly  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who 
have  proved  his  professional  ability."  And  further, 
and  aside  from  all  professional  merit,  let  it  be  said  that 
in  this  man,  so  warmly  patriotic,  so  gentle-hearted  and 
unostentatious,  we  recognize  a  noble  representative  of 
American  chivalry  and  liberal  culture. 


H.  C.  CHATFIELD-TAYLOR, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


IT  is  eminently  proper  that  we  should  not  neglect  to 
give  sketches  of  the  rising  young  men  of  Chicago, 
as  well  as  of  the  older  citizens  who  are  self-made  men 
and  who  have  achieved  successes  in  any  of  the  callings 
or  walks  of  life.  Such  characters  could  not  be  more 
appropriately  headed  than  with  the  name  of  Ilobart 
C.  Chatfield-Taylor,  probably  the  best  known  of  the 
many  leading  young  men  of  Chicago,  to  whose  zeal, 
energy  and  integrity  the  future  progress  of  the  city 
will  be  indebted. 

Mr.  Chatfield-Taylor  was  born  in  Chicago,  on 
March  24,  1865,  son  of  Henry  Ilobart  and  Adelaide 
Chatfield-Taylor.  Mrs.  Taylor  was  the  daughter  of 
Horace  Chatfield  of  Polo,  111.  Henry  Hobart  Taylor 
was  a  business  man  engaged  in  many  enterprises,  all  of 
which  were  made  lucrative  by  his  energy.  The  last 


years  of  his  life  were  devoted  mainly  to  manufacturing 
agricultural  implements,  and  he  was  also  one  of  the 
original  directors  of  the  Elgin  "Watch  Co.,  the  Com- 
mercial National  Bank  of  Chicago  and  other  corpora- 
tions. Young  Chatfield-Taylor  received  his  education 
in  Cornell  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1886.  His  special  studies  were  the  sciences 
and  modern  languages,  but  as  his  inclination  lay  in  the 
direction  of  literature,  he  did  not  pursue  the  sciences 
after  leaving  college. 

He  traveled  much  in  Europe  and  other  foreign 
countries  before  and  after  graduation,  spending  much 
time  in  London  and  Paris,  where  he  made  a  study  of 
the  higher  social  life  of  those  cities. 

His  first  literary  work  after  leaving  college  was  on 
the  weekly  paper  known  as  America,  which  he  founded 


22O 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


with  his  own  capital.  He  secured  for  the  paper  a  strong 
literary  staff,  and  gave  the  editorial  work  his  personal 
attention,  which  soon  brought  the  new  paper  to  the  front 
for  its  literary  excellence.  This  enterprise,  while  it 
gave  the  young  founder  an  experience  upon  which  a 
money  value  could  not  be  placed,  did  not  prove  a  profit- 
able investment  commercially.  After  a  two  year's 
trial  Mr.  Chatfield-Taylor  sold  out  his  interest  and 
ceased  the  work  of  an  editor.  His  next  literary  ven- 
ture was  to  write,  while  in  Europe,  a  book  entitled 
"With  Edge  Tools,"  which  was  finished  and  published 
after  his  return.  Soon  after  the  publication  of  his  first 
book  he  commenced  to  write  his  second  book,  recer.tly 
published,  known  as  "An  American  Peeress."  Suffici- 
ent has  been  given  to  the  world  to  establish  his  repu. 
•tation  as  a  writer  of  society  novels.  In  a  critical  review 
of  the  latter  book  by  a  leading  journal,  the  review  sa3Ts, 
"  The  book  is  eminently  creditable  to  the  author-,  and 
srives  assurance  of  abundant  good  work  from  him  in 


future.  It  is  a  product  of  American  spirit,  and  an 
indication  of  American  purpose,  one  of  the  best  works 
by  an  American  novelist,  as  we  have  had  nothing  in 
recent  literature  superior  to  it." 

Mr.  Chatfield-Taylor  has  held  the  office  of  resident 
consul  representing  the  Spanish  government  in  Chi- 
cago, which  office,  during  the  World's  Fair,  brought 
him  into  much  prominence  with  Spanish  officials  and 
representatives  of  that  government. 

In  June,  1890,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rose  Far  well, 
daughter  of  United  States  Senator  Charles  B.  Farwell, 
after  which  he  spent  eighteen  months  in  foreign  travels, 
with  his  wife.  He  is  a  man  of  congenial  disposition, 
pleasing  address,  quick  at  repartee,  and  a  fine  conversa- 
tionalist, and  from  his  travels  among  the  wonders  of  the 
Old  World  he  lias  gained  a  fund  of  knowledge  and 
experience  that  has  proved  invaluable  to  him  in  his 
literary  labors,  while  personally  and  socially  he  possesses 
most  excellent  qualities  and  is  universally  esteemed. 


LEWIS  J.   MERRITT, 


DULUTII,  MINNESOTA, 


THE  Merritt  family  were  originally  descendants  from 
the  Huguenots,  and  fled  from  France  to  Kent. 
England  to  avoid  persecution,  and  the  branoh  of  the 
family  from  which  our  subject  is  a  descendant,  came 
to  America  and  settled  in  Connecticut  early  in  the 
Itith  century.  From  Connecticut  Thomas  Merritt,  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  came  to 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.  among  the  very  first  set- 
tlers of  that  region. 

The  grand  parents  of  Lewis  J.  on  his  mother's  side 
were  of  English  and  Irish  descent.  His  great-grand 
father,  on  his  mother's  side  served  seven  years  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  died  at  the  age  of  100  years. 
His  father  was  Lewis  II.  Merritt,  the  oldest  son  of 
Thomas  Merritt,  and  his  mother  was  Hephzibeth 
(Jewett)  Merritt.  He  was  born  in  Hanover,  Chautau- 
qua county,  N.  Y.,  on  November  9,  1848. 

The  parents  moved  from  Chautauqua  county,  N. 
Y.,  to  Warren  county,  Penn.,  in  the  vear  1849 
and  in  the  year  1853  to  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio.  This 
move  was  made  to  secure  better  school  privileges  for  the 
family,  but  in  the  year  1855  the  father  went  to  the  head 
of  Lake  Superior,whither  in  tire  fall  of  1S56  the  family, 
consisting  of  the  mother  and  eight  sons,  followed.  They 
settled  at  Oneota,  and  here  among  the  tall  pines  and 
the  Indians  commenced  to  hew  out  for  themselves  a 
home.  They  were  the  first  or  second  white  family  to  set- 
tle on  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  in  the  State  of  Min- 
nesota, and  upon  this  spot  now  stands  that  thriving 
city  of  Duluth,  with  its  harbor  teeming  with  commerce. 

Mr.  Merritt  foresaw  that  from  its  geographical  sit- 
uation, this  must  make  a  large  city,  though  shut  off, 
as  they  were,  six  months  of  the  year,  with  no  communi- 


cation with  the  outer  world,  except  bv  steamboats  in 
the  summer  and  an  Indian  trail  through  to  St.  Paul  in 
the  winter.  On  this  trail  occasional  mails  were  carried 
on  the  backs  of  the  Indians,  but  in  the  year  1857  the  Gov- 
'  eminent  cut  what  was  known  as  the  military  road  from 
Superior  to  St.  Paul,  this  being  the  only  town  of  any 
note  at  that  time.  On  this  road  was  placed  a  stage  line, 
which  gave  better  mail  facilities,  besides  affording  a 
chance  of  going  .to  St.  Paul.  In  the  year  1870  the  St. 
Paul  and  Duluth  Railway  was  built,  it  then  being 
called  the  Lake  Superior  and  Mississippi. 

During  all  these  years  of  isolation  Mr.  Merritt 
made  his  living  for  himself  and  family  by  lumbering, 
and  for  many  years  Mrs.  Merritt  was  the  only  doctor 
and  nurse  there  was  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  often 
going  through  storms  in  winter  on  dog  sleighs  and  in 
small  boats  in  the  summer  to  attend  the  sick,  and 
to-day  the  name  of  Mrs.  L.  H.  Merritt  is  held  sacred 
b}7  those  old  settlers  to  whom  she  ministered  in  the 
time  of  need. 

In  the  meantime  the  children  got  what  education 
they  could  at  the  common  school,  this  being  the  only  ed- 
ucational advantage  available.  At  the  age  of  thirteen 
young  Lewis  commenced  working  in  saw  mills,  taking 
jobs  sawing  laths  in  summer,  and  in  the  winter  going 
to  school.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  shipped  as  a  sailor 
on  board  a  sailing  vessel  and  followed  this  occupation 
four  or  five  years.  On  Dec.  2(!th;  1869,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Eunice  Annette  Wood,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
thev  being  the  first  white  couple  married  in  St.  Lou's 
county,  Minn.  In  1871,  their  daughter  Annice  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Oneota,  Minn.,  and  on  August  17,  1872, 
their  son  Ilulett  Clinton  Merritt  was  born. 


vs^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


223 


In  the  year  1873,  Mr.  Merritt  went  West  to  aid  in 
building  Fort  Lincoln  in  North  Dakota,  or  rather 
Ouster  Barracks,  at  Fort  Lincoln,  and  in  1874  be 
moved  from  Oneota  to  Atchison  county,  Mo.  Here  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  the  spring  of  1887,  when  he 
returned  to  Duluth,  and  engaged,  in  company  with  his 
brothers  Leonidas,  Alfred  and  Cassius  C.,  in  exploring 
for  iron.  For  three  jrears  he  was  steadily  engaged  in 
this  business,  and  the  success  that  he  achieved  may  be 
seen  in  the  great  Missabe  Range.  This  the  Merritts 
first  discovered,  and  opened  up  there  the  first  mine. 
Mountain  Iron  was  the  first  one  discovered  in  Town- 
ship 58,  Range  18,  the  next  being  the  Biwabik,  in  Town- 
ship 58,  Range  16,  and  then  the  Missabe  Mountain, 
in  Township  58,  Range  17.  These  great  properties 
hold  the  key  to  the  whole  iron  situation  in  the  North- 
west. In  1889,  Mr.  Merritt  and  his  son  Hulett  C. 
formed  a  co-partnership  under  the  firm  name  'of  L.  J. 
Merritt  &  Son.  Since  that  time  they  have  achieved 
great  success  having  amassed  a  large  fortune. 

Mr.  Merritt  is  a  director  of  the  Lake  Superior  Con- 
solidated Iron  Mines,  a  $30,000,000  corporation  which 
is  to  the  iron  mining  industry  what  the  Standard  Oil 
Company  is  to  the  oil  business.  The  firm  of  L.  J.  Mer- 
ritt &  Son  are  the  largest  stockholders  in  this  corpora- 
tion aside  from  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller,  who  owns  the 
control. 

The  rapidity  with  which  Mr.  Merritt  has  amassed 
his  fortune  is  a  marvel  and  shows  his  great  ability  as 
one  of  the  leading  financiers  in  the  Northwest.  He 
has  four  children,  Hulett  C.,  aged  twenty-one,  Bertha> 


aged  seventeen,  Lewis  N.,  aged  thirteen  and  Evelyn, 
aged  four  years.  He  has  one  of  the  finest  homes  in 
Duluth. 

His  son,  Hulett  C.  Merritt,  although  only  just  attain- 
ing the  age  of  twenty -one  years,  is  vice-president  of  the 
principal  corporations  controlled  by  the  Lake  Superior 
Consolidated  Iron  Mines,  a  director  of  the  Duluth,  Mis- 
sabe and  Northern  Railway  Company,  president  of  a 
large  wholesale  house,  president  of  two  banks,  a  director 
of  a  third,  and  is  regarded  as  among  the  shrewdest 
financiers  of  Minnesota. 

Mr.  Merritt's  credit  ranks  among  the  highest  of  his 
fellow-citizens  and  his  indefatigable  energy  and  his 
money  have  done  much  to  aid  in  building  up  the  head 
of  the  lakes  and  the  great  Missabe  Range,  together 
with  the  system  of  the  Duluth,  Missabe  and  Northern 
railroad. 

He  has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket  and 
stood  unflinchingly  by  the  cause  of  this  the  party  of  his 
choice.  He  has  for  many  years  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  is  one  of  the  most  liberal  and  kind- 
hearted  of  men,  giving  much  to  the  church  and  to  aid 
the  poor.  He  is  a  man  who  is  much  liked  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  and  especially  noted  for  his  honesty  and  fidelity 
to  his  friends,  and  devotion  to  his  family.  He  is  a  man 
of  strong  will  power  and  of  physical  energy,  has  always 
enjoyed  the  best  of  health  and  has  traveled  a  great 
deal  in  his  own  country.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  appear- 
ance, standing  five  feet  seven  and  one-half  inches  in 
height  and  weighs  208  pounds.  He  has  dark  hair  and 
eyes,  and  is  of  a  marked  character  and  bearing. 


GENERAL  JOSEPH  T.  TORRENCE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOSEPH  THATCHER  TORRENCE,  son  of  James 
and  Rebecca  Torrence.  is  a  native  of  Mercer 
county,  Pa.,  and  was  born  March  15,  1843.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  the  Ke\rstone  State.  Going  to  Sharps- 
burg,  he  was  there  employed  three  years  by  Mr.  John 
P.  Agnew,  who  owned  large  blast  furnaces,  and  thence 
went  to  Briar  Hill  furnace,  in  Ohio,  where  he  worked 
in  various  capacities,  finally  learning  the  blacksmith 
trade,  and  rising  to  the  position  of  assistant  foreman 
before  he  had  reached  his  seventeenth  year.  During 
these  years  of  training  he  acquired  that  habit  of  thor- 
oughness in  everything  he  undertook  that  has  charac- 
terized his  whole  subsequent  life.  His  business, 
connected  with  the  furnaces,  was  made  a  careful  study 
in  all  its  details,  and  he  mastered  it  both  practically 
and  scientifically. 

Upon  the  opening  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
young  Torrence  promptly  offered  his  services,  enlisting 
as  a  private  in  Company  A,  105th  Regiment  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  Though  young  in  years,  he  had 
a  strong  and  well  developed  physique,  and  was  natur- 
ally of  a  commanding  spirit,  characteristics  which  at 


once  led  to  his  appointment  as  a  non-commissioned 
officer.  He  served  faithfully  in  the  numerous  engage- 
ments in  which  he  took  part  until  the  battle  of  Perry  - 
ville,  in  which  he  received  four  wounds,  being  so 
seriously  disabled  that  he  was  granted  an  honorable 
discharge  from  the  army.  He  was  afterward  given  a 
life  pension  by  the  government.  Pie  recovered  suffi- 
ciently to  leave  the  army  hospital  and  return  to  Ohio 
just  before  the  notorious  rebel  Morgan,  with  his  guer- 
rillas, had  made  one  of  his  bold  raids  into  the  State, 
striking  terror  to  the  hearts  of  all  Unionists.  Though 
still  suffering  from  his  wounds,  he  promptly  took  com- 
mand of  a  volunteer  force  and  joined  in  the  pursuit 
which  led  to  the  capture  of  the  noted  guerrilla  and  his 
band.  During  the  next  five  years  he  was  in  the  ser- 
vice of  Messrs.  Reis,  Brown  &  Berger,  at  New  Castle, 
Pa.,  first  having  charge  of  their  furnaces  and  later 
managing  the  sales  of  their  entire  products.  The 
years  1867  and  1868  he  spent  in  traveling  through  the 
Southern  States  on  his  own  account  as  an  expert  in  the 
construction  of  blast  furnaces  and  rolling  mills. 

In    1869    he    removed    to  Chicago,   being   called 


224 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


thither  to  take  charge  of  the  furnaces  of  the  Chicago 
Iron  Works,  and  in  the  following  year  became  con- 
nected also  with  tliQ  Joliet  Iron  and  Steel  Company. 
In  addition  to  his  other  duties  he  superintended  the 
construction  of  furnaces  at  Depere,  Wis.,  and  Menom- 
inee,  Mich.,  and  later  built  two  improved  furnaces  for 
the  Joliet  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  and  had  charge  of 
them  until  his  resignation,  in  1874,  after  which  he 
becaTne  consulting  engineer  for  the  Green  Bay  & 
Bangor  Furnace  Company  at  Chicago.  His  good 
judgment,  his  tact  in  managing  men,  his  eminent 
fitness  for  leadership,  and  his  familiarity  with  military 
matters,  led  to  his  election,  at  the  solicitation  of  many 
of  Chicago's  prominent  men,  to  the  colonelcy  of  the 
Second  Regiment  Illinois  Guards,  and  he  was  duly 
commissioned  by  Governor  Beveridge,  in  1874.  After 
the  law  organizing  the  guards  into  three  brigades  took 
effect,  he  was  recommended  to  and  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Cullom  as  brigadier  general  of  the  First  Brigade 
of  Illinois  National  Guards.  This  was  just  on  the  eve 
of  the  riots  at  Chicago,  in  July,  1877.  At  the  request 
of  Mayor  Heath,  Gen.  Torrence  established  his  head- 
quarters in  the  office  of  the  chief  of  police,  and  at 
once  proceeded  to  organize  cavalry  and  artillery  forces 
to  preserve  order,  and  placed  guards  at  the  water  and 
gas  works  to  forestall  any  attempts  of  the  rioters  to 
destroy  them. 

After  the  disturbance  in  Market  Square  Mayor 
Heath  and  the  city  council  gave  General  Torrence 
authority  to  clear  the  street.  He  had  five  regiments 
under  his  command  and  a  volunteer  force  of  Union 
veterans  who  rallied  promptly  for  service.  These 
forces,  with  Bolton's  Veteran  Battery,  were  promptly 
posted  at  strategic  points  such  as  the  corner  of  Chicago 
and  Milwaukee  Avenues;  the  Harrison  Police  Station  ; 
at  Twelfth  Street  bridge;  the  corner  of  Halsted  and 
Twelfth ;  the  Halsted  Street  viaduct,  the  gas  and 
water  works  and  other  points.  The  point  of  concen- 
trated danger  was  at  Halsted  street  viaduct  and 
vicinity,  where  on  July  26th  the  immense  mob  fired 
upon  and  threw  missiles  at  Col.  Quirk's  (Second  Regi- 
ment) men.  He  promptly  ordered  his  men  to  fire  on 
the  rioters,  which  checked  their  ardor  for  a  time  ;  but 
fresh  demonstrations  called  out  a  second  volley  from 
his  men  and  quiet  reigned  during  the  remainder  of  the 
night.  Gen.  Torrence  ordered  all  the  cavalry  at  his 
command  to  the  Halsted  Street  viaduct,  took  command 
of  it  in  person  and  made  several  successful  charges 
upon  the  ugly  mob,  capturing  a  number  of  the  ring- 
leaders. The  mob  was  taught  that  its  violence  would 
be  met  with  powder  and  ball  and  drawn  sabers,  and 
was  cowed  into  submission  to  the  constituted  authori- 
ties. Never  did  greater  danger  menace  a  great  city 
than  in  those  few  eventful  July  days  in  1877,  and 
never,  probably,  did  a  volunteer  military  force  do 
better  service  than  was  then  rendered  b\T  the  First 
Brigade  under  General  Torrence.  To  say  that  he  was 
master  of  the  situation  is  high  praise,  and  is  only 
his  just  due. 


In  1881,  Gen.  Torrence  resigned  his  command  in 
the  National  Guard,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  his  private 
duties,  and  after  closing  his  services  with  the  Green 
Bay  &  Bangor  Furnace  company,  he  became  associated 
with  Messrs.  Joseph  II.  Brown,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
and  Hale,  Ayer  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  in  organizing  the 
Joseph  II.  Brown  Iron  and  Steel  company,  whose  plant 
on  the  Calumet  river  was  afterward  leased  and  ope- 
rated by  Mr.  Brown's  sons  and  General  Torrence.  The 
Calumet  Iron  and  Steel  company  subsequently  pur- 
chased the  works  and  secured  General  Torrence  as 
consulting  engineer,  who  also  superintended  the  re- 
building of  the  works.'  About  this  time  he  became 
interested  in  the  construction  of  the  South  Chicago  and 
Western  Indiana  Railroad  and  was  made  president  of 
that  company.  After  purchasing  a  one-half  interest 
in  the  rolling  mills  at  Evansville,  Indiana,  in  1884,  he  in 
the  following  year  transferred  that  business  to  Ham- 
mond, Indiana,  where  a  new  plant  was  built.  Early  in 
1886  he  organized  the  Chicago  &  Calumet  Terminal 
Railway  company  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  railroad 
around  Chicago  to  facilitate  the  transfer  of  east  and 
west-bound  freight  without  bringing  it  into  the  city. 
In  May,  1887,  he  organized  the  Calumet  Canal  and 
Improvement  company,  with  a  capital  of  two  millions 
of  dollars,  and  also  the  Standard  Steel  and. Iron  com- 
pany, with  a  capital  of  five  millions.  Under  the  first 
named  company  title  to  some  eight  thousand  acres  of 
land  in  Indiana,  between  Calumet  river  and  Lake 
Michigan,  was  secured,  and  under  the  last  named  was 
secured  title  to  about  one  thousand  acres  in  Lake  county, 
which,  under  General  Torrence's  plans,  were  afterward 
laid  out  as  the  town  of  East  Chicago.  As  a  part  of 
this  plan,  realizing  the  need  of  a  permanent  waterway 
for  Governmental  purposes,  he  secured  to  the  United 
States,  without  cost  ,a  strip  of  land  two  hundred  feet 
wide,  extending  from  the  Calumet  river  northwesterly 
to  Lake  Michigan,  with  a  branch  running  westerly 
connecting  George  Lake,  Wolf  Lake,  Calumet  river  and 
Lake  Michigan.  In  1890,  he  organized  the  Chicago 
Elevated  Terminal  company,  the  purpose  of  which  was 
to  construct  an  elevated  road  with  sufficient  capacity 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  numerous  railoads  enter- 
ing Chicago.  Of  all  these  various  organizations  formed 
by  him,  he  has  been  president.  He,  however,  sold  his 
interest  in  the  Chicago  &  Calumet  Terminal  Railroad, 
and  resigned  from  the  presidency  of  the  Calumet  Canal 
and  Improvement  company,  and  the  Standard  Steel 
and  Iron  company,  in  the  fall  of  1890. 

Aside  from  his  large  business  enterprises,  General 
Torrence  has  always  shown  a  commendable  interest  in 
public  affairs.  As  an  ardent  Republican,  although  in 
no  sense  a  politician,  or  office  seeker,  he  is  prominent 
in  the  counsels  of  his  party.  He  is  a  man  of  com- 
manding appearance,  capable  of  close  and  prolonged 
application,  and  has  executive  and  organizing  talents 
of  a  very  high  order,  that  fit  him  for  planning  and 
prosecuting  enterprises  of  vast  magnitude.  His  habits 
are  simple,  and  he  has  always  abstained  from  the  use 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


225 


of  intoxicants  and  tobacco.  His  enterprises  have 
yielded  him  an  ample  fortune,  and  he  is  counted  among 
the  most  prominent  and  substantial  business  men  of 
the  West.  On  September  11,  1872,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Norton,  the  accomplished  daughter  of 
the  late  Jesse  O.  Norton,  of  Chicago.  One  daughter, 
Jessie  Norton  Torrence,  now  Mrs.  Kinsley  Magoun,has 
blessed  this  union.  The  sudden  death  of  Mrs.  Torrence 
on  October  12, 1891,  the  result  of  an  accident  while  tak- 
ing a  drive  with  her  daughter,  was  a  severe  blow  to 
her  husband  and  the  familv  and  a  wide  circle  of 


devoted  friends.  General  Torrence  is,  in  his  per- 
sonality, a  commanding  figure.  The  magnetic  in- 
fluence which  he  has  over  men  is  due,  no  doubt,  in 
no  small  degree  to  his  willingness  to  do  himself  what- 
ever he  requires  of  others.  He  is  a  leader  in  every- 
thing that  he  undertakes,  his  temperament  and 
character  soon  bringing  him  to  the  front  where  his 
great  executive  ability  has  a  fair  chance  to  make  itself 
felt.  He  is  generous  to  a  marked  degree,  and  his 
hand  is  always  open  to  help  where  help  is  well 
deserved. 


HARLOW  N.  HIGINBOTHAM, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


HARLOW  N.  HIGINBOTHAM  is  a  native  of 
Illinois,  having  been  born  at  Joliet,  on  October 
10,  1838.  His  parents  were  Henry  D.  and  Rebecca 
(Wheeler)  Higinbotham.  They  were  both  natives  of 
Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  whence  they  removed  to  their 
Western  home,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Joliet,  111., 
in  1834.  By  thrift  and  economy  they  accumulated  a 
liberal  competence  and  were  both  esteemed  for  nobility 
of  character.  The  father  died  at  Joliet  in  1865,  and  the 
mother  in  1888. 

Young  Higinbotham  passed  his  boyhood  on  his 
father's  farm  and  there  developed  a  vigorous  constitu- 
tion and  acquired  habits  of  industry  and  temperance, 
that  have  characterized  all  his  subsequent  career.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  in  boyhood  and  later 
took  a  short  course  of  study  at  Lombard  University,  at 
Galesburg,  111.,  and  also  took  a  course  in  a  Chicago 
business  .college  in  1856.  At  the  close- of  his  business 
course,  in  1856,  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  Will  County 
Bank  at  Joliet.  He  afterwards  was  employed  in  the 
Joliet  City  Bank,  whence  in  1859,  he  went  to  the  bank 
of  .Oconto.  Wis.,  as  assistant  cashier,  and  remained 
there  until  April,  1861,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
and  took  a  position  with  the  dry  goods  firm  of  Cooly, 
Farwell  &  Co.,  as  entry  clerk  and  assistant  bookkeeper. 

In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  Mercantile 
Battery  as  a  private  soldier,  but  soon  afterward  v>  as 
transferred  to  the  chief  quartermaster's  office  and 
served  as  chief  clerk  of  the  department  of  the  Ohio, 
in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  until  Februar}7,  1863. 
Thence  he  was  transferred  to  Ohio  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  adjusting  the  quartermaster's  accounts  under 
assistant  Quartermaster-General  Thomas  Swords.  After 
completing  his  work  there  he  was  sent  to  Mainsburg 
and  thence  to  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  serving  as  chief 
clerk  to  Quartermaster  Gillam  until  December,  1864, 
when  he  closed  his  service  in  the  army  and  returned  to 
Chicago 

In  January,  1865,  he  secured  a  position  as  book- 
keeper, with  the  house  of  Messrs.  Field,  Palmer  & 
Leiter,  where  the  value  of  his  services  was  soon  rec- 


ognized and  he  was  steadily  advanced  from  one  position 
of  trust  and  responsibility  to  another  in  that  extensive 
house,  until,  in  1878,  he  was  admitted  as  a  partner  in 
the  firm.  Ever  since  his  influence  has  been  widely  felt 
in  shaping  its  course,  in  managing  its  affairs  and  in 
promoting  its  marvelous  success  and  growth.  Endowed 
with  talents  of  a  high  order,  and  trained  to  correct  and 
prompt  business  methods,  thoroughly  conversant  with 
the  development  of  business  interests  throughout  the 
West  and  a  good  judge  of  men,  his  management  of  the 
credits  of  his  house,  was  sucli  that  the  best  results  were 
secured  both  to  the  house  and  to  its  customers.  Many 
firms  throughout  the  West,  now  prosperous  and  thrifty, 
owe  their  success  to  his  advice  and  encouragement 
during  their  early  struggles. 

During  all  these  years  Mr.  Higinbotham  has  been 
decidedly  a  man  of  affairs,  and  outside  of  the  great 
dry  goods  house  with  which  he  is  connected,  his  influ- 
ence for  good  has  been  far-reaching.  With  high- 
minded,  open-hearted  and  cheerful  generosity,  he  has 
given  liberally  of  his  time,  energy  and  money  to 
causes  tending  to  the  public  good.  He  has  been  espec- 
ially active  in  educational,  charitable  and  religious 
enterprises,  where,  as  in  business  and  financial  circles, 
his  far-seeing  and  practical  wisdom  have  led  to  the 
most  happy  results.  Largely  through  his  untiring  ef- 
forts the  Chicago  Home  for  Incurables  secured  its  com- 
fortable home  on  Ellis  avenue,  near  Fifty-fifth  street, 
in  Hyde  Park,  with  an  endowment  fund  of  $600,000. 
For  twelve  years  he  served  as  its  president.  Another 
worthy  charity  in  which  he  has  always  taken  com- 
mendable pride  is  the  Newsboy's  and  Bootblack's  As- 
sociation of  Chicago.  He  served  fourteen  years  as  a 
director  and  as  treasurer  of  this  institution,  and  was 
mainly  instrumental  in  placing  it  on  a  firm  financial 
basis,  when  for  lack  of  money  its  very  existence  was 
imperiled.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the  Chicago  Free 
Kindergarten  Association,  trustee  of  the  Northwestern 
University,  and  of  the  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Chicago.  In  religious  faith  Mr.  Iliginbotham 
is  a  Universalist,  but,  with  that  liberality  which  has 


226 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


always  characterized  him,  his  work  and  giving  are  not 
limited  by  denominational  lines;  but  every  church  and 
organization  having  in  view  the  elevation  and  better- 
ment of  mankind  enlists  his  most  cordial  sympathy 
and  support.  By  the  joint  contributions  of  himself 
and  one  of  his  friends,  who  also  is  known  for  his  liber- 
ality, the  chapel  of  St.  Paul's  Universalist  Church  was 
built;  and  as  an  acknowledgment  of  his  generosity  the 
name  of  his  deceased  daughter  was  given  to  "Marie 
Chapel,"  a  mission  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Mr.  Higinbotham  is  also  a  director  of  the  Northern 
Trust  Company,  of  Chicago.  He  was  active  in  secur- 
ing the  location  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
at  Chicago,  and  ever  since  its  inception  has  given  of 
his  time  and  moans  without  stint  to  furthering  its 
interests.  He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  local 
directorate,  but  upon  the  resignation  of  Mr.  William 
T.'  Baker  from  the  presidency,  he  was  elected  to  that 
office,  a  position  for  which  he  was  indeed  eminently 
fitted. 

Although  he  has  always  been  a  busy  man,  he  has 
found  time  to  indulge  his  taste  for  books,  and  to  keep 
himself  in  touch  with  the  trend  of  current  thought.  He 


has  one  of  the  largest  and  best  selected  private 
libraries  in  Chicago,  and  is  well  versed  in  the  standard 
works  of  history,  biography,  fiction  and 'poetry.  On 
the  occasion  of  the  first  anniversary  celebration  of  the 
Johet  Steel  Works  Club,  December  20,  1890,  he  deliv- 
ered an  address  on  "Patriotism,"  which  for  clearness, 
conciseness  and  earnestness  of  sentiment  might  well 
serve  as  a  model.  In  recognition  of  its  educational 
worth,  the  publishers  of  "America  "  printed  the  address 
in  full,  as  a  leader,  in  the  issue  of  January  1.  1891. 

In  1866  Mr.  Higinbotham  married  Miss  liachael  D. 
Davidson,  of  Joliet.  Of  six  children  born  to  them,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters  survive. 

Notwithstanding  his  multitude  of  cares  and  the 
constant  demand  upon  his  time  and  energies,  Mr.  Hig- 
inbotham has  not  neglected  his  social  nature.  He  is  a 
man  of  strong  domestic  tastes,  and  in  his  own  home, 
surrounded  by  those  dearest  to  him,  with  every  com- 
fort that  a  cultivated  taste  can  suggest  or  wealth  pro- 
cure, he  finds  his  highest  enjoyment.  In  all  his  rela- 
tions his  demeanor  is  characterized  by  a  becoming 
'modesty,  and  his  bearing  is  that  of  one  conscious  of 
the  true  dignity  of  life,  and  who  realizes  that  he  does 
best  who  does  most  to  help  his  fellow-men. 


AUGUSTUS  LISBON  STONE, 


CLINTON,  IOWA. 


A  UGUSTUS  LISBON  STONE,  son  of  Aaron  and 
/i.  Amanda  (Parsons)  Stone,  was  born  in  Camden, 
N.  Y.,  June  8,  1836.  On  the  paternal  side  his 
ancestors  came  from  London,  England,  in  1635  and 
settled  near  Boston,  Mass.  His  mother's  family,  the 
"Parsons"  came  from  Oxfordshire,  England,  with 
William  Pynchon,  in  1631,  and  with  him  founded  the 
first  colony  at  Springfield,  Mass.  The  motto  "Haud 
Unquam  Cedo"  inscribed  upon  the  scroll  of  the  Par- 
sons' coat  of  arms,  which  was  bestowed  by  Charles  I, 
indicates  a  family  characteristic  which  was  displayed 
in  the  New  England  descendants  through  successive 
generations. 

The  Stone  family,  including  Aaron  Stone  and  his 
wife,  moved  from  New  England  to  the  new  settlement 
at  McConnellsville,  N.  Y.,  which  was  so  named  by 
Isaac  Stone,  its  first  postmaster  and  grandfather  to 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  family  afterwards 
moved  to  Camden,  five  miles  further  on,  which  was  a 
more  promising  locality.  Aaron  and  Amanda  Stone 
had  three  children,  of  whom  Josiah  Parsons  Stone  and 
Augustus  Lisbon  Stone  survived. 

The  two  boys  attended  the  villiage  schools,  and 
worked  hard  to  help  their  parents,  and  their  parents 
strained  every  energy  to  give  both  their  sons  a  good 
education.  The  village  printing  office  which  issued 
a  weekly  paper,  attracted  the  boys,  and  there  they 
worked  at  odd  hours,  earning  pocket  money,  and  add- 


ing much  to  their  early  education  by  their  association 
with  journalistic  work. 

The  eldest  son,  Josiah  P.  Stone  worked  his  way 
through  college  and  was  admitted  to  practice  law, 
which  he  did  until  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
when  his  patriotism  impelled  him  t6  enter  into  the 
struggle.  He  raised  a  company  of  volunteers,  went 
into  service  as  captain  and  fought  with  great  gallantry 
until  killed  in  the  memorable  siege  of  Petersburg,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1864. 

Augustus  Lisbon  Stone,  followed  somewhat  in  the 
same  line,  working  and  attending  school,  finally  at  the 
Academy  in  Koine,  N.  Y.  While  in  his  academic 
course,  he  was  called  home  at  seventeen  years  of  age 
to  help  his  father,  whom  President  Pierce  had  appointed 
post-master.  Here  for  eight  years  he  labored  in 
the  store  and  post-office  combined,  and  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  his  own  family,  the  accumulation 
of  property  began. 

During  these  and  after  years  he  studied,  sometimes 
employing  tutors,  but  generally  unaided.  He  has 
substantially  educated  himself,  and  in  practical  results, 
well  and  liberally.  His  library,  which  is  exceptionally 
large,  is  of  decided  merit  in  educational  lines. 

In  1864  he  wedded  Kittle  Angell  of  Pulaski,  N.  Y., 
who  is  a  descendant  of  General  Nathaniel  Green,  and 
also  of  the  family  of  Hempsteads,  early  settlers  of 
Long  Island.  Four  children  were  born  to  them,  two 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


229 


of  whom  survive — Martha  Anna  and  Euby  Elizabeth, 
Kittle  Parsons  having  died  in  infancy,  and  Katie 
Angell  at  the  age  of  seven  years. 

In  1870  Mr.  Stone  founded,  with  his  cousin,  A.  G. 
Smith,  the  banking  house  of  Stone  &  Smith  in  Clinton, 
Iowa.  A  singleness  of  purpose,  a  desire  to  make  the 
bank  a  thoroughly  reliable  and  substantial  institu- 
tion, impelled  him  at  every  solicitation  to  decline  places 
in  public  and  political  life,  believing  his  bank  should  be 
distinctive  and  separate  from  associated  individuality 
in  its  officers.  Notwithstanding  his  rule,  occasions 
have  demanded,  and  he  has  accepted  places  of  trust. 
He  accepted  the  office  of  Mayor  of  his  municipality 
where  he  lives,  having  a  unanimous,  vote.  In  schools, 
he  has  been  elected  several  times  to  the  directory, 
without  opposition.  He  has  been  vestryman  for  many 
years  in  the  Episcopal  church.  In  various  corpora- 
tions he  has  place  in  boards  of  directors.  The  Stone 
&  Smith  bank  resolved  into  the  City  National  Bank  in 
1S80,  and  is  the  largest  in  business  and  strength  in  the 
section  where  located.  He  has  been  its  president  since 


its  organization.  Mr.  Stone  is  a  good  represent- 
ative of  the  class  of  men  who  have  redeemed  what 
was  such  a  short  time  back  a  vast  wilderness  and 
turned  it  into  fair  cities  and  fertile  farms.  The  distin- 
guishing traits  of  his  ancestors  early  showe'd  them- 
selves in  his  character.  His  undaunted  determi- 
nation to  obtain  an  education,  even  under  the  most 
adverse  circumstances,  being  the  same  spirit  that 
enabled  the  early  pilgrims  to  conquer  the  stubborn 
rocks  and  hills  of  New  England.  This  has  been  char- 
acteristic of  the  man  during  his  entire  life.  Careful, 
energetic,  and  a  capable  business  man,  he  enters  into  an 
enterprise  only  after  mature  deliberation,  but  once  he 
has  undertaken  to  accomplish  an  object  he  pushes 
steadily  on,  overcoming  all  obstacles  until  his  work  is 
crowned  with  success.  Throughout  Iowa  he  is  univer- 
sally known  and  respected,  while  his  reputation  as  a 
careful  and  capable  financier,  reaches  far  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  his  home  State.  To  him  and  to  others 
of  similar  character  the  West  owes  much  of  her  present 
greatness  and  prosperity.  L.  J.  G. 


COLONEL  WILLIAM    P.  REND, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  P.  REND  is  a  native  of  County 
•  Leitrim,  Ireland,  and  was  born  February  10, 
1840.  His  father,  Ambrose  Rend,  was  a  substantial 
farmer,  while  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Cline)  Rend,  was 
a  daughter  of  Mr.  Hugh  Cline,  who  for  years  was  the 
steward  of  one  of  the  largest  and  oldest  estates  in  Ire- 
land. His  parents  removed  to  this  country,  and  settled 
in  Lowell,  Mass.,  when  William  was  seven  years  old. 
Here  he  acquired  his  education,  graduating  from  the 
high  school  of  that  city  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Hav- 
ing gained  considerable  experience  in  the  dry  goods 
line,  during  evenings  and  holidays  while  resident  at 
home,  he  decided,  upon  leaving  school,  to  go  to  New 
York  city.  Arriving  there  with  but  scanty  means,  he 
vainly  tried  to  obtain  a  position  and  went  over  to  New 
Jersey,  determined  to  accept  whatever  might  offer 
itself.  His  perseverance  was  rewarded  by  securing  a 
position  as  school  teacher  in  the  city  of  New  Brooklyn, 
which  position  he  occupied  fora  year.  Resigning  his 
position  at  New  Brooklyn  he  went  to  visit  a  friend  in 
Baltimore,  where  he  heard  of  a  school  near  West  River, 
Anne  Arundel  county,  Md..  which  wanted  a  teacher. 
Applying  for  the  position — his  application  being  one  of 
seventy — he  was  selected  to  fill  the  vacanc\r,  and 
remained  here  over  three  years,  his  pupils  being  princi- 
pally the  children  of  prominent  and  wealthy  slave- 
holders, and  proprietors  of  large  plantations.  He  spent 
his  evenings  and  other  spare  time  in  classical  studies, 
with  a  view  of  entering  an  advanced  class  in  a  neigh- 
boring college.  From  the  president  of  St.  John's 


College  he  received  much  assistance,  valuable  advice, 
and  much  practical  aid  and  sympathy — it  being  young 
Retv.l's  custom  to  ride  to  and  fro  (a  distance  of  over 
ten  miles),  on  Saturday  afternoon,  for  this  purpose,  in. 
tending  to  complete  his  studies,  and  to  eventually 
occupy  a  superior  position.  About  this  time,  however, 
the  war  broke  out.  His  most  intimate  friends  and 
associates  were  slave-holders.  He  liked  the  Southern 
people,  and  yet  abhorred  secession.  Upon  the 
firing  on  Fort  Sumter,  he  decided  to  give  up 
his  position  as  teacher  and  join  the  Union  forces,  re- 
ceiving from  the  governor  of  Maryland  permission  to 
organize  a  company  at  Annapolis.  But  at  that  time 
Union  sentiment  generally  was  very  weak  in  this  local- 
ity, and  his  recruiting  efforts  did  not  meet  with  success. 
Still  determined  to  do  what  he  could,  and  to  aid  the 
Union  cause,  for  whose  supremacy  he  was  willing  to 
risk  his  life,  he  went  to  Washington,  and  here  joined 
the  Fourteenth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry  regiment, 
previous  to  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Ron,  with  which  he 
remained  until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment, 
serving  most  of  his  time  as  a  non-commissioned  officer. 
He  was  in  a  number  of  the  most  prominent  battles  in 
which  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  engaged, 
including  Hanover  Court  House,  the  second  Bull  Run, 
Mechanicsville,  Gaines  Mills,  Malvern  Hill,  and  the 
battles  of  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorville, 
and  before  Yorktown.  His  many  hair-breadth  escapes 
and  the  incidents  and  dangers  through  which  our  young 
soldierat  this  time  passed,  would  fill  a  larger  space  than 


230 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


we  now  have  at  our  disposal.  His  time  of  enlistment 
having  expired,  he  was  final!}7  mustered  out  of  service, 
afterwards  pay  ing  a  brief  visit  to  his  friends  in  Massa- 
chusetts.. 

He  soon  after  came  to  Chicago,  arriving  here  during 
the  latter  part  of  the   war,  and   the  day  following 
secured   a  position   in  the  surveyor's  department  of  a 
railroad   company   locating  a   line   from    Madison    to 
Winona.     When  winter  necessitated  the  abandonment 
of  the  survey  until  the  following  spring,  young  Rend 
returned  to  Chicago,  and  soon  secured  a  position  in  the 
freight  depot  of  the  Northwestern  Railway  Company, 
being  appointed   foreman  of  this  department.     While 
here,  in  conjunction  with  the  cashier  of  this  depot,  he 
started   a   line   of   teams    for    hauling  freight,   which 
soon,  largely  owing  to  his  connection  with  the  railroad, 
increased  so  as  to  demand  his  whole  time  and  attention. 
Finding  his  capital  increasing,  he  decided  to  embark  in 
the  coal  trade,  taking  a  partner,  Mr.  Edwin  Walker, 
who  has  been  for  over  twenty  j'ears  intimately  con- 
nected with  him.     It  was  not  long  before  the  firm  of 
W.  P.  Rend  &  Co.  became  the  largest  engaged  in  the 
soft  coal  trade  in  the   whole  West.     The  business  of 
the  firm  developed,   until  it  was  found   advisable  to 
open  up  and  operate  mines  in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania, 
in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  extensive  demands  of 
the  business.     Mr.  Rend  has  become,  personally,  the 
proprietor   of  three' of  the  largest  mines  in  western 
Pennsylvania,  owns  a  half  .interest  in  three  and  a  whole 
interest  in  two  mines  in  Ohio,  and  is  half  owner  of 
two  others  in  Pennsylvania,  whose  combined  output 
gives  employment  to  over  two  thousand  men.  The  firm 
and   himself  combined,  own  nearly  eighteen  hundred 
freight  cars  used  in  the  transportation  of  their  product. 
The  total  output  of  their  mines  exceed  one  million 
tons  per  annum,  their  shipments  extending  to  Canada 
and  to  all  the  West  and  Northwest.     The  firm  has  for 
several  years  supplied  some  of  the  railroads  with  all 
the  coal  used  on  their  lines,  and  has  done  the  same  for 
many  large  manufactories.     Besides  the   interests  al- 
ready named,  Mr.  Rend  is  extensively  engaged  in  the 
production  of  natural  oil  from  several  wells  sunk  on 
his  property  in  Western  Pennsylvania. 

Several  years  ago  Mr.  Rend  was  elected  by  the 
second  regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  as  lieuten- 
ant-colonel  of  this  regiment,  and  this  position  he  held 
for  a  number  of  years. 

Notwithstanding  the  heavy  demands  of  business 
upon  his  time,  Colonel  Rend  has  given  much  attention 
to  matters  connected  with  the  public  good.  He  is 
prominent  in  temperance  reform,  though  believing 
more  in  the  effects  of  moral  suasion  than  in  compul- 
sory and  legal  means.  It  was  at  his  suggestion  that 
Bishop  Ireland,  of  St.  Paul,  sent  Father  Cotter  (now 
Bishop  of  Winona)  on  a  temperance  crusade  through- 
out Ohio  and  Indiana,  with  the  result  that  seventeen 
thousand  took  the  pledge,  while  upon  Father  deary's 
continuation  of  this  good  work,  over  seventy-two  thou. 
sand  names  were  added  to  the  temperance  cause,  the 


whole  expense  of  which  crusade  was  borne  by  Colonel 
Rend.  Of  much  literary  ability,  Colonel  Rend  is  a  fre- 
quent contributor  to  the  press,  on  political  and  other  sub- 
jects of  a  public  nature,  while  he  is  extremely  fond  of 
mathematical  subjects,  and  reads  the  Latin  classics,  in 
the  original,  with  ease  and  fluency.  Politically  he  is 
independent,  but  at  a  time  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  believer  in  men  and 
measures  rather  than  in  party.  Frequently  approached 
with  a  view  to  nomination  for  the  mayoralty  and  other 
prominent  positions,  he  has  hitherto  steadily  declined 
to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  in  this  connection. 

By  virtue  of  his  position  he  has  become  prominent 
in   attempting  the  solution   of  the   vexed    questions 
between  employer  and  employed,  and  has  so  judic- 
iously treated  these  problems  that,  to  a  great  extent, 
friendly  intercourse  between  the  miners  and  employers 
throughout  the  coal  regions  in  many  States  has  been 
established.     He  is  a  strong  believer  in  arbitration  and 
councils  of  conciliation,  as  opposed  to  lock-outs  and 
strikes.     He  was  the  first  president  of  a  meeting  held 
some  years  ago  for  this  purpose,  and  sent  the  first 
address  that  was  ever  issued  in  behalf  of  this  move- 
ment,   and    by    his    speeches    and    writings    in    the 
public  press  has  helped,  to  no  small  extent,  to  mold  a 
sentiment  favorable   to   this   solution  of  the  problem. 
This  movement  has  prevented  many  strikes  and  labor 
conflicts  in   Western    Pennsylvania    and   throughout 
Ohio  in  nearly' all  of  the  leading  mining  districts.    His 
efforts  to  treat  labor  with  perfect  fairness  have  resulted 
in  winning  the  confidence  of  the  miners  generally,  as 
shown  by  their  selection  of  him  to  represent  them  on 
various  occasions  where  arbitration  was  resorted  to. 
Several  years  ago  one  of  the  most  bitter  struggles  that 
has  ever  taken  place  between  capital  and  labor  occurred 
in  the  Hocking  Valley  region  of  Ohio.     Taking  sides 
with  the  men,  believing  them  at  the  time  to  be  in  the 
right,  he  had  as  opponents  forty  coal  operators,  backed 
up  by  a  number  of  railroad  companies,  and  in  particular 
the  Hocking  Valley  Railroad  Company,  which  under- 
took to  punish  and  balk  him  by  refusing  to  allow  him 
cars,  by   advancing   the  freight  rates,  and   otherwise 
restricting  his  business  operations.     Col.  Rend  was  not 
the   man    to    be    beaten    when    in    the   right,  and    he 
promptly  petitioned  the  federal  courts  for  and  obtained 
a  mandatory  injunction    compelling  the  railroad  com- 
pany to  furnish  him  cars  on  the  usual  terms,  and  com- 
pelled the  company  to  recognize  his  rights  and  to  pav 
that   due  respect  to  his  interests  which  the  magnitude 
of  his  operations  warranted. 

In  personal  appearance  Col.  Rend  is  of  medium 
height,  robust  build  and  somewhat  fair  complexion,  and 
is  of  a  sanguine  nervous  temperament.  The  strong  points 
of  his  character  are  keen  foresight,  a  clear  perception ; 
great  executive  ability,  indomitable  will,  untiring 
energy  and  unswerving  integrity. 

In  his  religious  affinities  he  is  a  Catholic,  but  is  well 
known  for  his  freedom  from  religious  prejudice,  as  a 
hater  of  bigotry  in  every  form,  and  one  who  abhors 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


religious  controversy  and  every  thing  which  tends  to 
create  animosity  and  ill-feeling  between  citizens  and 
people  of  a  common  country. 

Col.  Kend  was  married  December  27,  1864,  to  Miss 


231 


Elizabeth  C.  Barry,  born  in  Nova  Scotia  and  of  Irish 
parentage.  Their  home  at  153  Ashland  avenue  is  noted 
for  its  elegance  and  comfortable  surroundings,  and  for 
the  hospitality  of  its  occupants. 


JAMES  BIRNEY  HARSH, 


CRESTON,  IOWA. 


JAMES  BIRNEY  HARSH,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Nancy  (McKee)  Harsh,  was  born  in  Clinton  county ? 
Ohio,  on  the  eighth  day  of  September,  1845.  He  was 
named  after  James  G.  Birney,  the  Abolition  candidate 
for  the  Presidency  in  1844.  His  father  was  a  member 
of  the  Harsh  family  so  well  known  and  highly  esteemed 
in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  "When  James  was  four  years  old  his 
father  died,  and  his  mother  removed  her  family  to 
Illinois,  where  she.  being  a  capable  business  woman  and 
of  indomitable  spirit,  engaged  in  farming  in  a  small 
way  and  made  a  success  of  it.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion at  the  district  school  and  by  dint  of  hard  study 
and  perseverance,  so  far  advanced  himself  that  when 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  competent  to  teach 
school  in  winter  and  to  work  on  a  farm  during  the 
summer  months;  but  later  he  was  employed  in  the 
larger  schools  in  villages  and  towns  and  in  some  places 
acted  as  principal.  During  this  period  of  his  life  he  de- 
voted his  spare  time  to  study  ;  principally  to  the  study 
of  law. 

In  1863,  young  Harsh  enlisted  in  the  union  army, 
but  was  sent  back  on  account  of  his  youth,  but  not 
being  discouraged,  he  again  enlisted  in  February,  1865, 
as  a  private  in  Company  K,  148th  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  With  this  company  he  served  until  it  was 
mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war,  having  been  in 
the  meantime  promoted  to  orderly  sergeant. 

He  taught  school  again  during  the  winter  of  1865, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1866  entered  Lombard  Universit\r, 
at  Galesburg,  111.,  as  a  student,  part  of  the  time 
teaching  in  Hayes  Business  Institute,  in  that  city.  In 
the  winter  of  1866-7,  he  started  the  Western  Business 
College  at  Galesburg,  and  served  as  president  until  the 
fall  of  1870,  when  he  went  to  Creston,  Iowa,  settling 
in  that  place  on  the  twentieth  of  December.  Here  he 
opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  law,  and  also  for 
the  sale  of  real  estate,  and  in  1872,  the  sign  "Bank" 
appeared  on  the  front  of  his  office.  In  1873,  he 
founded  the  Creston  Gazette,  a  daily  and  weekly  news- 
piper,  in  which  he  has  been  interested  ever  since.  lie 
organized  and  was  made  president  of.  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Creston  Loan  and  Trust  Company,  in 
1S75.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Creston  National 
Bank,  which  he  started  as  a  private  bank,  without 
capital  as  above  stated,  in  1872,  and  which  now  has  the 
largest  capital  of  any  bank  in  that  section  of  the 
country.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Creston  Public 


Library,  a  trustee  of  Lombard  University,  at  Galesburg, 
111.,  and  of  the  Afton  (Iowa)  Normal  School,  and  was 
continuously  a  member  of  the  Creston  school  board 
uutil  he  resigned  in  1876.  He  organized  and  was  first 
president  of  the  organization  known  as  the  Blue  Grass 
League  of  Southwest  Iowa,  and  of  Creston  District 
Agricultural  Fair  and  Blue  Grass  Palace,  and  was  also 
mayor  of  the  city  of  his  home  several  times.  He  was 
also  president  of  the  organization  known  as  Southwest 
Iowa  and  Northwest  Missouri  Veterans'  Association, 
which  held  its  great  reunion  at  Creston  in  1882,  on 
which  occasion  Gen.  Phil.  Sheridan  made  the  only 
speech  of  his  life. 

In  1887  Mr.  Harsh  was  elected  to  the  Iowa  State 
Senate,  after  a  hard  fight,  and  in  1891  was  re  elected 
for  another  term  of  four  years.  He  only  consented  to 
this  because  the  part}'  managers  represented  to  him 
that  he  was  the  only  man  who  could  hold  the  district 
for  the  Republican  party. 

He  with  his  wife  and  daughter  are  members  of  the 
Universalist  church,  Galesburg,  111.,  there  being  no 
church  of  that  denomination  in  Creston. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  E.  Slater,  daughter 
of  Dr.  S.  D.  Slater,  of  Galesburg,  III,  in  July,  1869. 
Of  the  three  children  born  to  them  one  died  in  early 
childhood,  and  the  son,  Samuel  D.,  in  March,  1893. 
The  latter  was  a  graduate  of  Lombard  University, 
afterwards  editing  the  Creston  Gazette,  and  was  prom- 
inent in  the  educational,  religious  and  political  circles 
of  Iowa,  Illinois,  and  the  country  at  large,  being  every 
where  recognized  as  an  exceedingly  bright  and  talented 
young  man.  Grace  S.,  the  daughter,  graduated  from 
Lombard  University  in  1892  with  unusually  high  honors 
and  is  now  with  her  parents  at  their  home  in  Creston. 

To  say  that  James  B.  Harsh  is  a  self-made  man 
would  only  be  a  repetition  of  what  has  been  apparent 
in  every  phase  of  his  career.  At  a  very  early  age  he 
had  to  commence  work  to  help  his  widowed  mother. 
Later,  by  a  combination  of  farm  work  and  school 
teaching,  he  managed  to  complete  his  education,  not- 
withstanding the  break  occasioned  by  his  service  in  the 
army.  All  through  his  business  career  he  has  shown 
the  same  strong  will  to  overcome  obstacles  that  was 
characteristic  of  him  in  his  early  life.  To-day,  in  the 
prime  of  life,  he  is  known  and  honored,  not  only  in  his 
own  community,  but  throughout  the  great  State  of 
which  it  is  a  part.  Prominent  in  religious,  educational, 
political  and  financial  circles,  there  is  no  place  within 


232 

the  gift  of  the  people  to  which  he  may  not  aspire.  He 
has  held  many  political  offices,  though  he  has  never 
sought  public  honors,  having  only  consented  to  serve 
his  fellow  citizens  after  repeated  solicitation.  Ever 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


public-spirited,  he  has  probably  done  more  than  any 
one  else  to  build  up  his  section  of  the  State  to  its  pres- 
ent standing,  and  no  man  is  more  worthy  of  the  honor, 
confidence  and  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 


ARCHBISHOP  PATRICK  AUGUSTINE  FEEHAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


PATRICK  AUGUSTINE  FEEHAN  was  born  on 
August  29,  1829,  at  Springhill,  County  Tipper- 
ary,  Ireland.  His  parents,  who  were  of  the  class  known 
as  gentleman  farmers,  were  both  descended  from 
ancient  families  whose  genealogy  ran  back  to  the  early 
and  heroic  days  of  Ireland.  His  father's  name  was 
Patrick  Feehan;  his  mother  before  her  marriage  was 
Judith  Cooney.  They  were  in  good  circumstances, 
and  under  their  guidance  the  son  received,  besides  home 
training,  all  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  and  classical 
education. 

His  early  predilections  led  him  to  fit  himself  for 
holy  orders,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  sent  to 
the  ecclesiastical  seminary  at  Castleknock,  and  two 
years  later  to  St.  Patrick's  College  at  Maynooth.  He 
was  distinguished  for  his  studious  habits  and  scholarly 
attainments,  and  by  his  nobility  of  character  and 
manly  demeanor  endeared  himself  to  all  who  came 
within  the  range  of  his  influence. 

On  November  1,1852,  he  was  ordained  a  priest;  and 
having  decided  upon  the  archdiocese  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
as  his  field  of  labor,  he  at  once  entered  upon  his 
duties  there.  Besides  preaching  in  the  cathedral,  alter- 
nating with  Bishop  Kenrick  and  two  other  young 
priests,  he  taught  in  the  ecclesiastical  seminary  until 
July  1,  1853,  when  he  was  appointed  assistant  at  St. 
John's  Church,  St.  Louis.  One  year  later,  July,  1854, 
he  was  made  president  of  the  ecclesiastical  seminary  ,and 
filled  that  position  with  marked  ability  for  four  years, 
and  resigned  that  he  might  become  pastor  of  St. 
Michael's  Church.  After  one  year's  service  there  he 
was  advanced  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Church  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  where  he  labored  with  most 
gratifying  results  until  November,  1865.  During  these 
years  such  had  been  his  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the 
cause  he  was  called  to  serve  that  his  influence  was 
wide-reaching  and  the  people  among  whom  he  had 
labored  venerated  him  for  his  countless  good  deeds. 
This  spirit  of  self-forgetfulness  in  his  desire  to  help 
others  was  especially  shown  during  the  cholera  epi- 
demic in  St.  Louis,  when  he  remained  at  his  post,  faith- 
fully ministering  to  the  wants  of  the  needy,  caring  for 
the  sick  and  dying,  and  burying  the  dead,  while 
thousands  fled  from  the  city  for  their  lives.  But  new 
honors  awaited  him,  and  strong  as  were  the  bonds  that 
bound  him  to  those  whom  he  had  so  faithfully  served, 
duty  called  him  to  sever  them,  and  transfer  his  work  to 
a  new  field. 


He  was  appointed  bishop  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and 
upon  his  arrival  there  found  the  outlook  anything  but 
promising;  the  number  of  Catholics  was  small;  their 
institutions  consisted  of  a  sisters'  convent,  an  academy 
and  an  orphan  asylum  ;  and  in  the  whole  diocese  were 
only  a  few  ministers  of  the  Dominican  order.  The 
academy  was  run  down,  and  was  sold  at  auction  for 
indebtedness.  This,  however  was  brought  in  by  Bishop 
Feehan,  and  thus  saved  to  the  sisters.  He  brought  to 
his  new  field  of  work  all  the  zeal  and  enthusiasm  and 
devotion  that  had  characterized  his  early  labors,  and 
in  a  few  months  had  wrought  a  complete  transformation 
in  his  diocese.  Order  prevailed  where  chaos  had 
ruled  ;  large  numbers  were  brought  into  the  church  ; 
many  who  had  fallen  away  or  grown  negligent  of  their 
church  obligations  were  restored,  and  through  the 
whole  community  were  to  be  seen  the  happy  results  of 
his  business-like  methods  and  efficient  work.  During 
the  panic  that  prevailed  on  account  of  the  cholera 
scourge  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1866, -he  again 
manifested  a  spirit  of  heroism  and  courage  such  as  he 
alone  can  have  who  is  conscious  that  >  his  work  is 
prompted  by  love  and  in  the  line  of  duty.  As  he  had 
before  done  in  St.  Louis,  so  now,  wholly  forgetful  of 
himself,  he  cheerfully  braved  every  danger  in  order  to 
relieve  the  suffering  of  the  afflicted.  At  the  close  of 
the  epidemic  he  purchased  a  home,  beautifully  located, 
and  established  a  community  of  Sisters  of  Mercy  from 
Providence,  Rhode  Island.  Boundless  in  resources, 
Bishop  Feehan  devoted  himself  to  his  work.  And  for 
a  period  of  some  ten  years  the  cause  over  which  he 
presided  steadily  advanced  and  prosperity  was  to  be 
seen  everywhere  throughout  his  diocese.  But 
again  this  work  was  interrupted,  and  that  too 
by  a  scourge  even  worse  than  that  through  which 
he  had  formerly  passed.  The  scenes  of  suffering 
and  distress  during  the  ravages  of  yellow  fever 
in  1877.  and  in  1878  beggar  description.  No  less 
than  twenty-three  priests,  who,  prompted  by  love, 
and  in  response  to  the  call  of  duty,  sought  to  help 
the  afflicted,  fell  victims  to  the  terrible  scourge.  With 
dauntless  courage  Bishop  Feehan  once  more  applied 
himself  to  restoring  harmony  and  repairing  the  dam- 
ages wrought  by  the  death-dealing  visitation,  and  was 
again  rejoicing  at  seeing  the  work  of  his  hands  flour- 
ishing when  the  order  came  assigning  him  to  Chicago, 
to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Bishop 
Thomas  Foley.  The  announcement  was  made  Septem. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


235 


her  10,  1880;  and  amidst  the  tears  and  regrets  of  those 
to  whom,  by  his  self-sacrificing  labors,  he  had  endeared 
himself,  he  at  once  left  for  his  new  field. 

His  arrival  in  Chicago  was  hailed  with  enthusiastic 
delight,  for  his  reputation  had  preceded  him.  In  the 
archdiocese,  comprising  eighteen  counties  in  northern 
Illinois,  he  founded  one  hundred  and  sixty  churches, 
ministered  to  by  one  hundred  and  eighty  zealous 
priests.  Notwithstanding  the  efficient  work  of  those 
who  had  preceded  him,  the  Catholic  cause  in  Chicago 
was  still  suffering  from  the  effects  of  the  great  fire  of 
1871,  which  destroyed  many  of  its  principal  church 
edifices  and  educational  institutions.  For  just  such  an 
emergency  as  this  Archbishop  Feehan  was  fitted.  It 
was  in  the  line  of  his  years  of  experience  and  draw- 
in<>-  from  his  rich  resources  he  showed  himself  master 

O 

of  the  situation.  Many  church  edifices  have  been 
built  under  his  administration  ;  parochial  schools, 
where  now  fifty  thousand  children  are  being  educated, 
have  been  establishjed  and  reorganized;  homes  for  the 
aged  have  been  built;  hospitals,  homes  for  young 
women,  orphan  and  foundling  asylums  have  also  been 
built  and  fostered.  Under  his  wise  administration  a 
school  established  for  deaf  mutes  is  doing  a  noble  work. 
St.  Mary's  training  school  for  boys,  located  at  Feehan- 
ville,  a  town  named  in  his  honor,  near  Chicago,  has 
been  the  recipient  of  his  wise  counsels  and  practical 
aid,  while  the  Chicago  Industrial  School  for  Girls  has 
profited  by  his  cordial  co-operation.  At  the  present 
time  his  jurisdiction  extends  over  the  whole  State 


of  Illinois,  with  a  Catholic  population  of  nearly  one 
million,  while  all  over  his  archdiocese  are  witnessed 
the  results  of  his  wise  administration.  Chicago  especi- 
ally gives  evidence  in  many  lasting  monuments  to  his 
untiring  enterprise,  brilliant  genius  and  religious  zeal. 
Of  these,  St.  Patrick's  Academy,  the  Holy  Name  Cathe- 
dral, and  his  own  arch-episcopal  residence  are  conspic- 
uous. The  Archbishop  is  a  man  of  powerful  physique 
as  well  as  a  giant  in  intellect,  a  conservative  legislator 
and  an  able  orator,  and  for  many  years  has  been  influ- 
ential in  the  councils  of  his  church.  He  took  part  in 
the  work  of  the  Second  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore  in 
I860;  participated  in  the  General  Council  of  theVatican, 
and  was  one  of  those  summoned  to  Home  to  formulate 
the  Schemata  of  the  Third  Plenary  Council  of  Balti- 
more, in  which  he  took  a  conspicuous  part,  in  1884. 
To  quote  the  words  of  another  in  speaking  of  the 
growth  of  Catholicism  in  Chicago:  "The  material  pros- 
perity and  progress  of  the  great  "West  find  an  example 
in  Chicago,  and  in  no  other  diocese,  perhaps,  can  the 
church  show  such  a  proportional  increase  with  the 
secular  advance  in  population  and  in  wealth.  A  half 
century  ago  Chicago  had  but  one  priest,  one  church 
and  about  three  hundred  Catholics.  To-day  it  has  a 
Catholic  population  of  over  five  hundred  thousand, 
ministered  to  by  over  three  hundred  priests;  and 
churches,  colleges,  schools  and  religious  institutions 
abound  in  every  section  of  the  archdiocese  whose  suf- 
fragan sees  are  multiplying  almost  as  fast  as  the 
churches  did  fifty  years  ago." 


ALBERT  SETH   GAGE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MR.  GAGE  was  born  December  13,  18J2,  in  the 
town  of  Dracut,  Middlesex  county,  Mass.,  now 
a  part  of  the  city  of  Lowell.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  the  adjoining  town  of  Pelham,  in  New 
Hampshire,  and  were  members  of  a  family  so  old  in 
New  England  that  it  finds  honored  mention  in  all  the 
New  England  histories,  and  dates  back  to  1631,  the 
year  in  which  Williamson's  "Family  Heraldy"  and  Sav- 
age's "  New  England  "  give  the  record  of  the  beginning 
of  the  Gage  family  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Gage 
was  given  a  thorough  scholastic  training,  and  was  pre- 
pared for  college  with  a  view  to  his  taking  up  some 
one  of  the  professions;  but  his  strong  mercantile 
inclinations  led  him,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  to  strike  out 
for  himself  and  engage  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store 
in  Lowell. 

He  came  to  Chicago  two  years  later,  in  1860,  and  has 
since  been  identified  with  many  of  Chicago's  best 
interests.  The  great  fire  of  1871  burned  out  his  store, 
and  he  was  the  first  to  have  a  new  stock  of  goods  in 
the  new  city.  In  just  one  week  from  the  Monday 
morning  that  his  business  house  was  destroyed  he  had 


converted  his  handsome  residence,  four  stories  high, 
and  his  stable  into  a  busy  mart  of  dry  goods,  and 
within  one  month  from  the  time  of  the  fire,  while  many 
of  the  ruins  were  still  smoking,  he  began  the  con 
struction  of  the  first  brick  building  on  Wabash  avenue 
that  stands  to-day.  In  1876,  to  accommodate  his 
increasing  business,  he  erected  the  handsome  building 
at  the  corner  of  Wabash  avenue  and  Madison  street.  In 
1880,  Mr.  Gage  was  the  first  merchant  in  Chicago  to 
adopt  the  plan  of  closing  his  business  house  at  1  o'clock 
on  Saturdays  and  giving  his  employes  a  half  holiday. 
He  had  personally  and  often  solicited  other  large 
employers  to  join  him  in  this  step,  but  in  the  majority 
of  cases  they  were  inclined  to  oppose  the  plan.  The 
custom,  however,  is  now  universal,  and  the  benefits 
accruing  to  all  classes  thereby  is  now  generally  acknow- 
ledged. 

Mr.  Gage  is  fond  of  recreation  and  outdoor  sports, 
and  is  the  father  of  the  Washington  Park  Club.  He 
opened  his  new  hotel,  the  Wellington,  in  the  fall  of  1890, 
and  in  doing  so  assumed  a  line  of  duty  for  which  he  is 
eminently  fitted,  both  as  a  man  and  a  manager.  The 


236 

Wellington's  great  success  is  unquestionably  due  to  his 
personal  application  and  watchful  care.  He  is  a  busv 
man,  restless  and  active,  but  he  finds  time  always  to 
interrupt  his  busiest  hours,  and  give  audience  alike  to 
friend  and  stranger.  As  every  visitor  to  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  well  remembers,  the  family  of 
"Wellington"  restaurants  domiciled  in  various  parts  of 
the  "White  City"  constituted  a  prominent  feature  and 
ministered  most  successfully  to  the  wants  of  the  multi- 
tude. The  mind  of  Mr.  Gage  was  the  master  mind 
which  devised  these  adjuncts  to  the  Fair  and  which 
conducted  them  with  fairness  to  the  public  and  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  Exposition  inanagement.  He  was 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


married  June  2,  1864,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Hobbs,  of 
Pelham,  New  Hampshire,  the  home  of  his  ancestors 
for  generations. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Gage  is  a  Democrat  by  birth, 
choice  and  education.  He  has  never  sought  or  held 
office,  but  is  a  welcome  adviser  in  the  councils 
of  that  party.  He  is  yet  in  the  noontime  of  his  life, 
but  he  has  long  ago  forced  his  way  through  the  ranks 
of  the  many  and  become  one  of  the  successful  few,  a 
man  honored  and  respected,  whose  greatest  pride 
is  an  honest  consciousness  of  a  good  name,  and  whose 
love  of  home  and  of  friends  he  enjoys  as  a  valuable 
heritage. 


GEORGE  SCHNEIDER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  is  a  fine  represent- 
ative of  the  German  character,  and  stands  promi- 
nent among  the  leading  men  of  Chicago  as  a  journalist, 
an  officer  of  the  government,  a  banker  and  a  private 
citizen. 

A  native  of  Permaseus,  Rhenish  Bavaria,  he  was 
born  on  December  13th,  1823,  and  is  the  son  of  Ludwig 
Schneider  and  Josephine  (Schlick)  Schneider.  He 
received  his  earl\7  education  in  the  Latin  school  of  his 
native  place  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  one  entered  the 
field  of  journalism,  for  which  he  was  eminently  fitted 
both  by  nature,  inclination  and  ability. 

While  acting  in  this  capacity  he  took  a  most  active 
interest  in  the  revolution  of  Rhenish  Bavaria  against 
the  tyranny  of  the  Bavarian  Government,  and  he  was 
appointed  commissioner  for  several  districts  of  the  pro- 
visional government  and  rendered  most  efficient  service. 
When  the  revolt  was  suppressed,  by  the  assistance  of 
the  Prussians,  that  portion  of  the  insurgent  army  of 
which  Mr.  Schnieder  was  an  officer  passed  into  France, 
and  while  there  he  saw  that  the  hope  for  further  help 
in  the  attempted  revolution  was  vain,  so  he  concluded  ' 
to  leave  for  the  United  States,  and  arrived  in  New 
York  in  July,  1849,  his  only  capital  an  education, 
dauntless  courage  and  determination  to  succeed. 

He  first  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but  not  finding  a 
promising  field  he  pushed  westward  to  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
and  there,  with  his  brother,  who  had  also  shared 
the  ill  fortune  of  the  Rhenish  revolution,  started  the 
Neue  Zeit,  a  daily  German  paper,  with  liberal  anti- 
slavery  tendencies.  After  the  destruction  of  his 
establishment  by  fire  in  1850,  he  accepted  a  professor- 
ship of  foreign  languages  and  literature  in  a  college  at 
St.  Louis,  but  soon  removed  to  Chicago  and  began  the 
publication  of  the  Daily  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung,  which 
had  previously  been  published  as  a  weekly  paper.  He 
took  a  decided  stand  against  the  "Missouri  Compro- 
mise" in  1854,  and  he  was  of  a  small  company  who 
called  the  first  meeting  held  to  protest  against  the 


slavery-extending  scheme.  His  outspoken  opposition 
brought  upon  him  the  wrath  of  those  who  favored  the 
measure,  and  in  1856  an  unsuccessful  attack  was  made 
upon  his  office,  the  result  of  which  was  to  increase  the 
influence  of  the  paper  among  all  classes. 

This  opposition  to  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  anti- 
Nebraska  party,  which  afterwards  became  the  Repub- 
lican party.  At  the  convention  held  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  this  body  he  was  a  delegate,  and  notwithstanding 
the  efforts  of  the  "Know  Nothings"  to  secure  the 
repeal  or  modifications  of  the  naturalization  laws,  he, 
with  the  assistance  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  others, 
succeeded  in  incorporating  into  the  platform  of  the 
new  party  a  plank,  guaranteeing  that  the  rights  enjoyed 
by  foreign-born  citizens  should  not  be  disturbed,  a 
guarantee,  which  he,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Hon. 
John  M.  Palmer  and  other  Western  leaders,  succeeded 
in  having  incorporated  into  the  National  platform, 
adopted  by  the  Philadelphia  convention,  in  1856,  which 
nominated  John  C.  Fremont  for  President,  and  to 
which  convention  he  was  a  delegate  from  Illinois. 

From  1858  to  1860  he  strongly  advocated  the  nom- 
ination of  Hon.  Win.  H.  Seward  for  the  presidency, 
believing  him  to  be  the  most  available  man  for  that 
position  at  that  time ;  but  in  the  Republican  convention 
that  met  in  the  Chicago  wigwam,  and  to  which  he  was 
a  delegate,  he  found  the  followers  of  his  candidate  in 
the  minority.  Though  disappointed  he  promptly  and 
heartih'  supported  Mr.  Lincoln,  between  whom  and 
himself  a  warm  personal  friendship  existed. 

Immediately  after  his  inauguration  Mr.  Lincoln 
appointed  Mr.  Schneider  consul  to  Denmark,  with  the 
special  mission  of  enlightening  the  popular  sentiment 
of  northern  Europe  on  the  real  merits  of  the  contest 
between  the  United  States  Government  and  the  rebel- 
ious  South.  By  writing  and  freely  talking  with  the 
people,  he  accomplished  his  mission  satisfactorily.  Re- 
signing his  consulship  in  1862,  he  returned  to  Chicago, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


having  in  the  meantime  sold  his  interest  in  the 
Zritung.  He  was  next  appointed  collector  of  internal 
revenue  by  President  Lincoln,  and  for  four  years  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  his  office  with  fidelity  and  to  the 
entire  approval  of  the  Government.  During  his  ad- 
ministration he  introduced  and  strictly  adhered  to  the 
principles  that  are  known  as  "  civil  service  reform," 
selecting  the  men  he  needed  for  positions  of  trust  with 
reference  entirely  as  to  their  fitness  and  merit. 

After  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  he  was 
elected  president  of  the  State  Savings  Institution,  which 
under  his  management  soon  ranked  at  the  head  of  all 
financial  establishments  of  its  kind.  Disposing  of  his 
interest  in  this  institution  in  1871,  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  National  Bank  of  Illinois,  a  position  which 
he  still  holds.  This  institution  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  most  successful  banks  of  the  city,  and  it  is 
but  just  to  say  that  its  high  standing  is  due  to  the 
excellent  judgment,  prudence  and  popularity  of  its 
president. 

As  a  business  man  Mr.  Schneider  is  discerning,  con- 
scientious, cautious  and  conservative.  As  a  citizen,  his 
sympathies  are  always  on  the  side  of  good  order,  pro- 
gress and  improvement  and  in  every  relation  of  life  he 
is  uniformly  a  gentleman  of  honor,  loving  justice  and 
doing  right;  in  all  his  career  he  has  been  active  in  pro- 
moting the  interests  of  his  fellow-countrymen. 

In  1877  Mr.  Schneider  was  tendered  the  position  of 
United  States  minister  to  Switzerland  by  President 
Hayes,  but  declined  the  offer,  and  in  1880  was  elector 
at  large  on  the  Garfield  ticket.  He  was  for  several 
years  president  of  the  German  society  for  the  protec- 


239 

tion  of  immigrants  and  the  friendless  of  that  nationality, 
and  through  his  influence  a  bill,  providing  for  the  pro- 
tection of  immigrants  arriving  on  our  shores,  was 
passed  by  Congress.  Mr..  Schneider  was  a  prominent 
factor  in  the  management  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition.  He  was  a  charter  member  and  one  of  the 
directors,  and  as  a  member  of  the  ways  and  means,  the 
press  and  printing  and  the  agriculture  and  horticulture 
committees  contributed  materially  to  the  success  of  the 
Exposition. 

Mr.  Schneider  was  married  on  the  6th  of  June,  1853, 
to  Miss  Mathilda  Schloetzer,  daughter  of  Dr.  Schloet- 
zer,  who  was  government  physician  in  the  district  of 
Rhenish  Bavaria.  The  couple  have  an  interesting 
family  of  seven  children. 

Mr.  Schneider  was  pardoned  many  years  ago  for 
the  part  he  took  in  the  Eevolution  of  1849,  and  has 
revisited  the  home  and  scenes  of  his  boyhood,  which 
still  have  for  him  many  sacred  associations. 

It  is  the  lot  of  but  few  men  to  attain  the  high 
position  of  honor  and  distinction  which  Mr.  Schneider 
has  attained  ;  with  him  success  in  life  has  been  reached 
by  his  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and  a  heart  true  to 
every  manly  principle;  he  has  ne\-er  deviated  from 
what  his  judgment  would  indicate  to  be  right  and  hon- 
orable between  his  fellow-men  and  himself,  and  now, 
after  a  long  and  eventful  life,  he  can  look  back  on  the 
past  with  pride  and  enjoy  the  remaining  years  of  his 
life  with  the  consciousness  of  having  gained  for  himself, 
by  his  honorable,  straight-forward  career,  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  the  entire  community  in  which 
he  lives. 


EDWARD  S.  LACEY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EDWARD  S.  LACEY,  president  of  the  Bankers' 
National  Bank  of  Chicago,  is  a  native  of  Chili, 
Monroe  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was  born  on  November 
26, 1835.  to  Edward  D.  and  Martha  C.  Lacey.  When 
he  was  seven  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Michigan, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1843,  settled  in  Eaton  county, 
where  he  had  his  home  until  May  1,  1889.  His  father 
was  a  man  of  considerable  prominence  and  filled 
numerous  offices  of  trust.  His  grandfather,  Samuel 
Lacey,  was  an  orderly  sergeant  under  Gen.  LaFayette, 
and  major  of  a  Vermont  regiment  of  infantry  in  the 
War  of  1812. 

Young  Lacey  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  at  Olivet  College,  and.  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  became  a  salesman  in  a  general  store  at 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
twenty-one.  In  1857,  he  returned  to  Charlotte,  Mich., 
and  in  1861  was  elected  register  of  deeds,  which  office 
he  held  for  four  years.  In  1862,  he,  in  partnership 
with  Hon.  Joseph  Musgrave,  formerly  of  Ashland, 


Ohio,  established  a  private  bank,  which  was  succeeded 
in  1871  by  the  First  National  Bank  of  Charlotte,  of 
which  he  was  a  director  and  cashier,  and  of  which  he 
subsequently,  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Musgrave, 
became  president.  During  his  entire  connection  with 
this  bank,  he  was  its  active  manager. 

From  the  commencement  of  his  business  career, 
Mr.  Lacey  has  been  an  exceedingly  busy  man  and  has 
been  closely  identified  with  many  important  matters. 
He  was  a  director  in  the  Grand  River  Valley  Railroad 
company  from  its  organization  and  for  many  years  was 
its  treasurer.  In  1874  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Bagley  a  trustee  of  the  Michigan  Asylum  for  the  Insane 
and  held  that  office  six  years  when  he  resigned.  In 
1876  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention  at  Cincinnati,  and  from  1882  to  1884  served 
as  chairman  of  the  Republican  State  Committee  of  Mich- 
igan. As  the  first  mayor  of  the  city  of  Charlotte  he 
contributed  largely  to  its  system  of  public  improve- 
ments. 


240 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


In  1880  Mr.  Lacey  was  elected  to  Congress  from 
the  third  district  of  Michigan,  and  re-elected  in  1882; 
he  received  the  nomination  each  time  by  acclamation, 
and  in  each  instance  ran  far  ahead  of  his  ticket.  His 
desire  to  return  to  private  life  led  him  to  decline  a 
third  term  in  Congress,  but  in  1886  he  yielded  to  the 
solicitations  of  friends  and  became  a  candidate  for  the 
United  States  Senate,  but,  while  showing  strength  and 
popularity,  was  unsuccessful.  While  in  Congress  he 
took  a  prominent  part.  He  was  on  the  committee  on 
post-offices  and  post-roads,  and  also  on  that  of  coinage, 
weights  and  measures,  but  gave  his  attention  chiefly  to 
questions  of  finance  and  came  into  prominence  among 
students  of  monetary  matters  through  a  very  able 
speech  which  he  made  on  the  silver  question  in  the 
Forty-eighth  Congress.  Among  his  numerous  addresses 
on  financial  questions,  that  on  the  use  of  silver  as 
money,  before  the  American  Bankers'  Association  at 
Chicago  in  1885,  brought  him  into  special  prominence 
among  the  bankers  of  the  country. 

Recognizing  the  peculiar  fitness  for  the  position  on 
account  of  his  many  years  of  banking  experience  and 
familiarity  with  public  affairs,  Mr.  Lacey's  friends, 
comprising  prominent  citizens,  and  financiers  of  his  own 
State,  of  New  York  and  Chicago,  urged  his  appoint- 
ment by  the  Government  as  Comptroller  of  the  Cur- 
rency, and  upon  their  suggestion  the  office  was  ten- 
dered to  him  and  he  entered  upon  its  duties  May  1, 
1889.  His  predecessors  had,  without  exception,  been 
men  of  high  character  and  ability,  and  yet  it  may  be 
said  as  a  matter  of  simple  justice,  that  none  of  them 
more  thoroughly  mastered  the  details  of  the  office  than 
did  Mr.  Lacey.  His  administration  covered  one  of  the 
most  critical  periods  within  the  history  of  national 
banking  (the  Baring  failure  and  its  widespread  and 
disastrous  effect  upon  credits  and  securities),  and  to 
his  wise  judgment,  prudent  action  and  undaunted 
courage  in  the  management  of  the  banks  of  this  coun- 
try ^  business  interests  are  largely  indebted  for  the  fav- 
orable outcome.  It  is  a  matter  of  note  that,  in  his 


official  management,  Mr.  Lacey  always  made  a  per- 
sonal supervision  of  every  important  detail  a  para- 
mount duty.  In  relation  to  the  national  banks  of  the 
country  he  pursued  a  policy  both  vigorous  and  conser- 
vative, tending  always  toward  the  protection  of  the 
depositors  and  creditors,  and  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact 
that  his  policy  received  very  general  endorsement. 
He  carefully  studied  the  details  of  his  office  and  intro- 
duced many  reforms.  He  aimed  to  secure  every  pos- 
sible safeguard,  excercising  always  a  sound  discretion 
in  construing  such  restrictions  as,  owing  to  local  con- 
ditions, would  embarrass  and  annoy  bank  officers  and 
their  customers,  without  corresponding  benefits  to  the 
public. 

Mr.  Lacey  is  a  man  of  decided  convictions,  to 
which  he  is  faithfully  and  fearlessly  obedient.  His 
intrepid  integrity  is  universally  recognized.  While 
modest  and  unassuming  in  private  life,  he  becomes 
aggressive  in  an  emergency,  never  failing  to  have  per- 
fect command  of  his  best  faculties.  He  is  a  man  of 
attractive  personality,  and  by  his  courteous  manner 
and  manly  bearing  readily  makes  and  retains  friends. 
He  is  in  the  prime  of  life,  has  a  vigorous,  active  mind 
and  sound  physique,  and  dispatches  business  without 
fatigue. 

The  office  of  Comptroller  of  the  Currency  is  second 
only  in  importance  to  that  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury.  This  office  was  so  ably  and  satisfactorily 
filled  by  Mr.  Lacey,  coupled  with  the  enviable  national 
reputation  as  a  financier  previously  acquired,  that  his 
services  were  eagerly  sought  after  in  moneyed  centers. 
Several  large  banks  thus  located  made  him  attractive 
offers  to  take  the  presidency.  He  was,  however,  most 
attracted  by  Chicago  and  its  wonderful  possibilities ; 
hence,  on  June  30,  1892,  he  resigned  to  accept  the 
presidency  of  the  Banker's  National  Bank.  JrJis  suc- 
cessful achievements  and  conspicuous  abilities  give  the 
fullest  assurance  that  those  who  were  instrumental  in 
placing  him  in  control  of  its  affairs  and  interests  made 
no  mistake. 


H.   V.  BEM.IS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  is  the  son  of  a 
Baptist  minister  and  was  born  at  Center  Almond, 
Allegany  county,  N.  Y.,  October  11, 1832.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  young  Bemis  came  West  when 
about  eighteen  years  old.  After  a  few  years  engaged 
in  the  commission  business  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  he  came 
to  Chicago  in  1859  and  engaged  in  the  brewing  busi- 
ness with  Mr.  C.  E.  Downer.  They  had  a  very  pros- 
perous business,  and  six  years  later,  in  1865,  incorpor- 
ated under  the  laws  of  Illinois,  and  were  known  for 
many  years  as  the  Downer  &  Bemis  Brewing  Co. 
Mr.  Bemis  continued  with  the  company,  owning  the 


largest  interest  in  the  establishment,  until  April  14, 
1884,  when  he  sold  out  to  John  H.  McAvoy  and  others 
and  entirely  severed  his  connection  with  the  brewing 
business.  In  the  meantime,  in  1881,  he  bought  an 
interest  in  the  firm  of  John  Garden  &  Sons,  and  be- 
came the  president  of  the  reconstructed  Bemis  & 
Garden  Malting  Co.  After  a  time  he  bought  the  en- 
tire business  and  plant,  and  after  selling  a  portion  to 
his  brother.  D.  L.  Bemis,  and  to  Charles  II.  Curtis, 
formed  the  present  Bemis  &  Curtis  Malting  Company, 
a  large  and  flourishing  institution.  Mr.  Bemis  has 
long  taken  a  great  interest  in  horses  and  has  been 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


24I 


prominent  among  those  addicted  to  the  pleasures  of 
the  turf.  He  was  at  one  time  sole  owner  of  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Chicago  Driving  Park  Association,  which 
however,  he  sold  in  1882. 

In  1884  he  bought  the  Chicago  Horseman,  a  journal 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  horse  breeding  and  their 
development  on  the  track,  organizing  the  Chicago 
Horseman  Newspaper  Co.  He  became  editor-in- 
chief  of  the  paper,  which  has  made  a  very  credit- 
able record  and  is  regarded  as  authority  in  its  chosen 
field.  He  was  also  elected  president  of  the  above- 
named  publishing  company. 

Mr.  Bemis  has  been  prominent  in  a  good  many  im- 
portant enterprises,  but  his  persistent  energy  and 
superior  ability  have  been  more  conspicuously  demon- 


strated, perhaps,  than  in  other  directions  in  the  con- 
struction and  operation  of  the  Richelieu  hotel.  This 
house  was  opened  in  1885  and  has  since  been  considered 
as  one  of  the  finest  and  best  managed  hotels  in  Chicago, 
and  enjoys  the  patronage  of  many  of  the  most  prom- 
inent people. 

When  he  first  came  to  Chicago,  in  1859,  Mr.  Bemis 
became  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  still,  with 
commendable  pride,  holds  his  original  membership 
ticket,  for  which  he  paid  fifteen  dollars.  It  is  signed 
by  J.  S.  Rumsey,  as  president  and  Seth  Catlin  as  sec- 
retary. Mr.  Bemis  is  very  popular  with  his  largecircle 
of  acquaintances,  and  is  strong  in  his  social  character- 
istics. Among  other  society  connections,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Iroquois  Club. 


ALBERT  TRACY   LAY, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


IN  the  development  of  the  great  Northwest  those  early 
pioneers  who  first  settled  and  developed  the  tim- 
ber districts,  thereby  making  possible  the  wonderful 
growth  and  progress  of  the  prairie  States  are  entitled 
to  great  credit.  In  this  development  none  are  entitled 
to  greater  credit  than  is  the  house  and  individual  mem- 
bership of  Hannah,  Lay  &  Co.,  to  whom  especially  the 
State  of  Michigan  is  so  greatly  indebted,  and  who 
since  1850,  has  greatly  increased  the  development  of 
that  vast  region  on  Lake  Michigan. 

Albert  Tracy  Lay,  of  this  firm,  was  born  at 
Batavia,  N.  Y.,  June  18,  1825.  His  father  represented 
his  district  in  Congress  from  1832  to  1836.  Albert 
was  educated  at  a  private  school,  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  took  a  clerkship  in  a  country  dry-goods  store, 
where  he  continued  for  eight  years,  when,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-four,  in  October  of  1849,  he  came  to  Chicago, 
and  began  operations  in  the  lumber  trade,  associating 
himself  with  Perry  Hannah,  a  clerk  of  Jacob  Beidler, 
and  James  Morgan,  an  English  capitalist.  In  1850 
the  firm  of  Hannah,  Lay  &  Company  was  estab- 
lished, and  in  that  year  they  opened  a  yard  at  the 
corner  of  Canal  and  Adam  streets,  where  they 
remained  for  ten  years.  In  I860  the  firm  removed  to 
a  location  south  of  12th  street,  where  the}7  remained 
in  the  wholesale  lumber  business  until  the  final 
withdrawal  in  1889.  In  1851  the  firm  bought  a  small 
water  saw-mill  at  Grand  Traverse,  Mich.,  which 
had  been  built  in  1848  by  Captain  Bordman,  of  Napier- 
ville,  111.,  and  which  had  a  capacity  for  cutting  from 
two  to  three  thousand  feet  per  day  of  twelve  hours. 
Later  they  remodeled  this  and  erected  a  steam  saw  mill, 
which  contained  two  mulay  saws  and  a  siding  mill, 
which  cut  to  the  capacity  of  10,000  feet  per  day  of 
twelve  hours.  In  1857  the  firm  built  a  second  mill, 
which  contained  two  circular  saws,  and  a  few  years 
later  remodeled  the  mill  and  removed  one  circular  and 


substituted  therefor  a  "  pony  gang."  About  1868  they 
built  another  mill  at  Long  Lake,  seven  miles  from 
Traverse  City,  in  which  they  placed  a  circular  and 
gang.  The  lumber  from  this  mill  was  prepared  in 
winter  and  shipped  the  following  season  to  Traverse 
City.  In  1875-6  they  erected  at  the  latter  place  a 
planing  mill,  shingle  mill  and  dry  kiln.  Later  on  they 
purchased  the  canal  boat  "  J.  D.  Beale,"  re-christened 
her  the  "Albert,"  and  had  the  name  of  thefirm  painted, 
on  both  sides  of  the  entire  length  of  the  boat.  She  was 
run  on  the  Michigan  and  Illinois  canal  between  Chicago 
and  Naples.  From  the  time  of  purchasing  the  little 
water  mill  in  1850,  the  firm  had  gotten  an  accumulation 
of  timber  lands,  from  first  to  last  aggregating  between 
fifty  and  sixty  thousand  acres.  The  amount  of  timber 
they  cut  in  their  forty  years  of  operation  was  estimated 
at  275,000,000,  feet,  up  to  1889. 

For  many  years  after  the  firm  began  operations  in 
1851,  the  country  around  Traverse  was  almost  wholly 
unsettled,  and  between  the  mouth  of  the  Muskegon 
river  and  Traverse  Bay  there  were  only  three  small 
mills,  one  at  Marquette,  one  at  Hamlin  and  one  at  Man- 
istee.  In  1853  Mr.  Hannah,  having  occasion  to  come 
to  Chicago,  took  the  method  of  coming  on  snow-shoes, 
and  at  night,  the  Bough  House  providing  for  his  shel- 
ter. In  the  same  year  Mr.  Lay  went  to  Washington 
and  secured  the  establishment  of  a  post  route  to  Croton 
in  Newaygo  county,  and  another  to  Manistee  and  Trav- 
erse City.  His  offer  of  $400  for  carrying  the  mail 
weekly  pn  the  latter  route  was  accepted.  This  was 
the  first  mail  route  north  of  Manistee,  and  in  fact  to 
any  city  north  of  Traverse,  except  Ojibaway  Mission 
at  "  Old  Mission  "  on  the  west  shore.  Upon  their  ad- 
vent in  Traverse  City  the  firm  established  a  small 
supply  store  in  a  log  building.  A  year  later,  in  1852. 
they  erected  a  frame  store,  for  the  purpose  of  supply- 
ing the  community  with  the  living  necessities. 


242 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


In  1853  Mr.  Lay  was  a  candidate  for  the  State  Leg- 
islature from  his  district,  but  was  defeated  by  "  King" 
Strang.  In  the  same  year  the  county  of  Grand  Trav- 
erse was  organized  by  Judge  Martin  (afterwards  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  that  State)  who  came 
from  Manistee  to  try  a  criminal  for  the  murder  of  his 
own  child.  He  took  steps  fora  deputy  government,  and 
Mr.  Lay  was  made  the  sheriff  of  the  new  county, 
school  inspector,  and  filled  other  deputy  offices.  At 
the  trial  for  murder,  owing  to  the  absence  of 
a  jail,  the  murderer  was  chained  to  the  posts 
of  the  mill,  and  the  employes  had  to  be  brought  in 
from  the  woods  to  form  a  jury.  The  trial  was  a 
short  one,  and  the  criminal  was  sentenced  for  life  to 
the  penitentiary. 

Hannah,  Lay  &  Company  may  be  said  to  have  been 
for  years  the  whole  of  the  "North  Shore."  From  1852 


to  1857  Mr.  Lay  made  Traverse  City  his  home,  looking 
after  the  business  there,  while  Mr.  Hannah  attended  to 
the  Chicago  business  in  the  summer.  After  1857  Mr. 
Hannah  took  charge  at  Traverse,  and  Mr.  Lay  remained 
at  Chicago.  The  members  of  this  pioneer  firm  have 
seen  great  changes  since  they  came  to  the  cities  by  the 
great  lake.  Chicago,  from  a  population  of  a  few 
thousand,  has  grown  to  a  city  of  a  million  and  a  half 
or  more,  and  Traverse  from  a  saw  mill  to  a  flourishing 
town  of  6,000  people.  It  has  two  banks,  six  hotels, 
electric  lights,  a  water  supply  system,  and  a  large  flour 
mill,  and  is  an  enterprising  and  growing  city. 

Mr.  Lay,  as  will  be  seen,  is  a  man  of  great  enter- 
prise, and  has  become  extensively  known  in  Chicago 
and  throughout  the  West.  He  was  married  in  1855  to 
Miss  Catharine  E.  Smith,  daughter  of  Eev.  Lucius 
Smith,  and  has  three  daughters. 


ELIAS  F.  GOBEL, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ELIAS  F.  GOBEL  was  born  in  Morris  county, 
N.  J.,  on  July  1, 1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Margaret  (Martin)  Gobel.  His  father  was  a  farmer 
and  also  a  carpenter,  and  worked  at  his  trade  when 
not  engaged  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Gobel  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  lose  his  mother  when  he  was  but  one  year  old, 
she  dying  August  30, 1835.  In  1844  his  father  removed 
to  the  West  and  located  at  Elgin,  111.,  where  he  died  in 
1850. 

Elias  received  a  common  school  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Elgin,  attending  school  till  he  was 
old  enough  to  take  care  of  himself.  He  then  learned 
the  mason's  trade,  and  not  only  became  a  skillful 
workman  in  that  line,  but  also,  by  careful  study  and 
hard  work,  become  thoroughly  versed  in  the  various 
branches  and  details  of  building.  After  serving  three 
years  as  an  apprentice  he  was  employed  by  the  old 
Galena  Railroad  Company,  now  the  Chicago  and 
Northwestern,  as  superintendent  of  construction  of 
nearly  all  of  the  arch  bridges  on  the  line  between  Chi- 
cago and  Freeport,  and  made  for  himself  a  fine 
reputation. 

His  next  great  work  was  the  construction  of  the 
approaches  and  piers  for  the  second  bridge  that 
spanned  the  Mississippi  river  at  Clinton,  Iowa.  He 
also  erected  the  stone  shops  at  the  same  place.  The 
successful  completion  of  this  great  work  placed  Mr. 
Gobel  in  the  front  rank  of  contractors  in  mason  work. 
At  that  time,  1861,  he  was  also  superintendent  of  con- 
struction for  the  Iowa  division  of  the  Northwestern 
Railroad,  and  remained  in  the  employ  of  that  company 
until  1865,  when  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
for  two  years. 

Commercial  life,  however,  was  not  suited  to  his 
taste,  and  closing  out  his  business  in  1867,  he  removed 


with  his  family  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home,  and  at  once  entered  the  employ  of  the  city 
as  inspector  and  superintendent  of  masonry.  In  1868 
he  superintended  the  construction  of  the  Washington 
street  tunnel,  and  two  years  later  the  La  Salle  street 
tunnel.  This  work  being  completed  in  August,  a  short 
time  previous  to  the  great  fire  of  1871,  he  commenced 
business  on  his  own  account  as  a  general  contractor 
and  builder,  and  many  monuments  of  his  work  may  be 
seen  in  various  parts  of  Chicago.  His  first  contract 
was  on  the  Clark  street  bridge,  where  his  derricks  and 
all  his  tools  were  burned  in  the  great  fire.  After  that 
calamity  he  rebuilt  the  masonry  work  for  all  the 
bridges  on  the  river,  excepting  one  or  two.  He  also 
rebuilt  for  the  city  a  great  many  police  stations, 
engine  houses,  many  viaducts  and  other  public  struc- 
tures. Among  these  were  the  West  Side  water  works, 
the  Fullerton  Avenue  and  South  Branch  pumping 
works,  the  Lake  crib — a  marvel  of  masonry- — the 
Administration  building,  Cook  County  Hospital,  the 
Polk,  Lake  and  Twelfth  street  viaducts',  the  Mer- 
chants' building,  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Semin- 
ary, the  Women's  and  Children's  Hospital,  McCoy's 
European  Hotel,  and  scores  of  other  buildings  of  more 
or  less  prominence  in  other  cities.  He  has  built  the 
new  State  House  at  Indianapolis  and  many  fine  gov- 
ernment buildings  in  many  parts  of  the  country.  His 
last  great  structure  is  the  new  post-office  and  custom 
house  building  at  Detroit,  Mich. 

Mr.  Gobel  is  a  director  in  the  Pioneer  Fire-Proof 
Construction  Company  ;  also  the  Peerless  Brick  Com- 
pany at  Ottawa,  111.,  and  owns  large  interests  in  other 
prominent  corporations.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club,  is  a  Mason  in  good  standing,  and  belongs 
to  Fort  Dearborn  Lodge  of  I.  O.  O.  F. 


• 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WE£.1\ 


245 


In  religious  matters  he  is  a  member,  with  his 
family,  of  the  People's  church,  Dr.  II.  W.  Thomas, 
pastor,  and  is  liberal  in  his  views.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  adhering  to  party  lines  in  general  politics, 
but  in  local  matters  he  supports  the  man  whom  he 
deems  best  suited  to  fill  the  office,  regardless  of  party. 
He  is  also  a' member  of  the  Builders'  and.  Traders' 
Exchange,  and  Master  Masons'  Association. 

Mr.  Gobel  was  married  in  1856,  and  has  four 
children  — Estella  G.,  Harry  E.,  Hattie  M.  and 
Charley  G. 

Mr.  Gobel  is  of  medium  height,  fair  complexion, 
robust  build  and  commanding  presence.  He  is  liberal 


and  generous  without  ostentation,  and  a  man  of  noble 
qualities  of  heart  and  mind.  He  gives  liberally  to  all 
charitable  and  benevolent  institutions,  while  his  private 
charities  are  great.  Having  for  many  years  a  large 
number  of  men  in  his  employ,  he  has  been  kind,  cour- 
teous and  liberal  with  them,  and  has  their  fullest  con- 
fidence and  esteem. 

Mr.  Gobel  is  widely  known  and  highly  appreciated 
by  the  business  public  as  a  man  of  sterling  character, 
honest  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow- 
men.  By  his  energy,  perseverance  and  fine  business 
ability  he  has  been  enabled  to  secure  an  ample 
fortune. 


GEORGE  F.  BISSELL, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


GEO.  F.  BISSELL,  the  Western  manager  of  the 
Hartford  Fire  Insurance  Company,  is  one  of 
the  best  known  fire  underwriters  of  the  country. 
He  became  a  resident  of  Chicago  in  1861,  and  since 
1863,  a  period  of  nearly  thirty-one  years,  he  has  been 
the  resident  manager  of  this  company.  When  he  came 
to  this  city  as  assistant  manager,  he  was  connected 
with  the  only  department  office  of  a  fire  insurance 
company  in  Chicago  or  the  Northwest.  He  has  re- 
mained in  the  profession  until  Chicago  has  become  the 
second  insurance  centre  in  this  country — there  being 
at  the  present  time  no  less  than  forty-four  managing 
offices  here.  Mr.  Bissell  erected  for  the  company  he 
represents  the  first  fire  insurance  building  in  Chicago, 
in  the  year  1864,  it  being  on  La  Salle  street  near  the 
tunnel.  This  building  went  down  in  the  great  fire  of 
1871,  and  with  it  the  company  lost  $1,950,000.  Within 


four  months  under  Mr.  Bissell's  vigorous  labors,  this 
immense  sum  in  losses  was  adjusted,  and  paid;  and  a 
new  insurance  building  erected  on  the  ruins  of  the  old. 
Since  coming  to  Chicago  he  has  done  his  part  as  a 
public-spirited  citizen  and  has  been  connected  with  va- 
rious public  movements,  and  prominent  in  benevolent 
and  philanthropic  work.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  Chicago's  most  representative  club,  the  Union 
League,  serving  several  terms  on  its  board  of  manage- 
ment and  on  the  committee  on  political  action;  and 
being  elected  as  its  president  in  18S9.  While  past  the 
age  of  sixty,  he  is  still  a  constant  and  hard-working 
member  of  his  chosen  profession.  He  is  a  man  of 
great  force  of  character,  possesses  an  analytical  mind 
and  is  a  master  of  details  in  his  business.  Among  his 
associates  he  is  esteemed  alike  for  his  ability  and  for 
his  personal  worth  of  character. 


JOHN    B.  BARRETT, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


JOHN  B.  BARRETT,  son  of  Edward  and  Bedelia 
Barrett,  was  born  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  June  21, 
1837.  Being  denied  the  privileges  of  an  extended 
education,  he  attended  the  public  school  at  Auburn  for 
a  time.  His  great  fondness  for  bocks,  which  he  dili- 
gently read  at  all  opportunities,  helped  him  to  make 
up  for  lost  time  in  school. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  went  to  sea,  as  a 
sailor,  and  rapidly  rose  in  the  profession  until  he 
became  an  able  seaman.  In  a  storm  off  the  coast  of 
Chile,  during  which  several  of  the  crew  were  lost,  he 
was  severely  injured  by  a  fall  from  the  mast  head,  and 
this  changed  the  whole  current  of  his  life.  For  two 
years  he  lay  in  a  hospital  in  San  Francisco,  suffering 
from  his  unfortunate  fall.  When  he  became  suffi- 


ciently recovered  to  leave  the  hospital,  he  came  to 
Chicago,  and  sought  and  found  employment  here.  He 
first  became  a  member  of  the  fire  department,  and  a 
year  later  was  appointed  watchman  in  the  old  glass 
alarm  tower  which  surmounted  the  old  city  hall 
building.  When  improvements  in  the  new  methods 
displaced  the  old  fire-alarm  method,  and  Chicago 
adopted  the  electrical  system,  with  telegraphy  as  an 
adjunct  for  more  complete  communication,  he  was 
appointed  to  the  position  of  batteryman  and  assistant 
operator.  With  his  usual  energy  he  set  himself  at 
work,  and  by  constant  and  earnest  application,  in  a 
comparatively  short  time  made  himself  an  operator  as 
well  as  a  first-class  battervman.  His  whole  heart  was 
in  his  work,  and  it  was  but  a  short  time  before  he 


246 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


was  enabled  to  see  where  improvements  could  be  made 
in  the  working  of  the  city  system,  and  many  of  which 
are  extremely  valuable.  He  invented  the  "joker," 
which  has  been  of  great  service,  and  to  him  Chicago 
is  indebted  for  the  police  patrol  system,  the  introduc- 
tion of  telegraphy  in  the  bridge  service,  for  the  under- 
ground system  and  for  street  lighting.  His  inventions 
have  not  been  confined  to  telegraph  service,  but  have 
had  a  wider  range,  and  he  has  secured  several  valuable 
patents. 

In  1876,  he  became  superintendent  of  the  Fire  and 
Police  Telegraph  on  the  retirement  of  E.  B.  Chandler. 
On  February  14,  1891,  he  was  appointed  chief  of  the 
department  of  electricity,  of  the  "World's  Columbian 
Exposition  and  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  elec- 
trical industries  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
During  the  Exposition  his  services  as  chief  electrician 


were  of  the  greatest  value,  and  he  added  to  his  fame  as 
a  man  of  original  ideas,  as  an  executive  officer  and  an 
electrical  expert. 

Mr.  Barrett  has  traveled  all  over  the  world,  and 
has  visited  most  of  the  States  of  the  Union.  In  politics 
he  is  liberal  and  has  held  his  office  continuously  during 
the  administration  of  mayors  of  both  parties. 

On  the  20th  day  of  April,  1868,  Mr.  Barrett  was 
married  to  Miss  Margaret  F.  D'Arcy.  Eight  children 
bless  the  union;  five  girls,  Margaret, Marion,  Gertrude, 
Florence  and  Genevieve;  and  three  boys,  John  P., 
Jr.,  Edward  and  D'Arcy.  In  appearance  Mr.  Barrett 
is  tall,  well  built  and  weighs  about  200  pounds.  He  is 
universally  esteemed  for  his  integrity,  his  open  and 
frank  nature,  and  in  his  business  relations  and  in  private 
life  has  sustained  a  manliness  of  character  that  have 
won  him  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  many  friends. 


WILLIAM  S.  FORREST, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MUCH  interest  attaches  to  the  name  and  career  of 
William  S.  Forrest.  His  conduct  of  many 
celebrated  cases,  tried  in  the  Illinois  and  Iowa  courts, 
has  given  him  a  wide  reputation  as  a  successful  advo- 
cate. Mr.  Forrest's  soul  is  in  his  profession.  He  is 
devoted  to  the  law  and  brings  to  its  practice  the 
reserved  power  of  a  highly  educated  and  thoroughly 
trained  intellect. 

One  \v.ho  knows  Mr.  Forrest  well  says  that  his 
distinguishing  characteristics  are  indomitable  energy, 
the  ability  to  concentrate  his  faculties  upon  a  case  to 
the  exclusion  of  everything  else,  rare  powers  of  anal- 
ysis, a  full  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  law,  a  keen 
insight  into  the  motives  that  influence  and  control  men, 
and  the  art  of  so  presenting  a  subject  that  the  tribunal 
he  addresses,  whether  court  or  jury,  may  at  once  and 
without  effort  understand  and  comprehend  his  argu- 
ment. 

His  power  as  a  lawyer  grows  out  of  his  careful 
preparation  of  a  cause,  its  skillful  management,  his 
searching  cross-examination,  and  the  clearness,  force 
and  effectiveness  of  his  speech.  It  has  been  Mr. 
Forrest's  highest  ambition  to  excel  as  a  lawyer  and  to 
master  the  science  of  the  law ;  and  to  this  end,  with 
singleness  of  purpose  and  unwearied  industry,  he  has 
given  to  its  study  all  his  time  and  energies.  With 
what  fortune  he  has  thus  devoted  himself  to  his  chosen 
profession  the  successful  termination  of  manv  great 
trials  with  which  he  has  been  connected  bears  witness. 

A  resume  of  some  of  the  leading  cases  tried  by  a 
lawyer,  is  the  best  sketch  that  can  be  written  of  him, 
because,  in  the  end,  the  lawyer  must  be  estimated  by 
the  number,  character  and  magnitude  of  the  cases 
successfully  conducted  by  him. 

One  of  Mr.  Forrest's   first  cases  was   that  of  the 


People  versus  Charles  Schank,  who  was  charged  with 
the  murder  of  Fred.  Kandzia.  The  defense  relied 
upon  was,  that  the  cause  of  death  was  the  malpractice 
of  a  physician,  who  probed  the  wound  made  by  Schank's 
knife  in  Kandzia's  stomach.  Schank  was  acquitted. 

In  1893,  Mr.  Forrest  secured  the  acquittal  of  officer 
Slattery,  charged  with  the  murder  of  Edward  Dohoney. 
The  defense  was  two-fold ;  self-defense,  and  also  that 
the  cause  of  death  was  blood  poisoning,  caused  by  the 
malpractice  of  a  physician.  Thirteen  witnesses  testi- 
fied that  officer  Slattery,  while  in  a  rage,  and  with- 
out cause,  fired  upon  and  killed  Dohoney.  The  testi- 
mony of  these  thirteen  witnesses  was  overthrown  by 
the  evidence  furnished  by  the  direction  of  the  bullet, 
which  was  upward  through  the  body  of  the  deceased, 
showing  conclusively  that  Slattery  was  down,  as  con- 
tended by  Mr.  Forrest,  when  he  discharged  his  revol- 
ver. In  order  to  be  consistent  with  the  testimony  of 
these  witnesses,  the  range  of  the  bullet  should  have 
been  downward.  Against  Slattery  there  was  also 
introduced  a  dying  declaration,  prepared  and  sworn  to 
by  a  young  lawyer.  This  declaration  supported  the 
testimony  of  the  other  witnesses.  It  .was  argued  by 
Mr.  Forrest  that  this  dying  declaration  should  be 
rejected,  for  the  reason  that  the  perfect  construction  of 
its  sentences,  the  faultlessness  of  the  grammar  and 
the  elegance  of  its  diction,  proved  conclusively  that  it 
was  not  the  declaration  of  the  deceased,  an  unlettered 
teamster,  whose  language  was  distinguished  for  its 
slang  and  manifold  imperfections.  The  malpractice 
of  the  physician  consisted  in  removing  the  bandages 
put  upon  the  wound  by  an  experienced  surgeon,  and 
thrusting  an  unclean  probe  into  the  wound.  Such 
probing  necessarily  resulted  in  blood  poisoning,  it  was 
proved,  and  blood  poisoning  was  the  cause  of  death, 


V- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


249 


and  about  eighty-five  per  centum  of  gun  shot  wounds 
are  now  aseptic. 

Another  case,  which  up  to  the  day  of  its  ending 
probably  attracted  as  much  public  attention  as  any  ever 
tried  in  Illinois  is  the  Lamb  case.  Lamb  was  tried  for 
the  murder  of  policeman  Race.  The  theory  of  the 
prosecution  was,  that  Lamb  and  five  others  broke  into 
the  store  of  E.  S.  Jaffray  &  Co.,  stole  several  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  silks,  and  that,  while  endeavoring  to 
dispose  of  the  plunder,  one  of  the  thieves  killed  Race, 
in  order  to  prevent  their  arrest.  Lamb  and  his  co-de- 
fendants were  indicted  for  the  burglary  and  murder. 
Lamb  was  tried  first  for  the  murder  and  sentenced  to 
be  hanged.  An  appeal  was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  the  judgment  of  the  trial  court  was  reversed.  The 
opinion  delivered  in  reversing  this  judgment  is  the 
leading  case  now  in  the  United  States  as  to  the  extent 
of  the  liability,  criminally,  of  a  conspirator  for  the  act 
of  his  co-conspirator. 

After  the  reversal  of  this  judgment  Lamb  was  put 
on  trial  for  the  burglary  and  acquitted.  Again,  Lamb 
was  put  on  trial  for  the  murder,  and  this  time  was 
found  not  guilty.  In  all  these  trials  the  prosecution 
was  conducted  by  Luther  Laflin  Mills. 

In  the  Reeves,  and  the  Corcoran-McAbee  cases,  Mr. 
Forrest  showed  extraordinary  ability  as  a  cross-exam- 
iner. Reeves  was  charged  with  forgery  of  railroad 
tickets.  He  was  prosecuted  by  George  Ingham,  aided 
by  the  Pinkerton  agency  and  all  the  resources  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company.  The  indictment 
was  supported  by  the  printer  of  the  tickets,  and  the 
maker  of  certain  stamps,  used  on  the  tickets,  who  tes- 
tified that  they  were  hired  by  Reeves,  to  print  the 
tickets  and  to  make  the  stamps.  Yet,  with  only  the 
testimony  of  the  defendant,  unsupported  except  by 
the  results  of  a  well-directed  cross-examination,  the 
trial  ended  in  acquittal. 

Corcoran  and  McAbee  were  indicted  for  conspiracy 
to  elect  McAbee  alderman  of  one  of  the  wards  of 
Chicago  by  fraudulent  registration  and  illegal  voting. 
Four  men  turned  state's  evidence,  and  testified  that 
they  were  employed  by  Corcoran  and  McAbee  to 
register  and  to  vote  under  assumed  names  in  every 
precinct  of  the  ward.  It  was  proved  that  over 
300  fraudulent  votes  were  cast  by  these  four  men  and 
their  confederates.  Against  this  mass  of  evidence 
the  case  was  won,  to  use  the  language  of  the  Chicago 
Tribune,  "  by  the  most  exciting,  rapid,  brilliant  and 
crushing  cross-examination,  maintained  for  several 
days,  that  ever  occurred  in  Cook  county." 

The  McDonald  case  was  the  only  one  of  the 
"  Boodle  cases,"  against  the  Cook  county  commission- 
ers and  others,  tried  by  Mr.  Forrest,  and  it  was  the 
only  one  of  these  cases  that  resulted  in  the  discharge 
of  the  defendant.  This  case  was  won  in  the  Supreme 
Court,  the  trial  having  resulted  in  a  conviction.  In 
this  case  Mr.  Forrest  obtained  a  bill  of  particulars  in 


the  trial  court  and  a  reversal  of  the  judgment  in  the 
Supreme  Court  on  the  ground  that  the  evidence  was 
not  restricted  to  the  particulars  set  down  in  the  bill. 

Mr.  Forrest  also  successfully  defended  Wing  Lee,  a 
Chinaman,  on  the  charge  of  murder.  The  jury  disa- 
greed and  were  discharged  while  the  defendant  was  in 
his  cell.  On  this  ground,  a  motion  to  discharge  Wing 
Lee  from  custody  was  sustained. 

Mr.  Forrest's  conduct  of  the  Cronin  case  has  made 
his  name  a  household  word  wherever  newspapers  are 
read.  Without  hops  for  a  favorable  verdict  in  the 
first  trial,  and  undismayed  by  public  clamor,  he  so 
managed  the  defense,  that  never  for  a  moment  was 
there  any  doubt  in  his  mind  as  to  what  the  decision  of 
the  Supreme  Court  would  be.  It  is  conceded  now  that 
the  aim  of  the  counsel  for  the  defense  in  the  first  trial 
was  to  get  error  in  the  record  It  was  idle  to  labor 
for  a  verdict  of  not  guilty  at  that  time,  because  of  the 
determination  of  the  public  to  find  a  victim;  The 
reversal  of  the  judgment  by  the  Supreme  Court  that 
followed,  was  a  magnificent  tribute  to  the  foresight 
and  legal  abilities  displayed,  and  an.  adequate  compen- 
sation for  the  herculean  task,  involved  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  brief  and  the  argument  for  the  defense, 
which  a  distinguished  judge  has  pronounced  one  of 
the  greatest  arguments  ever  made  in  an  Illinois 
court. 

During  the  past  two  years  Mr.  Forrest's  practice 
has  consisted,  largely  in  the  prosecution  of  cases  for 
corporations. 

Recently  he  conducted  the  prosecution  of  two  crim- 
inals named  Robbard  and  Healey  in  Dubuque,  la.  These 
two  men  were  indicted  for  the  murder  of  a  watchman  of 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  Company. 
The  evidence  was  entirely  circumstantial.  The  theory 
of  the  prosecution  was  a  conspiracy  to  commit  robbery 
and  to  kill  any  officer  who  should  attempt  to  arrest 
them.  In  each  case  the  verdict  was  guilty.  Both  de- 
fendants were  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  life. 

The  defense  of  innocence,  the  conviction  of  crim- 
inals, the  exposure  of  fraud,  the  maintenance  of  rights 
and  the  defeat  of  wrongs, — these  are  the  occasions 
which  arouse  his  energies,  stimulate  his  faculties,  and 
furnish  scope  for  the  exhibition  of  Mr.  Forrest's  un- 
common powers  as  an  advocate. 

Although  known  to  the  public  chiefly  as  a  criminal 
lawyer,  he  is  now  concerned  in  as  many  civil  as  crimi- 
nal cases. 

Mr.  Forrest  was  born  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  July 
9,  1852.  He  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in 
the  class  of  1875.  His  legal  studies  were  begun  in 
Boston,  where  he  remained  for  three  years  in  the  office  of 
Gaston,  Field  &  Jewell,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  January,  1879.  In 
1879,  Mr.  Forrest  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Whitney, 
a  daughter  of  Melvin  Whitney,  of  New  York.  He  has 
three  children,  a  beautiful  home,  and  an  ideal  family. 


250 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 

JONATHAN  WILLIAM  BROOKS,  JR., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JONATHAN  WILLIAM  BROOKS,  JR.,  was  born 
J  September  6, 1847,  in  Norwich,  Conn.  He  is  the 
son  of  Dr.  Jonathan  W.  and  Delia  A.  (Gary)  Brooks, 
who  moved  to  College  Hill,  Ohio,  in  1851.  There  he  at- 
tended the  district  school  until  ten  years  old,  when  he 
entered  Farmers'  College  at  that  place,  in  which  he 
made  rapid  progress.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  had 
mastered  Virgil,  and  the  higher  mathematics  and 
natural  philosophy.  In  1861  his  father  removed  to 
Chicago,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  until  his  decease  in  July,  1892.  Young 
Brooks  spent  the  first  summer  after  the  removal  on  a 
farm,  working  for  five  dollars  per  month  and  his  board, 
and  in  the  fall  he  entered  the  old  Dearborn  school. 
He  began  in  a  lower  grade,  but  by  close  application 
advanced  from  class  to  class  ahead  of  his  companions, 
until  he  reached  the  master's  room,  where  he  graduated 
with  the  honors  of  the  class,  receiving  a  scholarship  in 
Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial  College,  worth  $50, 
for  the  first  prize.  His  average  for  the  last  year  in 
attendance,  deportment  and  studies  was  99  and  a  frac- 
tion over. 

His  desire  was  to  fit  himself  for  a  profession, 
but  a  lack  of  the  necessary  means  compelled  him  to 
abandon  his  purpose  and  turn  his  attention  to  a  busi- 
ness life.  He  entered  the  service  of  Messrs.  Burley  & 
Tyrrell  on  May  8, 1864,  as  office  boy,  at  a  small  weekly 
stipend,  but  was  advanced  from  time  to  time,  until  he 
reached  the  highest  position  in  their  office.  When  the 
fire  of  1871  destroyed  their  entire  business  and  they 
concluded  to  suspend,  it  seemed  a  good  opportunity  for 
Mr.  Brooks  to  commence  business  for  himself,  which 
he  accordingly  did  in  a  shanty  on  Michigan  avenue, 
where  he  began  the  business  of  importing  crockery  and 
glassware.  This  enterprise  has  so  grown  that  it  is  now 
the  largest  of  its  kind,  with  one  exception,  in  the  world. 


The  business  is  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Pitkin 
&  Brooks,  with  Mr.  Brooks  as  president.  He  is  also 
president  of  the  Hyde  Park,  Thompson  &  Houston 
Electric  Company  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Chi- 
cago Graphic. 

Socially.  Mr.  Brooks  occupies  a  high  position.  He 
has  a  pleasing  presence,  is  polished  in  conversation, 
refined  in  manner  and  genial  and  courteous  at  all 
times.  He  is  second  vice-president  of  the  Union  League 
Club,  is  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Ken- 
wood Institute,  president  t>f  the  Kenwood  Lawn  Ten- 
nis Club  and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Kenwood  Evan- 
gelical church.  In  1876  he  married  Miss  Mary  L. 
Raymond,  a  lady  of  sterling  worth  and  high  social 
standing,  by  whom  he  has  three  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

Mr.  Brooks  is  a  man  of  strong  religious  tendencies 
and  habits,  which  he  does  not  find 'incompatible  with 
social  enjoyments.  He  admires  fine  horses,  and  enjoys 
whist,  tennis,  and  dancing,  and  encourages  all  rational 
athletic  sports. 

In  no  sense  a  politician,  he  takes  the  interest  of  a 
conscientious  citizen  in  local  and  national  politics,  usu- 
ally adhering  to  the  principles  and  policy  of  the  Repub 
lican  party,  although  he  voted  for  Mr.  Cleveland, 
whose  views  touching  the  questions  of  tariff  and 
pensions  were  in  harmony  with  his  own. 

Such,  in  brief,  are  the  prominent  features  of  the  life 
of  one  who  is  recognized  among  the  prominent  men  of 
Chicago.  He  began  business  with  small  capital  and 
under  great  difficulties,  but  by  prompt  fulfillment  of 
every  obligation  and  by  industrious  application  and 
integrity  he  soon  became  prominent  in  commercial 
circles,  and  has  acquired  an  ample  fortune  by  the 
courageous  yet  prudent  extension  of  commercial  opera- 
tions and  by  rendering  to  every  man  his  due. 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN  AVER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  AYER,  son  of  Robert 
and  Louisa  (Sanborn)  Aver,  was  born  at  King- 
ston, Rockingham  county,  N.  H.,  April  22,  1825.  He 
is  of  the  old  New  England  family  of  Avers,  emigrated 
from  England  in  1637,  and  in  1645  settled  at  Ilaverhill, 
Mass.  Here  Benjamin's  father  was  born,  August  14. 
1791.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Sanborn,  of  Kingston,  N.  II.,  a  descendant  of  John 
Sanborn,  and  remotely  of  Rev.  Stephen  Batchekler, 
who  emigrated  from  Derbyshire,  England,  in  1632,  and 
on  the  settlement  of  Hampton,  N.  H.,  in  1638,  became 
the  first  minister  of  the  church  in  that  town.  Lewis 


Cass  and  Daniel  Webster  were  among  his  descendants. 
Young  Aver  was  prepared  for  college  at  the  Albanv 
Academy,  and  then  entered  Dartmouth  College,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1846.  He  spent  part  of  the 
next  three  years  in  the  law  department  of  Harvard 
University,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1849,  and  at 
once  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Manchester, 
N.-  H.,  where  he  soon  came  to  be  known  as  a  conscien- 
tious, painstaking  and  successful  lawyer.  His  fellow- 
citizens  appreciating  his  abilities,  elected  him  in  1853 
to  the  legislature,  and  the  following  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed prosecuting  attorney  for  Hillsborough  county, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


251 


N.  H.,  and  held  that  office  until  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
in  1857.  On  the  15th  of  May,  in  that  year,  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  Illinois.  His  ability  soon 
found  recognition,  and  it  was  but  a  short  time  before 
he  held  a  leading  position  at  the  Chicago  bar.  From 
1861  to  1865  he  was  corporation  counsel  for  the  city 
of  Chicago,  and  was  the  author  of  the  revised  city 
charter  of  1863. 

Soon  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  corporation 
counsel,  Mr.  Aver  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Beckwith,  Ayer  &  Kales,  and  while  engaged  in  the 
general  practice  of  his  profession  gave  his  attention 
largelv  to  the  law  governing  corporations,  and  in  that 
branch  of  law  had  and  still  has  few  equals.  His 
success  in  the  management  of  corporate  matters,  in- 
volving the  law  governing  railroads,  brought  him  into 
special  prominence,  and,  although  he  had  a  large  and 
constantly  growing  practice,  he  was  induced  in  1876 
to  give  it  up  and  become  general  solicitor  for  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  of  which  he  was 
made  a  director  one  year  later.  Since*  January  1, 
1890,  he  has  been  the  general  counsel  of  this  company. 
The  following  tribute  from  a  brother  attorney  who 
knows  him  intimately  is  a  truthful  characterization  : 

"  Benjamin  F.  Ayer  has  stood  in  the  first  rank  of 
lawyers  in  Chicago  for  more  than  thirty  years. 
Nothing  has  been  allowed  to  divert  him  from  his  pro- 
fession. He  never  relies  on  others  to  do  his  work! 
every  question  is  investigated  until  the  subject  is 
exhausted.  While  not  controlled  by  precedents,  he 
personally  examines  every,  case  where  the  subject  has 
been  involved,  in  order  to  extract  the  principles  appli- 
cable to  the  matter  in  hand.  A  most  noticeable  quality 
is  his  ability  to  make  a  connected  and  logical  statement 
to  the  court.  This  is  done  in  language  that  cannot  be 
misunderstood  and  when  presented  orally  it  is  with  a 
clear  voice  and  appropriate  emphasis,  giving  the 
greatest  pleasure  to  the  listener.  The  manner  is  one 
of  honesty  and  candor,  which  leaves  no  room  for  doubt 
as  to  his  own  convictions.  He  has  always  had  the 
credit  of  sincerity  with  the  court,  stating  facts  in  a 
conservative  way  and  reserving  nothing,  regardless  of 


the  effect  upon  his  case.  He  has  always  endeavored  to 
aid  the  courts  in  arriving  at  correct  conclusions  both 
as  to  facts  and  law,  believing  that  the  highest  duty  of 
a  lawyer  is  to  see  that  justice  is  done.  In  short,  he 
commands  the  confidence  and  respect  of  judges  and 
lawyers  and  as  a  citizen  is  without  reproach." 

He  is  clear,  logical  and  concise  as  a  speaker,  and, 
without  any  attempt  at  oratorical  display,  his  addresses 
seldom  fail  to  carry  conviction.  His  seriousness,  sin- 
cerity and  conservatism  enter  into  everything  that  he  • 
does,  and  these,  combined  with  his  wide  range  of  legal 
learning,  and  ready  use  of  pure  English,  make  him  a 
power  before  either  court  or  jury.  Mr.  Ayer  is,  withal, 
a  man  of  rare  modesty,  and,  while  inclined  to  reticence, 
is  a  most  entertaining  and  agreeable  companion.  His 
years  of  varied  experience,  his  knowledge  of  general 
literature,  his  observations  of  men  and  events,  and  his 
constant  endeavor  to  keep  himself  in  touch  with  the 
trend  of  current  thought,  combined  with  his  courteous 
manner  and  gentlemanly  bearing,  win  for  him  universal 
respect,  and  make  him  especially  popular  in  his  wide 
circle  of  friends. 

He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  American 
Bar  Association,  and  has  been  president  of  the 
Chicago  Bar  Association.  In  1878,  his  alma  mater 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  In  1889  he 
helped  to  organize  the  association  known  as  Sons  of 
New  Hamphshire,  and  for  two  years  served  as  its 
president.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Club,  the 
Chicago  Literary  Club,  and  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  and  since  1879  has  been  president  of  the 
Western  Railroad  Association.  In  stature,  Mr.  Ayer 
is  a  little  less  than  six  feet  in  height,  well  proportioned. 
He  has  a  well  balanced  head  and  blue  eyes,  with 
features  strong,  clear  cut  and  regular,  and  his  whole 
bearing  is  indicative  of  a  cultured  and  high-minded 
gentleman.  In  1868,  Mr.  Ayer  married  Miss  Janet 
A.  Hopkins,  daughter  of  Hon.  James  C.  Hopkins,  of 
Madison,  Wis.,  who  was  United  States  district  judge 
for  the  western  district  of  Wisconsin.  They  have 
four  children,  Walter,  Mary  Louisa,  Janet  and  Mar- 
garet Helen. 


DANIEL  J.  AVERY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  in  Brandon 
Vt.,  on  the  1st  of  December,  1836.  His  grand- 
father, Daniel  Avery,  came  to  Brandon  from  Norwich, 
Conn.,  about  the  year  1790.  He  belonged  to  the 
original  family  of  his  name  who  immigrated  from 
England  and  took  up  their  abode  near  New  London, 
Conn.  They  are  the  lineal  descendants  of  the  famous 
Sir  William  Avery,  who  was  knighted  for  courage  upon 
the  battle-field  by  William  the  Conqueror.  Mr.  Avery, 
through  his  paternal  grandmother,  is  a  descendant,  in 


the  seventh  generation,  of  John  Alden  and  Priscilla 
Mullins.  His  maternal  grandmother  was  one  of  the 
well-known  family  of  Congdons,  of  Providence,  R.  I. 
During  the  American  Revolution  the  Averys  were 
staunch  rebels,  as  will  be  evidenced  by  the  inscription 
on  the  monument  erected  by  the  State  of  Connecticut 
to  the  memory  of  those  patriots  who  fell  in  the 
massacre  at  Fort  Griswold  on  the  6th  of  September, 
1781.  When  the  British,  under  command  of  the 
traitor,  Benedict  Arnold,  burned  the  towns  of  New 


252 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


London  and  Groten,  among  the  eightj'-five  who  fell  in 
the  massacre  there  were  nine  Averys,  all  members  of 
the  same  family,  their  names  being  Daniel,  Elijah, 
Ebenezer,  Solomon,  Jasper,  Elisha,  David,  Christopher 
and  Thomas  A  very. 

The  father  of  Daniel  J.  Avery  removed  from  Ver- 
mont to  Lake  county,  Illinois,  in  1843,  when  the  latter 
was  in  his  seventh  year.  Here  he  lived  until  he  went 
to  Waukegan,  where  he  attended  the  academy  of  which 
.Judge  Francis  E.  Clark  was  the  principal.  In  school  he 
was  studious,  apt  and  eager  to  learn,  and  there  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  success  and  triumph  of  his  later 
years. 

After  leaving  the  academy  he  settled  in  Chicago  in 
1857,  and  entering  the  office  of  Judge  James  B.  Brad- 
well,  began  the  study  of  Jaw,  living  in  the  family  of 
the  latter  for  a  year.  He  was  a  diligent  student,  and 
by  constant  and  continued  hard  study  acquired  a 
superior  knowledge  of  the  law,  which  enabled  him,  in 
1859,  to  pass  a  most  satisfactory  examination  before 
the  Hon.  Ebenezer  Peck,  Judge  Corydon  Beckwith  and 
the  Hon.  Norman  B.  Judd.  He  was  recommended  by 
them  to  the  supreme  court,  by  which  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  his  license  being  signed  by  Judges  John  B. 
Caton,  Sidney  Breeze  and  P.  H.  "Walker. 

From  1859  to  1862,  Mr.  Avery  enjoyed  a  large  share 
of  professional  business.  When  the  Civil  War  broke 
out  he  responded  to  the  call  of  patriotism,  and  enlisted 
in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Eegi- 
ment,  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantnr,  in  which  he  served 
with  courage  and  distinction,  being  in  the  battles  of 
Chickasaw  Bluff,  under  Sherman  in  December,  1862, 
and  Arkansas  Post,  January,  1863,  where,  from  con- 
tinued exposure  and  privations  his  health  failed,  and  he 
was  sent  to  Lawson  Hospital,  at  St.  Louis,  where  on 
account  of  serious  illness  he  was  compelled  to  remain 
until  October,  1863,  at  which  time  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge. 

Upon  his  return  to  Chicago  he  resumed  the  practice 
of  law  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Eben  F.  Eunyan 
on  March  1,  1864.  The  extensive  practice  of  the  firm 
increasing  very  rapidly,  Mr.  E.  F.  Comstock  and  Mr. 
M.  B.  Loomis  were  admitted  to  partnership  in  1868. 
During  the  succeeding  five  years,  Mr.  Avery  conducted 
the  chancery  department  of  the  firm  and  in  1880  was 
appointed  master  in  chancery  of  the  superior  court  of 


Cook  count\r,  which  position  he  retained  by  reappoint- 
ment  for  seven  years.  Mr.  A  very 's  career  at  the  bar 
has  been  eminently  successful,  and  he  is  ranked  among 
the  leading  men  of  Chicago.  In  politics  he  has  always 
been  a  zealous  Eepublican,  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
campaigns  and  promoting  the  interests  of  his  party  by 
word  and  example.  He  was  for  five  years  a  member 
of  the  Cook  county  Eepublican  central  committee  and 
for  one  year  its  chairman. 

He  is  one  of  the  prominent  Masons  of  the  country, 
lie  was  initiated  in  Hesperia  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.. 
and  served  three  years  as  its  worshipful  master,  and 
has  been  district  deputy  grand  marshal  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  for  the  Second  district  of  Illinois  for  eighteen 
years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Washington  Chapter, 
E.  A.  M.,  Apollo  Commandery,  of  Oriental  Consistory, 
A.  A.  S.  E.  and  co-ordinate  bodies,  and  of  Medina 
Temple  of  the  M}rstic  Shrine.  In  1874  he  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  Northwestern  Masonic  Aid 
Association  of  Chicago,  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
president  the*same  year  and  has  been  re-elected  each 
succeeding  year  since.  Mr.  Avery  discontinued  the 
practice  of  law  in  1887,  when  the  business  of  the 
above-named  association  had  increased  to  such  propor- 
tions that  the  board  of  trustees  demanded  that  he 
should  devote  his  entire  time  to  its  interests,  so  success- 
ful had  he  been  in  its  management.  Since  then  he  has 
confined  himself  to  this  work,  in  which  he  has  met 
with  phenomenal  success. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League,  Illinois  and 
Acacia  clubs  of  this  city  in  which  he  is  popular.  Mr. 
Avery  has  traveled  extensively  throughout  the  United 
States,  having  visited  thirty-nine  of  them  either  on 
business  or  for  pleasure.  He  has  also  crossed  the  At- 
lantic, spending  two  months  traveling  through  the 
British  Islands  and  in  France. 

He  was  married  on  the  23rd  of  October,  1867,  to 
Miss  Mary  Comstock,  but  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
her  loss  five  years  later.  In  May,  1874,  he  married 
Miss  Kate  Ellis,  of  Colton,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Avery's  life  has  been  largely  spent  in  the  pro- 
motion of  interests  designed  for  the  relief  of  widows 
and  orphans  in  distress,  through  the  work  of  the 
Northwestern  Masonic  Aid  Association.  His  high 
character  and  sterling  integrit\'  as  a  man  have  won  for 
him  the  love  and  admiration  of  all  who  know  him. 


JOHN  GRIFFITHS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  GEIFFITHS,  sou  of  William  and  Margaret 
Griffiths,  was  born  on  the  3rd  day  of  April,  1846, 
on  their  farm  near  the  town  of  Woodstock,  Oxford 
county,  Ontario.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Canada.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
vears  he  learned  his  trade,  i.  c.,  that  of  a  mason.  He 
served  three  years  as  an  apprentice,  during  which  time 


his  course  of  training  was  a  most  rigid  one,  being 
tutored  by  the  best  skilled  mechanic  in  the  countrv. 
His  chosen  pursuit  was  well  to  his  adaptation,  as  is 
verified  from  the  rapid  progress  he  made  throughout 
his  apprenticeship,  coupled  with  his  great  achieve- 
ments later  in  life.  After  having  finished  his  trade  he 
set  out  for  himself  to  earn  a  livelihood,  finding  employ- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


ment  in  his  immediate  neighborhood  and  adjoining- 
towns.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  the  year  186!>.  It  was 
not  until  the  spring  of  1873  that  he  succeeded  in  per- 
fecting arrangements  for  his  future  business  career,  at 
which  time  he  embarked  in  his  present  vocation,  that 
of  a  building  contractor,  an  enterprise  in  which  he  has 
won  for  himself  much  renown,  for  to-day  he  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  successful  builders  of  tl.o 
country,  enjoying  a  worthy  reputation,  well  earned  and 
acquired  only  through  many  long  years  of  close  appli- 
cation and  a  most  thorough  practical  experience. 

Most  conspicuous  among  his  first  contracts  in  Chi- 
cago were  the  Traders  Building  and  the  magnificent 
Eialto  Building,  both  of  which  are  located  near  the 
Board  of  Trade,  the  latter  being  the  largest  office 
building  in  the  city  at  the  time  of  its  erection.  He 
also  built  the  Great  Northern  Hotel,  just  opposite  the 
Post-Office,  on  Dearborn  Street,  which  is  a  most  impos- 
ing edifice  and  is  recognized  every  where  as  one  of  the 
finest  hotels  in  the  West.  The  Grand  Central  Passen- 
ger Depot,  at  the  corner  of  Harrison  Street  and  Fifth 
Avenue,  is  another  specimen  of  his  fine  work  with  its 
artistic  tower,  272  feet  in  height. 

Chicago's  great  "Masonic  Temple"  is  the  highest 
commercial  building  in  the  world,  with  its  mammoth 
foundations  and  massive  tfalls  towering  skyward  302 
feet.  This  was  an  undertaking  wherein  the  ability  of  the 
contractor  was  most  thoroughly  tested,  in  preparing 
the  foundations  for  this  colossal  structure,  the  most 
careful  calculations  were  of  the  greatest  importance,  in 
consideration  of  its  immense  weight.  It  not  only 
required  every  precaution,  but  called  forth  finer  skill 
and  more  superior  judgment  than  any  building  yet 
erected  in  Chicago  to  successfully  carry  on  the  work 
with  safety.  Mr.  Griffiths,  the  contractor  and  builder, 


255 

proved  himself  equal  to  the  task  in  each  and  every 
particular,  and  pushed  the  greater  portion  of  the  work 
ahead  at  the  rate  of  five  stories  each  month,  which 
surpasses  all  other  buildings  in  this  city  for  time  and 
speed.  The  foundations  for  this  noted  building  were 
commenced  in  February,  1891,  and  the  structure— 
twenty-one  stories  in  height — .was  up  complete,  under 
roof,  in  the  month  of  October  of  the  same  year. 

Mr.  Griffiths'  reputation  as  a  builder  is  not  confined 
to  Chicago  alone,  as  samples  of  his  fine  work  are  found 
scattered  throughout  the  Union.  The  Oriental  Hotel, 
at  Dallas,  Texas,  which  is  acknowledged  to  be  the 
grandest  hotel  in  the  southwestern  country,  was  built 
by  him,  as  well  as  many  other  buildings  remarkable 
for  their  beauty  of  construction  and  adaptability  to  the 
various  uses  for  which  they  were  designed.  He  also 
erected  the  building  at  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition, known  as  the  Gallery  of  Fine  Arts,  a  most 
stately  structure.  In  respect  to  substantial  grandeur 
it  has  no  equal,  and  it  contains  more  material  of  its 
kind  than  any  one  known  building  in  America.  He 
has  erected  many  buildings  almost  equal  to  those 
mentioned,  and  has  on  hand  contracts  which  he  is 
pushing  ahead  to  an  early  completion  with  the  same 
energy  that  is  characteristic  of  all  his  work. 

Mr.  Griffiths  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
being  a  Knight  Templar  and  32d  degree  Mason.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Union  League  and  Sheridan 
Clubs.  A  Republican  in  politics,  tall  and  commanding 
in  appearance,  he  dispatches  his  business  quickly  and 
gets  through  with  a  prodigious  amount  each  day.  In 
his  line  of  business  no  man  stands  higher  and  no  man's 
opinion  is  more  eagerly  sought  than  is  his.  By  his 
great  success  and  untiring  ambition  he  has  well 
earned  the  honor  and  respect  in  which  he  is  held. 


GEN.  ROGER  WILLIAMS  WOODBURY, 

DENVER,  COLOKADO. 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  WOODBUR7,  son  of  Henry 
and  Hannah  (Davidson)  Woodbury,  was  born 
at  Francestown,  N.  H.,  on  the  3d  day  of  March, 
1841.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  a  descendant, 
in  a  direct  line  from  William  Woodbury,  who  came  to 
America  from  England  in  1628.  His  mother  came  from 
an  old  and  highly  respected  Scottish  family.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  years,  young  Woodbury  worked  in  a 
cotton  mill  at  Manchester,  earning  his  living,  and  at 
every  opportunity  attending  school.  As'  a  boy  his 
highest  ambition  w.as  to  become  the  owner  and  pub- 
lisher of  a  magazine,  and  accordingly,  when  seventeen 
years  old  he  entered  a  printing  office  to  learn  the  trade, 
working  the  first  year  in  the  highly  important  position 
of  printer's  "  devil."  He'secured  a  position  later  on  as 
a  reporter,  and  it  was  while  in  the  composing  room  of 
a  paper  called  The  Mirror,  as  rnake-up,  that  he  decided 


to  enter  the  army,  and  on  July  27, 1861,  he  accordingly 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  A,  3d  New  Hamp- 
shire Infantry.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
captain,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  serving  as 
chief  of  ordnance  of  the  10th  Army  Corps,  upon  the 
staff  of  Gen.  A.  II.  Terry.  lie  participated  in  more 
than  fifty  battles,  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  the 
mine  at  Petersburg  by  a  bullet  which  he  still  keeps  as 
a  relic.  After  his  discharge,  August  2,  1865,  General 
Woodbury  re-entered  the  office  of  The  Mirror  as  local 
reporter,  and  remained  until  the  following  spring, 
when  he  moved  to  Colorado.  For  the  first  three 
months  he  was  employed  in  the  mines  of  Summit 
county,  and  then  returned  to  journalism.  He  was  first 
employed  as  a  compositor  on  the  Golden  Transcript, 
and  later  he  occupied  a  similar  position  on  the  Denver 
Tribune,  of  which  he  soon  became  local  editor  and 


256 

later  managing  editor  and  part  proprietor.  He  retained 
his  interest  in  the  Tribune  until  1871,  when  he  sold  his 
stock  and  purchased  the  Denver  Times,  then  a  small 
publication  carried  on  in  the  interest  of  theatrical 
advertising.  From  this  small  beginning  grew  the 
Denver  Times  of  to-day,  which  has  so  wide  and  pow- 
erful an  influence.  General  "Wood  bury  was  the  real 
founder  of  the  Times  and  the  paper  has  ever  been 
marked  by  his  characteristics.  Its  reputation  for 
candor,  reliability,  integrity  and  the  courage  to  express 
its  convictions  is  the  result  of  his  years  of  painstaking 
toil.  He  took  personal  charge  of  the  paper  until  his 
retirement  in  1882,  owing  to  failing  health  caused  by 
too  steady  application  to  business. 

His  intention  was  to  spend  some  years  in  travel, 
visiting  foreign  lands  and  cities,  but  before  he  carried 
out  this  intention  he  was  induced  to  sacrifice  his  personal 
plans  and  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Denver  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  to  which  he  was  twice  unanimously 
re-elected,  after  serving  his  first  term.  After  finishing 
his  third  term  he  retired  to  assume  charge  of  the  Union 
Bank  of  which  he  became  president  in  18St5.  Since  he 
took  that  helm  the  business  of  the  bank  has  trebled, 
and  it  now  has  a  capital  of  $1,000,000  and  a  large  sur- 
plus. 

He  has  ever  been  an  enthusiastic  worker  in  every 
enterprise  pertaining  to  thex  general  public  good.  By 
his  aid  many  commercial  reforms  were  wrought,  many 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


industrial  enterprises  were  established  and  much  desir- 
able legislation  was  secured.  He  organized  unitv  of 
business  action,  helped  to  build  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  building  and  to  establish  the  public  librar}% 
which  was  the  first  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  State. 
It  now  contains  25,000  volumes  of  well  selected  books 
and  has  in  connection  with  it  a  public  reading-room 
and  museum.  General  Woodbury  has  given  consider- 
able of  his  time  and  no  little  money  to  advance  the 
efficiency  of  the  public  schools,  to  which  he  stands 
ever  ready  to  extend  a  helping  hand,  while  for  six 
years  he  was  a  regent  of  the  State  University. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  always  declined 
public  office,  although  frequently  urged  to  allow  his 
name  to  be  used  on  the  party  tickets. 

He  stands  high  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which 
he  has  filled  at  different  times  the  offices  of  grand 
master  of  the  grand  lodge,  grand  high  priest  of  the 
grand  chapter,  and  grand  conynander  of  the  grand 
commandery  of  Knights  Templar. 

As  a  public  speaker  he  is  able  and  pleasing,  and  of 
this  talent  he  has  ever  been  ready  to  make  use  in  order 
to  either  please  or  help  his  fellow  men.  His  record, 
although  by  no  means  finished,  is  a  grand  one  and  his 
life  pure  and  stainless.  He  has  done  much  to  build  up 
the  city  of  his  adoption,  and  many  of  her  institutions 
are  but  monuments  of  him,  her  beloved  friend  and 
honored  citizen. 


MORRIS  ROSENBAUM, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


FEW  men  are  better  known  in  Chicago  business  and 
social  circles  than  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
"Whether  as  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Rosen- 
baum  Brothers,  commission  merchants  on  the  Board  of 
Trade,  and  as  an  interested  member  of  the  Rosenbaum 
Bros.  &  Co.,  large  dealers  at  the  stock  yards,  or  as  a 
citizen  foremost  in  charitable  work  and  benevolent 
enterprises,  Mr.  Rosenbaum  is  deservedly  regarded 
with  much  favor  by  all  his  fellow-citizens.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  this  citv, 
coming  here  from  Iowa  in  1874-,  where  in  connection 
with  his  brother  Joseph,  they  had  been  successively 
known  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Cedar  Falls,  and 
later  as  bankers  at  Nashua  and  Waverly,  at  both  of 
which  places  they  secured  the  incorporation  of  banks. 
At  the  bank  of  the  former  place  Morris  was  cashier, 
while  Joseph  occupied  a  similar  position  at  Waverl}'. 
Prior  to  the  banking  period,  the  brothers  were  also 
extensively  engaged  in  the  handling  of  live  stock  and 
grain  for  the  Chicago  market.  In  all  these  business 
enterprises  a  marked  degree  of  success  was  attained. 

Morris  Rosenbaum  was  born  January  20,  1837,  at 
Schwabach,  Bavaria,  his  father  being  Jacob  Rosenbaum, 
a  gentleman  of  recognized  learning  and  ability,  noted 


for  his  liberal  ideas  and  a  worth  of  character  that 
placed  him  high  in  the  community.  Young  Rosen- 
baum entered  upon  his  educational  career  at  Offenbach, 
near  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  where  he  remained  until 
thirteen  years  of  age,  making  rapid  advancement  and 
where  he  was  known  as  an  industrious  pupil.  The 
schools  which  he  attended  were  of  an  excellent  charac- 
ter and  enabled  him  to  acquire,  in  addition  to  his  native 
language,  a  fair  knowledge  of  English,  which  served  a 
useful  purpose  when,  in  1850,  with  his  fathers  family, 
he  came  to  America,  whither  his  father  had  gone  be- 
fore him,  and  located  at  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Young 
Rosenbaum's  first  employment  was  in  a  grocery  store, 
where  remaining  for  eight  years  he  laid  the  foundations 
for  his  subsequent  business  career.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  he  became  associated  with  his  brother,  Joseph,  in 
the  mercantile  business,  at  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  and  in 
the  subsequent  enterprises  in  that  State  above  referred 
to. 

Of  his  success  in  Chicago,  we  have  already  spoken, 
but  we  should  add  that  the  building  up  of  such  exten- 
sive lines  of  business  as  are  represented  by  the  two  firms 
above  mentioned,  has  not  been  mere  good  luck  or  acci- 
dent, but  is  the  acknowledged  outcome  of  a  rare 


,<v 

0\,   tf 


PKUMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST 


259 


business  sagacity,  together  with  upright  dealing,  and 
close  attention  to  details.  Among  the  examples  of 
Mr.  Rosenbaum's  large  charities,  may  be  especially 
noted  the  fact  that  he  was  the  originator,  though  not 
the  founder,  of  the  Home  for  Aged  Jews,  at  Sixty- 
second  street  and  Drexel  avenue.  Of  this  excellent 
institution  he  is  the  president,  and  devotes  to  its 
management  much  of  his  time  and  ability.  He  is 
interested  in  ail  charitable  enterprises,  contributing 
liberally,  without  discrimination  as  to  race  or  religious 
belief. 

Mr.  Eosenbaum  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  a  member 
of  the  Standard  Club,  and  an  active  member  of  the 
Sinai  Congregation,  and  kindred  associations.  His 
presence  is  always  welcome  at  public  gatherings, 
where  he  is  recognized  as  a  gentlemen  of  pleasing 
address  and  of  genial,  friendly  bearing.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  believing  that  the  principles  under- 
lying "the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number  "are 
best  embodied  in  this  country  in  the  policy  and  tradi- 
tions of  the  party  named. 


At  various  times  Mr.  Rosenbaum  has  found 
opportunity  to  get  away  from  the  cares  of  business 
for  the  recreation  and  instruction  found  in  travel.  In 
company  with  his  family,  he  has  visited  nearly  every 
State  in  the  Union,  affording  to  himself  and  them 
profit  and  pleasure  thereby.  In  the  summer  of  1892 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  a  tour  to  Europe,  during 
which  he  visited,  for  the  first  time  in  forty-two  years, 
the  scenes  of  his  boyhood. 

In  1871,  on  October  11,  two  days  after  the  great 
Chicago  fire,  Mr.  Rosenbaum  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sophia  Bloch,  of  Philadelphia,  the  result  of 
the  union  being  a  family  of  four  daughters — -Etta, 
(now  Mrs.  Edward  L.  Glaser),  Estella,  Maud  and 
Alma.  In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Rosenbaum  is  of 
medium  height,  strongly  built  and  of  an  easy 
presence.  In  his  disposition  he  is  kind  and  genial, 
easily  winning  and  long  retaining  his  friends.  He  is 
most  popular  where  best  known  and  has  a  host  of 
friends,  not  only  in  Chicago,  but  throughout  the  entire 
West. 


FRANK  BASSETT  TOBEY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


FRANK  BASSETT  TOBEY,  president  of  the  Tobey 
Furniture  Company  of  Chicago,  was  born  at 
Dennis,  Cape  Cod,  Mass.,  September  15, 1833.  It  has 
been  remarked  that  many  of  Chicago's  prominent  bus- 
iness men  came  from  Cape  Cod.  Besides  the  Tobey 
brothers,  Charles  and  Frank,  the  Nickersons,  the  Swifts, 
the  Underwoods,  the  Ryders,  the  Lombards,  the  Crosbys 
the  Matthews,  and  a  host  of  others,  claim  this  sandy  pen- 
insula as  their  birthplace.  The  father  of  Frank  Tobey 
owned  and  occupied  the  farm  that  had  been  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Tobey  family  for  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years.  Tradition  says  that  his  land  was  deeded 
to  Captain  Thomas  Tobey,  about  the  year  1674,  for 
services  rendered  in  organizing  a  company  and  assist- 
ing Plymouth  Colony  in  King  Phillip's  war.  Frank's 
mother  was  Rachel  Bassett,  whose  ancestors  came  to 
America  in  the  next  ship  following  the  Mayflower. 

Young  Tobey  worked  on  the  farm  summers  and 
attended  school  winters  until  he  was  eighteen.  For 
the  next  five  years  he  held  a  position  as  clerk  in  the 
village  store  and  post-office.  The  proprietor,  Howes 
Chapman,  was  a  man  of  superior  intelligence,  and  was 
singularly  upright  in  character  and  motives,  and  had 
great  influence  in  molding  the  character  of  his  young 
assistant,  to  whom  he  gave  up  largely  the  management 
of  the  business. 

At  an  early  age  Frank  took  great  interest  in  philo- 
sophical and  political  subjects,  always  reasoning  from 
the  humanitarian  stand-point.  When  only  twelve 
years  old,  he  took  issue  with  his  father  on  the  question 
of  the  Mexican  War,  claiming  that  its  object  was  the 


extension  of  slave  territory  and  therefore  unjust.  He 
soon  became  identified  with  the  anti-slavery  movement. 
He  wrote  the  call  and  served  as  secretary  for  the  first 
Republican  convention  ever  held  in  his  native  town. 
At  that  time  the  Republicans  were  represented  by  a 
small  minority,  but  nine  years  later  every  vote  in  the 
town  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  When  barely 
twenty-one,  he  was  nominated  as  delegate  to  the  first 
Republican  State  convention  but  declined  the  honor 
because  he  could  not  afford  the  expense. 

In  1857  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  a  year  before 
his  brother  Charles  had  started  a  furniture  business  on 
State  street,  south  of  Van  Buren,  in  a  small  store, 
twenty  by  sixty  feet.  The  first  year  Frank  worked 
on  a  salary.  The  next  year  the  co-partnership  of 
Charles  Tobey  &  Brother  was  formed,  and  their  room 
doubled  by  the  addition  of  the  adjoining  store.  At 
this  time  the  young  men  did  all  their  own  work,  and 
by  close  attention  made  the  business  prosperous. 
Their  conservative  and  economical  methods  enabled 
them  to  weather  the  panic  of  1857  to  1860,  when  so 
many  older  concerns  went  down.  The  large  increase 
of  business  in  1859  required  larger  accommodations, 
which  they  found  at  72  State  street.  They  afterward 
removed  to  Lake  street,  and  in  1866  to  a  new  building 
erected  specially  for  them  at  77-79  State  street,  being 
business  pioneers  on  that  thoroughfare.  In  1870,  the 
Tobey  Brothers,  in  connection  with  F.  Porter  Thayer. 
organized  the  Thayer  &  Tobey  Furniture  Company. 
The  great  fire  of  1871  destroyed  their  building  and 
stock,  and  in  common  with  most  Chicago  firms,  they 


260 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


suffered  severe  loss.  "With  characteristic  energy  they 
improvised  a  salesroom  at  their  West  Sitle  factory, 
which  had  escaped,  and  before  the  fire  had  ceased  its 
ravages,  they  had  taken  an  order  to  furnish  the 
Sherman  House,  now  the  Gault,  which  order  was 
completed  in  seven  days.  In  1873  they  occupied  the 
Clark  building,  corner  State  and  Adams  streets.  In 
1875.  the  Tobey  Brothers  bought  out  Mr.  Thayer's 
interest,  and  the  name  of  the  company  was  changed  to 
the  Tobey  Furniture  Company,  Charles  being  presi- 
dent, and  Frank  vice-president  and  manager.  In 
March,  1888,  the  company  occupied  the  Drake  building, 
corner  Wabash  avenue  and  Washington  street.  The 
same  year  they  started  a  factory  for  the  manufacture 
of  high-class  furniture  for  their  own  trade.  This  feature 
of  the  business  has  grown  beyond  anticipation,  the 
quality  of  the  goods  produced  being  equal  to  anything 
in  the  world.  In  September,  1888,  Chas.  Tobey  died, 
and  Frank  became  president.  In  1890,  they  doubled 
the  capacity  of  their  warerooms,  by  renting  the  ad  join- 
ing building  known  as  "  My  Block."  Mr.  Tobey  has 
thus  seen  the  firm,  beginning  in  a  little  store  of  1,200 
square  feet  in  1857,  grow  to  the  present  proportions  of 
the  Tobey  Furniture  Company,  requiring  for  its 


business  more  than  four  acres  of  floor  space,  its  trade 
extending  to  every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union, 
with  occasional  foreign  shipments.  In  fact,  it  is 
without  doubt  the  largest  and  most  widely,  known 
retail  furniture  house  in  the  country,  if  not  in  the 
world. 

Outside  his  business  Mr.  Tobey  has  taken  lively 
interest  in  and  has  contributed  liberally  to  philanthropic 
and  charitable  movements.  In  religion  he  might  be 
called  a  disciple  of  Theodore  Parker,  believing  in  the 
deed,  rather  than  the  creed.  He  helped  organize  the 
Society  for  Ethical  Culture  in  Chicago,  and  has  gen- 
erously devoted  time  and  money  to  its  support. 

His  politics  may  perhaps  be  best  described  by 
quoting  his  own  remark  that,  "  Statesmanship  found 
its  highest  ideal  in  Charles  Sumner,  who  labored 
always  for  righteousness  and  absolute  justice." 

He  has  been  an  active  promoter  of  the  economic 
conferences  in  Chicago,  which  brought  the  laborer  and 
capitalist  together  and  led  to  a  better  understanding 
between  them.  The  distinguishing  qualities  in  Mr. 
Tobey's  character,  and  with  which  his  name  is  always 
associated,  are  integrity,  charitableness  and  a  high 
sense  of  justice. 


JOHN    WILLIAM    GUTHRIE, 

CORINNE,  UTAH. 


JOHN  WILLIAM  GUTHRIE,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (James)  Guthrie,  was  born  in  Shelbv 
county,  Ky.,  January  23, 1830.  On  his  father's  side  he 
is  a  descendant  of  William  Guthrie,  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica from  Scotland  about  the  year  1750,  and  settling  in 
Virginia,  was  a  resident  of  that  State  long  before  the 
beginning  of  the  War  for  American  Independence. 
His  eldest  son,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  and  reared  there,  but  moving  West  was  one 
of  the  earliest  white  settlers  to  locate  in  Kentucky 
where  he  endured  his  full  share  of  the  many  hardships 
and  dangers  borne  b}r  the  pioneers  of  the  State.  Eliza- 
beth James,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  J<5hn  James,  a  large  holder  of  real-estate  and 
slaves  in  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  and  famous  as  a  mathe- 
matician .and  still  well  remembered  by  the  people  of 
Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  where  he  was  frequently  consulted 
by  the  professors  of  the  Wabash  College. 

John  William  Guthrie  was  three  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  moved  to  Indiana.  He  spent  his  youth  on 
a  farm  and  received  a  good  business  education  at  the 
seminary  in  Crawfordsville.  In  1857  he  caught  the 
"California  gold  fever,"  then  so  prevalent,  and  con- 
cluded to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  far  West.  On  the 
29th  of  January,  1851,  he,  with  twenty  others,  set  out, 
going  to  Indianapolis  in  farm  wagons  and  thence  to 
Cleveland  by  stage.  There  thev  saw  for  the  first  time 
in  their  lives  a  train  of  cars.  They  proceeded  by  rail 


to  New  York,  thence  by  sea  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
which  was  crossed  by  means  of  mules,  and  up  the  coast 
to  San  Francisco,  arriving  on  the  first  of  April,  1852. 

Mr.  Guthrie  immediately  set  out  for  the  mines  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  State,  and  for  a  time  engaged 
in  the  butchering  business  in  Yuba,  Butte,  and  Siski- 
yow  counties.  In  the  latter  place  be  for  the  first,  and 
likewise  the  last  time  in  his  life  engaged  in  mining. 
As  the  motive  power  of  a  pick  and  shovel,  the  experi- 
ment cost  him  several  thousand  dollars,  and  he  returned 
to  his  butchering  business. 

In  1855  he  left  California  to  visit  his  old  home, 
going  by  the  Nicaraugua  route,  and  was  one  of  the  party 
of  twenty  men  who  guarded  the  shipment  of  treasure 
amounting  to  more  than  one  and  one-quarter  millions 
of  dollars  across  the  country  to  the  Atlantic  coast. 
After  a  stay  of  about  eight  months  at  home,  he 
returned  to  California,  and  buy  ing  a  farm  tried  farming 
for  a  time,  but  soon  got  disgusted  and  sold  the  farm, 
going  to  North  San  Juan,  Nevada  county,  in  March, 
1857.  Here  he  again  engaged  in  the  butchering 
business,  and  during  the  next  three  years  was  exceed- 
ingly prosperous,  putting  up  several  nice  brick  buildings, 
including  a  fine  residence.  But  the  falling  off  of  real 
estate  values  and  the  failure  of  some  of  his  business 
associates  to  meet  their  financial  obligations  caused 
him  to  lose  most  of  his  gains. 

In  1861,  Mr.  Guthrie  went  to  Idaho,  afterward  visit- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


ing  Montana,  then  to  Green  River,  Wyoming,  from 
which  place  he  followed  up  the  Union  Pacific  Railway, 
then  under  construction,  and  conducting  business  at 
several  points  arrived  on  the  present  site  of  Corinne, 
Utah,  in  January,  1869,  before  the  town  had  been  laid 
out.  Here  he  established  the  first  produce  shipping 
house  in  Corinne,  and  for  several  years  controlled 
almost  the  entire  shipping  interests  of  the  northern 
half  of  Utah,  and  is  to-day  the  oldest  shipper  in  the 
territory.  He  dealt  principally  in  eggs  and  butter, 
and  from  the  immense  quantities  which  he  handled  the 
business  required  a  cash  capital  of  more  than  $30,000. 
In  1872  he  ectablished  the  banking  house  of  J.  W. 
Guthrie  &  Company,  and  in  1876  bought  all  interests 
and  has  since  carried  on  the  business  in  his  own  name. 
In  1875  he  established  in  Ogden,  Utah,  the  banking 
house  of  J.  W.  Guthrie  &  Company,  but  sold  out  his 
interest  in  1881  to  open  the  bank  of  Guthrie,  Dooly  & 
Co.,  which  in  1883  became  the  Utah  National  Bank, 
with  Mr.  Guthrie  as  it  first  president. 

He  was  also  an  organizer  and  a  member  of  the  first 
board  of  directors  of  the  Commercial  National  Bank, 
of  Ogden,  which  opened  for  business  in  1884.  He 
built  Union  Hall,  the  first  brick  block  on  24th  street, 
in  Ogden,  as  well  as  several  other  fine  brick  buildings 
on  the  same  street,  thereby  causing  enterprise  and 
commerce  to  turn  towards  that  portion  of  the  town, 
and  eventually  making  it  the  principal  business  street. 
Withdrawing  from  his  business  interests  in  Ogden,  he 
turned  his  entire  attention  to  Corinne,  the  building  up 
of  which  town  is  and  has  been  his  pet  project. 

Heat  one  time  owned  about*  two-thirds  of  the 
town  site,  which  included  most  of  the  best  improve- 
ments, but  has  since  sold  a  large  portion  of  his  hold- 
ings, offering  the  most  favorable  terms  to  induce  people 
to  come  in  and  help  build  up  the  place  and  make  a 
town  of  it.  His  expectations  and  hopes  have  been  in 
a  large  measure  realized,  and  the  construction  of  the 
Great  Bear  canal  through  the  adjacent  country  bids 
fair  to  cause  a  wave  of  prosperity  for  the  town  that 
will  eclipse  his  fondest  hopes. 

At  present  Mr.  Guthrie  conducts  in  Corinne  the 
bank  which  he  established  in  1872,  and  since  1876  has 
carried  on  in  his  own  name,  and  which  is  now  doing  a 
nice  business  with  a  capital  of  §50,000,  and  a  surplus 
and  undivided  profits  of  $15,000  more.  He  also  con- 


263 

ducts  a  general  merchandise  business,  requiring  a 
capital  of  $25,000,  a  large  hotel  representing  as  much 
more,  various  live-stock  interests,  and  very  extensive 
interests  in  real  estate.  Each  branch  is  under  the 
care  of  efficient  managers,  but  all  are  under  the  per- 
sonal direction  of  Mr.  Guthrie  himself.  He  also  has, 
besides  his  interests  in  and  about  Corinne  and  Ogden, 
large  interests  in  valuable  mines  in  Idaho. 

Always  of  a  generous  disposition,  he  has  been  ever 
ready  to  assist  with  his  sound  advice  and  his  wealth  those 
who  were  endeavoring  to  start  new  enterprises,  and 
has  many  times  made  possible  the  establishment  of  a 
commercial  enterprise  in  which  his  name  has  never 
appeared.  The  estimation  in  which  he  is  held  is  par- 
tially shown  by  the  fact  that  seven  times  have  the 
people  of  Corinne  elected  him  to  the  mayoralty,  and 
once  he  was  appointed  to  that  office  by  the  governor 
of  the  territory. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1862,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  B.  Gaynor,  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza- 
beth Gaynor,  and  their  daughter  and  only  child, 
Elizabeth  M.,  was  born  August  22d  of  the  following 
year.  Miss  Guthrie  is  now  Mrs.  A.  R.  Hey  wood,  of 
Ogden. 

John  William  Guthrie  is  a  shining  example  of 
what  can  be  done  by  one  man  with  no  capital  to  start  on, 
save  a  pair  of  willing  hands  guided  and  directed  by  a 
ready  brain.  His  career  has  been  a  remarkable  one, 
and  what  he  is  to-day  he  owes  solely  to  himself.  His 
record  is  clean  and  highly  creditable,  and  while  build- 
ing up  his  own  fortune  he  has  continuously  helped 
others,  while  he  has  clone  more  to  advance  the  material 
interests  of  Corinne  than  any  other  man  alive.  Of 
generous  instincts,  his  aid  has  never  been  sought  in 
vain,  he  having  been  one  of  the  most  liberal  contribu- 
tors to  every  church  and  school  that  has  been  erected 
in  his  section.  Of  fine  and  commanding  appearance,  he 
looks  every  inch  the  man  to  rule,  and  that  he  does  not 
in  the  least  belie  his  appearance  is  amply  proven  by  the 
many  enterprises  that  owe  their  life  to  his  business 
sagacity  and  ability.  He  is  exceedingly  popular  with  all 
classes,  and  is  entirely  worthy  of  the  great  esteem  and 
'confidence reposed  in  him,  and  were  he  to  lay  down  the 
cares  of  business  to-day,  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his 
life  in  the  quiet  of  his  home  and  the  society  of  his  esti- 
mable wife,  he  would  leave  a  remarkable  record. 


WILLIAM   K.  ACKERMAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  New  York 
city  in  1830.  His  paternal  grandfather  resided 
there  during  the  Revolutionary  War  and  participated 
in  the  struggle,  being  a  companion  of  General  "  Mad" 
Anthony  Wayne  at  the  storming  of  Stony  Point.  The 
father  of  William  lived  in  New  York  for  eighty-five 


years,  and  took  an  active  part  in  its  defense  in  the 
War  of  1812,  serving  in  the  famous  "Company  Seven," 
Second  Regiment,  which  was  stationed  at  Ellis  Island. 
Graduating  from  the  New  York  high  school,  and  after 
a  few  years  of  experience  in  commercial  life,  Mr. 
Ackerman  entered  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Central 


264 

Railroad  in  New  York,  but  after  a  few  years  of  faith- 
ful work  there  he  was  transferred  to  Chicago,  and 
appointed  local  treasurer,  taking  up  his  permanent 
residence  here.  He  was  next  made  general  auditor  of 
the  road  and  in  1876  was  chosen  its  vice-president. 
The  office  of  president  being  vacant,  he  performed  the 
responsible  duties  of  that  position,  and  in  the  following 
year,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  English  and 
Dutch  stockholders  of  the  road,  he  was  unanimously 
elected  president,  which  office  he  held  for  seven  years. 
Under  his  administration  the  company's  affairs  were 
successful!}'  conducted,  the  earning  capacity  of  the 
road  being  greatly  developed  and  numerous  important 
and  valuable  improvements  and  additions  made  to 
property.  These  results  were  largely  attributable  to 
the  attention  he  paid  to  details,  the  maintenance  of  an 
esprit  du  corps  in  the  force  and  a  reasonable  perception 
of  the  obligation  between  employer  and  employed. 

Mr.  Ackerman  has  contributed  articles  to  various 
newspapers  and  magazines,  and  is  the  author  of  several 
books  relating  to  railways,  among  which  are  "  Early 
Railroads  of  Illinois,"  "  Notes  on  Railway  Manage- 
ment "  and  "  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railway." 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


During  his  thirty-three  years'  residence  in  Chicago, 
Mr.  Ackerman  has  appeared  before  the  people  in  many 
places  of  trust,  which  he  has  well  and  conscientiously 
filled.  With  the  trained  mind  applied  with  such 
ability  in  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  a  great 
enterprise,  he  has  gained  a  reputation  as  a  financier  of 
no  small  caliber.  Early  in  its  history,  when  it  had  not 
assumed  the  enormous  proportions  it  was  destined  to 
attain,  Mr.  Ackerman  was  appointed  auditor  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  a  position  for  which 
he  was  regarded  as  eminently  qualified,  on  account  of 
his  large  business  experience.  From  the  day  of  his 
selection,  May  7,  1890,  until  its  close,  he  devoted  his 
entire  time  and  energy  to  the  duties  of  his  position, 
and  throughout  this  entire  period  has  given  great 
satisfaction.  He  originated  the  system  of  accounts 
which  was  in  vogue  in  all  departments  of  the  Exposi- 
tion, and  which  has  justly  won  for  him  considerable 
praise.  On  November  30,  1893,  he  tendered  his  resig- 
nation as  auditor,  at  which  time  he  made  a  final  and 
complete  report,  covering  every  detail  of  the  Fair's 
finances.  Mr.  Ackerman  is  now  comptroller  of  the  city 
of  Chicago,  a  position  of  great  responsibility,  and  one 
for  which  he  is  in  every  way  eminently  fitted. 


FERDINAND  CARL  HOTZ, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


IN  one  of  the  picturesque  old  towns  which  at  inter- 
vals line  the  shore  of  the  beautiful  River  Main  in 
southern  Germany,  on  the  12th  day  of  July,  1843, 
Ferdinand  C.  Hotz  was  born  to  Godfried  and  Rosina 
Hotz,  people  of  high  and  respectable  standing  in  their 
community. 

Ferdinand  was  given  rather  superior  educational 
opportunities,  and,  after  passing  through  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town  he  entered  the  lyceum,  which 
in  that  country  takes  the  place  of  our  high  school. 
Having  a  decided  taste  and  love  for  the  study  of 
foreign  languages,  he  took,  under  private  tutors, 
courses  in  English  and  French,  at  the  same  time  learn- 
ing those  languages  so  essential  to  the  student  of  the 
modern  European  tongues — Latin  and  Greek.  Although 
in  these  studies  his  time  was  well  taken  up,  he  found 
ample  opportunity  to  give  attention  to  physical  devel- 
opment, and  was  noted  upon  the  playground  at  the 
lyceum  for  his  keen  interest  and  participation  in  sports 
as  he  was  for  his  scholarship  in  the  class  room.  To 
this  early  love  for  physical  exercise  and  indulgence  in 
the  rugged  games  of  the  period,  the  worthy  doctor 
to-day  owes,  doubtless  to  an  unappreciated  extent,  his 
enjoyment  of  perfect  health  and  the  preservation  of  his 
youthful  vigor. 

Early  in  life,  during  the  vacations  which  he  spent 
mid  the  dense  forests  of  his  native  country.  Dr.  Hotz 
conceived  a  great  liking  for  the  study  of  the  natural 


sciences,  and  his  vacations  were  spent  in  journeys  on 
foot  to  various  parts  of  the  country  in  order  that  he 
might  enlarge  his  collection  of  minerals  and  other 
objects  of  natural  scientific  study.  This  study  and  his 
love  for  it  led  him  to  the  choice  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion. In  1861  he  matriculated,  at  the  early  age  of 
eighteen,  at  the  University  of  Jena,  where  his  time 
was  divided  between  the  study  of  anatomy,  physiology, 
chemistry  and  other  branches.  In  order  to  complete 
his  studies  he  west  to  Heidelberg,  graduating  from  this 
university  in  1865,  and  was  at  once  appointed  assistant 
surgeon  in  the  university  hospital.  He  left  this  position 
and  offered  himself  as  volunteer  surgeon  in  the  army 
during  the  war  between  Prussia  and  Austria,  at  the 
close  of  which  he  went  to  Berlin  to  study  ophthalmology 
in  the  clinic  of  the  celebrated  Professor  Albrecht  von 
Graefe,  continuing  these  studies  during  the  year  1867 
in  Vienna,  where  he  also  attended  the  ear  clinic  of 
Prof.  Adam  Politzer.  He  was  also  assistant  to  Prof. 
Knapp  in  1868  and  1869  in  the  eye  infirmary  at 
Heidelberg. 

During  these  years  of  education  the  political  views 
of  Dr.  Hotz  had  become  altogether  too  democratic  to 
tolerate  longer  the  restraints  of  the  European  mon- 
archies and  he  decided  to  come  to  America.  In  ac- 
cordance with  this  determination  and  after  visiting  the 
large  hospitals  of  Paris,  London  and  Edinburg  and 
familiarizing  himself  with  their  improved  practices,  he 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T   WEST. 


came  to  this  country  and  directly  to  Chicago,  where  a 
brother  had  preceded  him  in  the  year  1870.  The  un- 
limited and  vast  field  of  study  which  Dr.  Hotz  had 
enjoyed  had  well  fitted  him  for  the  high  position 
which  he  at  once  took  in  his  specialty  in  his  adopted 
home.  Very  soon  after  his  arrival  and  shortly  before 
the  great  fire  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  position 
of  oculist  and  aurist  of  the  Cook  county  hospital, 
which  position  he  held  until  1874,  when  he  resigned  to 
enter  the  larger  field  of  his  specialties  offered  at  the 
Illinois  Charitable  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary.  Although 
this  position  afforded  exceptional  opportunities  for 
clinical  teaching  and  scientific  investigation,  the  doctor 
was  com  pel  lad  to  resign  it  in  1890  on  account  of  his 
growing  private  practice,  which  demanded  all  his 
attention.  In  1891,  however,  he  agreed  to  accept  the 
professorship  of  Ophthalmology  in  the  Chicago  Poly- 
clinic.  Of  a  literary  turn  of  mind,  the  doctor's  observa- 
tions and  investigations  in  his  specialties,  written  in  his 
pleasing  and  tersely  interesting  style, "and  which  have 
appeared  from  time  to  time  in  the  leading  medical 
journals,  have  been  received  with  great  favor.  His 
article, "  On  a  new  Operation  for  Entropium,"  published 
in  1879,  attracted  particular  attention  and  gained  for 
him  an  international  reputation.  Prominent  among 
his  other  articles  may  be  mentioned  the  following: 
"  Intra-Ocular  Lesions  produced  by  Sunstroke  "  (1879) ; 
"On-Mastoid  Operations"  (1888-93);  "On  a  New 


265 

Method  of  Treating  Trachoma  "  (1886) ;  "  Lectures  on 
Eye  Troubles  productive  of  Headache  and  other 
Nervous  Disorders"  (1893). 

Dr.  Hotz  has  been  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medi- 
cal Society  since  1870  and  was  the  president  of  the 
society  in  1892.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Opthalmological  section  in  1879.  He  was  chair- 
man of  this  section  in  1887  and  1888.  In  1890  he 
organized  the  Chicago  Opthalmological  Society.  Its 
first  president,  he  was  re-elected  for  a  second  term. 

In  his  social  relations,  the  doctor  is  a  member  of 
the  Germania  Club,  but  he  does  not  consider  club  life 
as  congenial  to  his  tastes.  His  social  pleasures  are 
found  in  his  home,  and  never  is  he  happier  than  when 
in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  surrounded  by  his  wife  and 
daughters,  or  when  dispensing  his  generous  hospitality 
to  some  of  his  many  friends,  who  are  always  glad  to 
accept  the  pleasure  of  a  visit  to  his  model  home. 

Dr.  Hotz  was  married  in  1873  to  Miss  Emma  Rosen- 
merckel,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Fred  W.  Rosen- 
merckel,  who  established  one  of  the  first  drug  stores 
opened  up  in  Chicago,  and  who  died,  as  one  of  the  last 
victims  of  the  cholera  epidemic  raging  in  those  years, 
in  1854.  They  have  six  children,  all  girls,  who  make 
the  home  ring  with  merry  laughter  and  the  fireside 
glow  with  joy  and  happiness  for  the  tloctor  and  his 
amiable  wife. 


CHARLES  H.  FERGUSON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


IN  the  front  rank  of  the  great  financial  institutions  of 
the  world  stands  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  New  York,  it  having  the  largest  cash  assets  of 
any  company  in  the  world.  To  manage  the  affairs  of 
the  Chicago  agency  of  such  a  corporation  requires  a 
man  of  superior  ability,  tact,  industry  and  integrity. 
Such  a  man  was  found  in  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  has  mastered  the  problems  of  life  insurance.  He 
has  under  his  control  over  150  agents,  and  his  skill 
and  ability  as  a  manager  and  executive  officer  has  been 
shown  in  the  phenomenal  growth  of  the  company's 
business  in  Illinois  since  he  has  had  charge  of  it. 

Charles  H.  Ferguson  was  bofti  in  Oswego,  N.  Y., 
August  13,  1846,  the  son  of  George  L.  and  Amanda 
.  (Boes)  Ferguson.  His  father  was  a  prominent  furniture 
manufacturer  and  dealer  at  Oswego,  Hannibal,  Fulton 
and  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  for  over  fifty  years,  and  died  at  the 
latter  city  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  Charles  attended 
the  public  schools  until  he  was  thirteen  years  old.  From 
his  thirteenth  to  his  sixteenth  year  he  was  a  clerk  in  a 
drug  store  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  after  which  he  went  west 
and  became  a  clerk  in  the  wholesale  grocery  house  of 
Messrs.  Blair  &  Persons,  at  Milwaukee,  "Wis. 

When  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  opened  he  enlisted 


in  Company  A,  Thirty-ninth  Regiment,  Wisconsin 
Volunteer  Infantry.  His  regiment  was  assigned  to 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  under  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith. 
After  serving  the  full  term  of  his  enlistment,  he  was 
honorably  discharged. 

Returning  to  Milwaukee,  he  was  in  the  paymaster 
and  purchasing  departments  of  the  Chicago,  Milwau- 
kee and  St.  Paul  Railroad,  and  the  express  business, 
until  1869,  when  he  returned  to  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and 
became  a  solicitor  for  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  .New  York,  under  Mr.  A.  W.  Lawton.  In 
1873  he  accepted  the  general  agency  of  the  Oswego 
and  Onondaga  Fire  Insurance  Company  for  the  West. 
Three  years  later  the  company  retired  from  the  busi- 
ness, reinsuring  with  the  Commercial  Union  of  London. 

In  June,  1876,  Mr.  Ferguson  re-entered  the  employ 
of  the  Mutual  Life  of  New  York,  at  Chic;tgo.  as 
cashier,  and  remained  until  1881,  when  he  was 
appointed  acting  agent,  to  succeed  Mr.  John  W. 
Meaker,  resigned.  In  1883  he  received  from  Messrs. 
Merrell  and  Ferguson,  general  agents  at  Detroit,  the 
appointment  as  general  agent  for  Chicago.  In  1886 
he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Mr.  II.  S.  Winston,  as 
managing  agents  for  Chicago  and  Cook  county.  The 


266 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


partnership  terminated  by  limitation  February  1,  1S89. 
In  June,  1SS7  (prior  to  the  dissolution),  he  was 
appointed  by  the  Mutual  Life  general  agent  for  Illi- 
nois, which  position  he  now  holds. 

Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  member  of  the  George  II.  Thomas 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  also  of  the  Union  League  and 
Calumet  clubs,  and  was  president  of  the  Life  Under- 
writers' Association  of  Chicago  for  1892.  He  is  now 
president  of  the  National  Life  Underwriters'  Associa- 


tion of  the  United  States.  In  appreciation  of  his  merits 
Mr.  Ferguson  was  awarded  the  general  agents'  prize,  a 
beautiful  silver  bowl,  at  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  in  June,  1888, 
for  good  management  and  success. 

Mr.  Ferguson  married  Miss  Sarah  L.  Miller,  at 
Auburn,  N.  Y.,  whose  death  occurred  in  December, 
1885.  Four  children  were  born  to  them,  viz.,  George 
Miller,  James  Lamed,  Charles  II.,  jr.,  and  Jessie  May, 
deceased. 


REUBEN   LUDLAM,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


IT  is  much  to  achieve  success;  it  is  much  more  to  wm 
the  gratitude  of  the  suffering  and  afflicted  while 
achieving  the  success.  In  our  community  there  is, 
perhaps,  no  one  who  in  this  regard  has  greater  reason 
for  satisfaction  than  Dr.  Reuben  Ludlam.  Nearly 
forty  years  of  most  devoted  labor  have  placed  him 
among  the  few  who  may  be  said  to  be  at  the  head  of 
the  medical  profession  in  the  Northwest,  and  such  has 
been  the  cordial,  kindly,  generous  manner  of  this  min- 
istration, that  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  have  received 
it,  there  is  a  sense  of  grateful  recognition  that  words 
cannot  express. 

Reuben  Ludlam  was  born  in  Camden.  N.  J.,  Octo- 
ber 7,  1831.  His  father  was  Dr.  Jacob  W.  Ludlam,  an 
eminent  physician,  who  died  in  1858,  at  Evanston,  111., 
after  a  long  life  beneficently  spent  in  the  practice  of 
his  beloved  profession.  His  widow,  now  in  her  eighty- 
sixth  year,  still  resides  at  Evanston.  While  still  a 
child,  Reuben  was  accustomed  to  accompany  his  father 
on  his  daily  round  of  visits,  even  then  taking  the  great- 
est interest  in  the  different  cases,  and,  no  doubt,  gath- 
ered much  that  was  of  use  in  after  life.  Naturally 
studious,  he  made  great  progress  at  school,  and  when 
he  graduated  from  the  old  academy  at  Bridgeton,  N.  J., 
it  was  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class.  At  sixteen, 
under  the  supervision  of  his  father,  he  commenced  a 
systematic  course  in  medicine.  Continuing  his  studies 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  he  received  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  in  that  institution  in  1852,  whence  his 
father  had  graduated  many  years  before,  having  spent 
six  years  of  most  earnest  effort  in  preparation  for  his 
chosen  profession. 

Soon  after  graduation  he  came  to  Chicago.  It  was 
at  this  time  that  the  doctrines  of  Hahnemann  were 
causing  such  universal  agitation  in  the  breasts  of  the 
disciples  of  the  old  school.  It  was  with  Spartan 
courage  that  the  young  physician,  having  become 
practically  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  new  theory, 
by  bedside  experience,  cast  aside  the  dogmas  so  long 
cherished,  and  arrayed  himself  under  the  liberal  banner 
of  progressive  homeopathy.  "With  the  enthusiasm  of 
youth,  he  was  a  hearty  and  impetuous  enthusiast  of  the 
new  principle,  and,  in  1859,  upon  the  organization  of 


the  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  was  chosen  to  fill  the 
chair  of  physiology,  pathology  and  clinical  medicine 
therein.  After«four  years  he  was  transferred  to  the 
chair  of  obstetrics  and  the  diseases  of  women  and 
children,  in  which  department  he  had  shown  a  very 
high  degree  of  skill  and  talent.  A  few  years  later  he 
was  given  the  professorship  of  the  medical  and  surgical 
diseases  of  women,  and  was  made  dean  of  the  college 
faculty,  in  both  of  which  capacities  he  has  rendered 
inestimable  service,  and  endeared  himself  to  all  who 
have  come  within  his  influence.  He  was  dean  of  the 
faculty  for  twenty-five  years,  until  May,  1891.  when  he 
became  president  of  the  college  and  hospital.  Some 
idea  of  the  relation  in  which  he  stands  to  this  institution 
is  to  be  had  from  the  words  of  a  writer,  well  known  to 
the  medical  world:  "A  watchful  guardian  of  its 
interests  and  a  liberal  contributor  to  its  resources,  he 
has  labored  constantly  to  elevate  its  standard  to  the 
highest  available  plane,  and  to  increase  its  usefulness  to 
the  fullest  possible  extent." 

To  the  subject  of  gynaecology,  Dr.  Ludlam  has  from 
the  first  given  very  close  attention,  availing  himself 
not  only  of  all  the  resources  of  this  country  but  spend- 
ing some  years  of  painstaking  labor  and  study  abroad, 
in  order  to  make  himself  complete  master  of  the  sub- 
ject. His  success  has  been  unbounded,  particularly  in 
the  department  of  uterine  surgery,  his  services  in  diffi- 
cult operations  being  constantly  required  all  over  the 
Northwest,  and  his  authority  in  consultation  acknowl- 
edged throughout  the  country. 

In  1869  Dr.  Ludlam  was  chosen  president  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  the  oldest  national 
medical  society  in  America,  presided  over  its  delibera- 
tions at  Boston,  and  delivered  the  annual  oration,  enti- 
tled "  The  Relation  of  Woman  to  Homeopathy." 
Among  other  honors  conferred  upon  him  was  the  pres- 
idency of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Medicine  of  the 
Illinois  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  and  of  the 
Western  Institute  of  Homeopathy.  In  1870  he  was 
offered  the  position  of  physician-in-chief  to  the  Wo- 
man's Homeopathic  infirmary,  of  New  York  city,  and 
also  that  of  professor  of  obstetrics  and  the  diseases  of 
women  and  children  in  the  New  York  Homeopathic 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Medical  College — both  of  which  honors  he  declined. 
In  1871  he  became  a  member  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Belief  and  Aid  Society,  which  performed 
such  gigantic  eleemosynary  work  after  the  great  Chi- 
cago fire.  Such  has  been  a  part  of  his  public  activity  in 
this  immediate  vicinity.  In  the  organization  of  the  State 
Board  of  Health  in  1877,  Dr.  Ludlam  was  called  upon 
by  Governor  Cullom  to  serve.  He  served  as  a  member 
of  that  board  for  fifteen  consecutive  years,  until 
December,  1892,  having  been  reappointed  twice.  It  is 
probable  that  Dr.  Ludlam  is  best  known  to  the  world 
at  large  as  a  writer.  A  great  reader,  an  accomplished 
linguist,  possessed  of  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  humor 
and  anecdote,  he  has  added  to  the  acknowledged 
scientific  worth  of  his  contributions  the  charm  of 
a  clear  and  graceful  style.  For  six  years,  beginning 
with  1860,  he  was  editorially  connected  with  the  North 
American  Journal  of  Tfomeopaihy,  published  in  New 
York,  and  for  nine  years  with  the  United  States  Medi- 
cal and  Surgical  Journal,  published  in  Chicago.  For 
the  last  fifteen  years  he  has  acted  as  editor  of  The 
Cliniqiie,  a  monthly  abstract  of  the  work  of  the  Clini- 
cal Society  and  of  the  Hahnemann  Hospital.  One  of 
the  most  important  of  his  contributions  to  this  paper 
was  that  entitled  "  Clinical  Observations,  Based  on  Five 
Hundred  Abdominal  Sections."  Dr.  Ludlam's  great 
work,  "  Clinical  and  Didactic  Lectures  on  the  Diseases 
of  "Women,"  published  in  1871,  is  now  in  its  seventh 
edition.  It  is  an  octavo  of  over  one  thousand  pages, 
employed  as  a  text  book  in  all  homeopathic  colleges, 
and  is  accepted  as  authority  by  homeopathic  phj'sicians 
both  here  and  in  Europe.  In  return  for  the  compli- 
ment paid  him  by  the  French  in  translating  this  work 
into  their  language,  Dr.  Ludlam  undertook  and  most 
successfully  performed  the  task  of  rendering  into  Eng- 
lish a  very  valuable  work  entitled  "A  Volume  of  Lec- 
tures on  Clinical  Medicine,"  by  Dr.  Jousset,  of  Paris. 
In  1863  appeared  a  volume  entitled  "A  Course  of  Clin- 
ical Lectures  on  Diphtheria,"  written  by  Dr.  Ludlam, 
which  was  the  first  strictly  medical  work  ever  published 
in  Chicago  or  vicinity,  securing  to  its  author  an  endur- 
ing name  in  the  history  of  his  city. 

The  doctor  is  very  much  absorbed  by  his  profession, 


269 

pursuing  it  with  all  the  enthusiasm  which  an  artist 
gives  to  art.  A  wide  acquaintance  with  literature,  a 
love  for  music  and  sympathy  with  all  that  elevates  and 
softens,  and,  above  all,  a  very  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge and  affection  for  mankind,  has  given  to  his  pro- 
fessional work  the  inimitable  finish  of  culture,  and  made 
of  it,  in  the  truest  sense,  the  art  of  healing. 

Dr.  Ludlam  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife, 
Anna  M.  Porter,  of  Greenwich,  N.  J.,  dying  three 
years  after  marriage.  By  his  second  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Harriet  G.  Parvin,  he  has  one  son, 
Dr.  Reuben  Ludlam,  Jr.,  who  is  a  young  physician  of 
great  promise.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in 
the  best  schools  of  this  city.  He  began  the  study  of 
medicine  under  the  preceptorship  of  his  father,  and  in 
1886  graduated  with  honor  from  the  Hahnemann  Med- 
ical College  and  Hospital  of  Chicago.  Going  abroad 
immediately  after  graduation,  he  spent  a  very  profit- 
able year  in  the  hospitals  of  London  and  Paris.  Upon 
his  return  he  entered  into  practice  with  his  father  and 
assumed  a  responsible  position  in  the  Hahnemann 
hospital.  Peculiar  interest  has  naturally  been  felt  in 
the  advent  of  this  young  physician,  and  it  is  high 
praise  to  say  that  he  has  fulfilled  all  that  had  been 
expected  of  him.  With  concentration  uncommon  in 
one  of  his  age,  he  has  disregarded  the  attractions  of 
society  and  the  many  distractions  of  \routh  and  has  put 
all  his  energies  into  his  profession.  A  large  part  of 
his  father's  extensive  practice  has  been  transferred  to 
the  younger  shoulders,  and  in  th'at  which  the  elder  is 
so  eminent  the  assistance  of  the  son  has  become  inval- 
uable. No  praise  is  too  high  for  the  way  he  has 
assisted  and  relieved  his  father  in  the  ever  increasing 
cares  of  his  busy  life.  Dr.  Ludlam,  Jr.,  is  an  expert 
operator,  his  taste  inclining  to  the  specialty  with  which 
his  father  is  identified.  lie  is  a  fine  French  scholar, 
owing  to  his  residence  abroad,  as  well  as  to  previous 
study,  and  has  made  a  number  of  translations  from  the 
French  for  various  medical  journals.  Finely  educated, 
a  close  and  constant  student,  devoted  with  all  the 
intensity  of  natural  predilection  to  his  profession,  it  is 
with  him  but  a  question  of  years  until  he  shall  stand 
in  the  foremost  rank  of  Chicago's  medical  men. 


LYMAN  WARE,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


LYMAN  WARE,  son  of  Ralph  and  Lucinda  (Clark) 
Ware,  was  born  atGranville,  III.,  November  11, 
1841.  His  father  came  west  from  Boston  about  the 
time  of  the  Blackhawk  War.  Young  Ware  attended 
public  school  at  Granville,  and  after  graduating  there, 
took  a  course  at  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor  for  four  or  five  years.  He  then  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  attended  the  medical  department  of  the 
Northwestern  University,  generally  known  as  the 


Chicago  Medical  College,  graduating  in  1866.  Not 
satisfied  with  this,  he  went  East  and  took  a  course  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  which  department  he  graduated  in  1868. 

Dr.  Ware  did  not  at  first  study  medicine  with  the 
intention  of  practicing,  but  for  the  great  interest  he 
took  in  it.  lie  returned  to  Chicago  soon  after  gradu- 
ating from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  decid- 
ing finally  upon  the  medical  profession,  he  practiced  in 


270 

Chicago  six  years,  and  then  took  a  trip  abroad  and 
staid  away  two  years,  most  of  which  time  he  spent  in 
Vienna,  attending  medical  lectures. 

During  the  war  the  doctor  served  as  hospital  stew- 
ard in  Col.  Hough's  (132  Illinois)  regiment,  in  1864, 
and  was  mustered  out  in  1865. 

Dr.  Ware  is  at  present  one  of  the  ophthalmological 
surgeons  of  the  Presbyterian  hospital,  and  also  an 
attending  surgeon  to  the  Illinois  Charitable  Eye  and 
Ear  hospital  and  occulist  and  aurist  to  the  Chicago 
Orphan  Asylum. 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Asso" 
ciation,  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  and  the 
Chicago  Ophthalmological  Society. 

The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  a  regular  attendant.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
but  reserves  the  right  to  >Tote  independently  of  party 
or  party  machines,  especially  in  local  elections. 

On  the  7th  day  of  June,  1877,  Dr.  Ware  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Law,  a  daughter  of 
Robert  Law,  of  Chicago.  They  have  one  child,  a 
daughter  named  Hildegarde. 


JOHN   R.  WALSH, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  R.  WALSH  was  born  in  Ireland,  August  22, 
1837.  He  carne  to  the  United  States  with  his 
parents  when  he  was  twelve  years  old,  settling  in 
Chicago.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  became  a  clerk 
and  salesman  for  J.  McNally,  who  was  at  that  time 
one  of  the  principal  newsdealers  in  the  city.  Being 
quick,  bright  and  courteous,  he  soon  became  popular 
with  the  patrons  of  the  store,  and  as  he  took  a  keen 
interest  in  the  business,  he  developed  ideas  for  its 
expansion.  His  employer,  however,  could  not  be 
induced  to  adopt  his  ideas,  and  in  1861,  with  a  little 
borrowed  capital,  he  opened  a  news  depot  of  his  own, 
and  proceeded  to  put  his  plans  into  execution.  In 
addition  to  his  local  customers  he  began  to  supply 
outside  towns  and  cities  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin, 
Minnesota  and  Iowa,  with  papers  and  periodicals,  and 
his  service  was  so  much  superior  to  that  of  the 


American  News  Company,  of  New  York,  with  the 
facilities  it.  then  possessed,  that  he  soon  captured  a 
large  portion  of  the  Northwestern  trade.  This  en- 
croachment upon  the  business  of  the  American  News 
Company,  led  to  negotiations  which  resulted  in  the 
establishment,  in  1866,  of  the  Western  News  Company 
in  Chicago,  with  John  R.  Walsh  as  manager.  It  was 
the  first  branch  of  the  American  News  Company, 
which  now  has  branches  in  all  the  principal  cities  of 
the  country,  and  to  John  R.  Walsh  is  mainly  due  the 
large  measure  of  success  attained.  Mr.  Walsh  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  National  Bank,  and  has 
been  the  president  of  that  institution  from  its  inception. 
He  is  the  principal  owner  of  the  Chicago  Herald  and 
Evening  Post,  and  is  interested  in  other  important 
enterprises.  Mr.  Walsh  was  married  in  1867,  to  Miss 
Wilson,  of  Chicago. 


HON.  D.  O.  FISHER, 

TISHOMING,  INDIAN  TERRITORY. 


D.  O.  FISHER,  son  of  Joseph  and  Martha  (Hayes) 
Fisher,  was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Pearl 
river  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  in  the  month  of 
August,  1825.  His  father  was  a  Kentuckian,  and  his 
mother  was  a  half  Choctaw  Indian,  belonging  to  the 
Ok-la-fa-la-ya  tribe.  His  parents  moved  to  Fort  Tow- 
son,  Choctaw,  Indian  Territory,  in  1832,  and  there  the 
lad  began  his  studies,  attending  a  neghboring  school  for 
about  a  year,  and  was  then  sent  to  Kentucky,  where 
for  three  years  he  attended  school  under  Hon.  Richard 
M.  Johnson. 

He  afterward  bought  a  farm  from  Judge  O.  Love, 
situated  about  five  miles  from  Colbert's  Station  on 
Red  river.  It  was  on  this  farm,  and  while  engaged 
in  harvesting,  that  a  note  from  the  governor  of  the 
Chickasaw  Nation,  Cyrus  Harris,  was  brought  to  him, 
signifying  his  intention  to  appoint  Mr.  Fisher,  Circuit 


Judge.  This  appointment  Mr.  Fisher  declined,  as 
under  the  Chickasaw  constitution,  he  was  ineligible, 
not  being  a  Chickasaw  by  blood.  Governor  Harris 
then  went  before  the  Legislature  of  the  Nation,  and 
requested  that  Mr.  Fisher  be  adopted  as  a  member  of 
the  Chickasaws  and  elected  to  the  judgeship.  This 
was  done,  and  Mr.  Fisher  thus  became  a  member  of 
both  tribes.  In  1874  he  was  commissioned  a  delegate 
to  AVashington,  and  has  frequently  held  this  position 
since.  In  1877  he  was  sent  for  to  attend  the  Chicka- 
saw Council  on  railroad  matters,  and  was  employed 
for  some  time  in  the  interests  of  the  M.  K.  &  T.  R.  R. 
Co.  After  this  he  left  Atoka  and  went  to  Tishoming, 
the  Chickasaw  capital,  and  bought  out  the  mercantile 
firm  of  By  I'd  Brothers,  carrying  on  the  business  until 
within  the  past  two  years. 

In   1888  he  served  as  treasurer  of  the  Nation,  re- 


1-RGMiNENT  MEN  OP  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


273 


signing  in  eight  months  on  account  of  personal  busi- 
ness. He  is  at  present  serving  his  second  term  as 
National  Agent,  collecting  royalties  due  the  Nation. 
He  is  also  vice-president  of  the  National  Bank  at  Den- 
ison,  Texas,  and  is  besides  connected  with  many  other 
business  enterprises. 

Mr.  Fisher  was  married  Sept.  24,  1867,  to  Miss 
Mattie  McSweeney,  daughter  of  Col.  Peter  McSweeney, 
and  the  result  of  their  union  is  three  daughters.  Daisy, 


the  eldest,  is  now  seventeen  years  old,  Agnes  fourteen 
years,  and  Blanche,  the  youngest,  seven  years. 

Though  sixty-eight  years  of  age,  Mr.  Fisher  is  still 
a  hale,  energetic  business  man,  and  though  his  life  has 
been  an  exceedingly  busy  one,  he  is  to  day  as  active  as 
ever,  fulfilling  the  duties  of  his  office  with  a  degree  of 
energy  not  often  found  in  a  man  of  his  years.  He  is  a 
man  of  strict  integrity,  and  as  such  is  universally 
esteemed.. 


ANDREW  CHAISER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BORN  in  Sweden,  August  5.  1841,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  accompanied  his  parents  to  America 
in  1850,  locating  at  Bishop  Hill,  near  Galva,  Henry 
county,  111.  Young  Chaiser  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  entered  as 
an  apprentice  in  the  office  of  The  Swedish  Republican, 
published  at  Galva,  in  1856,  and  remained  with  that 
concern  for  four  years,  or  until  the  paper  was  removed 
to  Chicago. 

He  worked  as  a  journeyman  printer  in  various 
newspaper  offices  of  the  United  States,  and  in  1869 
joined  his  oldtime  schoolmate,  Captain  Eric  Johnson, 
in  publishing  the  Illinois  Swede,  which  publication  in 
1871  was  removed  to  Chicago  and  printed  under  the 
name  of  Nya  Verlden  (the  New  World).  This  news- 


paper later  on  absorbed  several  other  Swedish  weeklies, 
one  of  which  was  the  Svenska  Amerikanaren,  and  the 
name  of  the  paper  was  changed  to  that  of  the  Svenska 
Tribunen,  under  which  name  the  publication  is  now 
known.  Having  become  sole  proprietor  of  this  news- 
paper in  1890,  Mr.  Chaiser  made  numerous  changes  in 
accord  with  his  views  and  taste,  and  in  doing  so 
demonstrated  his  ability  as  a  journalist.  His  enter- 
prise has  been  rewarded,  and  his  paper  to-day  occupies 
a  high  and  influential  position  among  the  Swedish- 
American  publications  of  the  United  States. 

Politically  Mr.  Chaiser  is  a  Republican,  but  liberal 
in  his  views.  He  is  a  member  of  several  societies  and 
clubs,  and  is  popular  in  them  all,  as  he  is  with  all  his 
friends. 


THOMAS  WOLFE, 

DAVID  CITY,  NEBRASKA. 


'T'HOMAS  WOLFE,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
1  Josephine  (Wolfstadt)  Wolfe,  was  born  at  the 
small  village  of  Hofheim,  lying  between  Wiesbaden  and 
Frankfurt,  in  Germany,  on  the  19th  day  of  May,  1846. 
While  still  a  child  his  parents  left  the  fatherland  with  the 
purpose  of  making  for  themselves  a  new  home  under 
the  folds  of  the  flag  of  freedom.  They  first  settled  in 
Marquette  county,  Wis.,  but  later  moved  into 
Marathon  county,  where  they  purchased  a  tract  of 
land  in  the  midst  of  dense  timber,  and  after  clearing 
it,  engaged  in  farming.  Young  Wolfe's  first  employ- 
ment off  the  farm  was  in  the  office  of  a  weekly  news- 
paper published  by  J.  W.  Chubbuck,  and  known  as  the 
Central  Wisconsin,  where  he  went  to  learn  the  trade 
of  printer.  This  paper  was  Democratic  in  politics,  but, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  very  atmosphere 
was  heavity  laden  with  Democratic  theories  and 
teachings,  young  AVolfe  early  became  imbued  with  the 
theories  taught  by  such  men  as  Greeley,  Lincoln,  Garri- 
son and  other  Abolitionist  leaders,  and  at  the  time  of 


Lincoln's  first  election,  though  he  was  not  old  enough 
to  vote,  he  performed  earnest  work  in  the  cause.  He 
served  in  different  capacities  in  many  newspaper 
offices,  holding  positions  from  type-setter  to  editor. 

In  1864-  he  found  himself  in  Omaha,  and  there  con- 
tinued for  several  years  in  the  newspaper  and  publishing 
business.  In  1872  his  name  appeared  as  president  of 
the  Omaha  Typographical  Union,  No.  51,  and  later  he 
published  a  society  paper  known  as  the  Sunbeam.  In 
1874,  a  strike  of  union  printers  in  Omaha,  which  he 
opposed  and  had  long  kept  at  bay,  at  last  took  place, 
in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  himself  and  friends,  and 
during  its  continuance  he  left  Omaha,  and  went  to 
Seward,  Neb.,  where  he  purchased  the  office  and  outfit 
of  a  paper  known  as  the  Nebraska  Reporter,  which  he 
published  for  eight  years,  and,  what  was  unusual  fora 
country  paper,  it  proved  to  be  profitable.  lie  served 
in  tlu  Nebraska  legislature  in  the  session  of  1877  and 
1878,  and  in  1879  served  as  president  of  the  Nebraska 
State  Press  Association. 


274 

During  the  fall  of  1877  he  started  the  Butler  county 
Bank,  at  David  City,  Neb.,  and  as  its  president  con- 
ducted it  until  1883,  when  it  became1  the  First  National 
Bank  of  David  City.  He  has  since  served  as  its  presi- 
dent, its  affairs  under  his  capable  management  have 
prospered  exceedingly,  and  the  bank  is  in  comfortable 
circumstances.  Mr.  Wolfe  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  all  things  affecting  the  public  welfare,  and  has  held 
many  positions  of  honor  and  trust  in  both  political  life 
and  enterprises  into  which  politics  did  not  enter.  It 
was  due  to  his  efforts  that  the  David  City  public 
library  was  started  in  1891,  and  he  has  since  looked 
after  its  welfare  as  president  of  its  board  of  directors. 
He  has  also  been  president  and  is  now  acting  as  treas- 
urer of  the  Butler  Count}'  Agricultural  Society.  He 
has  traveled  extensively  throughout  the  United  States, 
and  in  1890  made  a  trip  to  Europe,  visiting  Scotland, 
England  and  Continental  Europe,  making  the  voyage 
up  the  famous  river  Khine. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Mr.  Wolfe  is  a  man  of  thorough  capability;  he  forms 
his  judgment  on  business  matters  quickly,  and  after- 
wards adheres  strictly  to  his  decision.  He  is  liberal  in 
his  views  upon  all  matters,  and  also  liberal  with  his 
wealth  where  public  enterprise  or  private  charity 
appeal  to  him.  He  has  sound  views  upon  the  financial 
status  of  the  different  kinds  of  currency,  and  the 
soundness  of  his  bank  during' periods  of  almost  univer- 
sal depression  would  seem  to  demonstrate  the  correct- 
ness of  his  opinions. 

Mr.  Wolfe  is  a  self-made  man,  and  one  who 
well  deserves  the  prosperity  enjoyed  by  him.  He 
stands  second  .to  no  one  in  the  community  with 
whom  he  has  cast  his  lot,  and  his  already  large  list  of 
friends  is  steadily  increasing.  The  only  duty  to 
himself  and  friends  that  he  has  neglected  is  that 
of  taking  unto  himself  a  wife,  a  neglect  which,  how- 
ever, it  is  not  difficult  to  remed}',  as  he  is  still  in  the 
prime  of  life. 


COL.  GEORGE  MAYHEVV  MOULTON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  -in  Readsboro, 
Vt.,  March  15,  1851,  the  son  of  Joseph  T.  and 
Maria  J.  (Babcock)  Moulton.  His  father  was  born  in 
Chichester,  near  Concord,  N.  H.,  in  which  neighbor- 
hood the  family  had  resided  for  several  generations. 
The  Moultons  have  always  been  prominent  in  both  civil 
and  military  affairs,  Gen.  Jonathan  Moulton  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame  being  great-great-grandfather  of  our 
subject.  When  George  was  but  two  years  of  age,  his 
father  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools,  and  by  his  studious  habits  acquired  an 
excellent  education,  graduating  from  the  high  school 
with  the  class  of  1868,  when  seventeen  years  of  age. 
He  was  selected  to  deliver  an  original  German  oration 
at  the  commencement  exercises  held  in  the  Crosby 
opera  house.  After  thirteen  years  of  continued  school- 
ing, he  joined  his  father  and  acquired  a  thorough  and 
practical  knowledge  of  the  carpenter's  trade. 

About  this  time  (1870)  the  city  of  Duluth  was 
developing  rapidly,  and  both  he  and  his  father  went 
thither,  and  were  employed  in  building  the  first  grain 
elevator  ever  erected  in  that  section  of  the  country. 
This  elevator  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1870,  and 
Mr.  Moulton  remained  for  some  time  to  aid  in  operat- 
ing the  plant,  and  then  went  to  Stilhvater,  Minn.,  to 
superintend  the  management  of  the  company's  elevator 
at  that  place,  and  remained  in  charge  until  the  fall  of 
1871.  Returning  to  Duluth,  he  remained  there  a 
short  time  and  then  returned  to  Chicago.  Mr.  Moulton, 
Sr.,  had  numerous  contracts  on  hand  for  the  erection 
of  grain  elevators  in  various  places,  among  them  the 
Galena  Elevator  at  Chicago,  in  charge  of  which  young 
Moulton  was  placed  as  forman.  He  was  thus  engaged 


until  the  spring  of  1872 — his  father,  in  the  meantime, 
having  secured  the  contracts  for  the  building  of  the 
Advance  Elevator  at  East  St.  Louis,  of  _one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  bushels  capacity:  the  Central  ele- 
vators at  St.  Louis,  having  a  capacity  of  five  hundred 
thousand  bushels,  and  the  East  St.  Louis  elevators,  with 
a  capacity  of  one  million  bushels.  He  now  became 
associated  with  his  father  as  a  partner,  and  in  March, 
1872,  arrived  in  St.  Louis,  and  was  engaged  there  some- 
eighteen  months  superintending  the  construction  of 
these  mammoth  concerns  and  planning  for  others. 
Their  firm  have  also  erected  elevators  at  Bethalto,  111., 
and  St.  Genevieve,  Mo.,  each  having  a  capacity  of  fifty- 
thousand  bushels,  while,  in  addition,  the}'  have  had 
the  designing  of  elevators  at  Venice,  III.,  and  at  Indi- 
anapolis, Ind.  They  have  erected  elevators  in  Portland, 
Baltimore,  Buffalo,  Norfolk,  Toledo,  Detroit,  Cleveland, 
Minneapolis,  Chicago,  Kansas  City,  New  York,  Tacoma 
and  numerous  other  cities.  Chicago  has  long  been 
their  headquarters,  but  in  their  business  as  architects 
and  builders  of  grain  elevators,  Mr.  Moulton  has  visited 
all  the  large  cities  and  grain  centers  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific. 

Forming  a  co-partnership  with  George  H.  Johnson 
(in  1877)  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  hollow- 
ware  tiles  for  floor  partitions  and  roofs  and  wall-girder 
and  column  coverings,  one  of  the  most  useful  discov- 
eries of  modern  times  for  building,  and  which,  had  it, 
been  adopted  in  Chicago  previous  to  the  great  fire, 
would  have  saved  many  costly  structures.  The  develop- 
ment of  this  enterprise  was  so  rapid  that,  in  1880,  the 
Ottawa  Tile  Company  was  established,  with  works  at 
Ottawa,  111.  The  name  of  this  company  was  after- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  U'EST. 


wards  changed  to  the  "Pioneer  "Fireproof  Construction 
company,"  which  is  now  one  of  the  largest  clay  manu- 
facturing establishments  in  the  world,  with  a  paid  up 
capital  stock  of  $500,000.  Mr.  Moulton,  who  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  its  affairs  since  its  origin,  is 
its  president  and  principal  stockholder.  The  company 
also  purchased,  in  1885,  a  half  interest  in  the  River 
Bank  Coal  company,  of  Streator,  111.,  of  which  Mr. 
Moulton  has  since  becpme  the  largest  stockholder  and 
the  president.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the 
Commerce  Vault  Co.,  a  director  of  the  Chicago  Deposit 
Vault  Co.,  and  president  of  the  Produce  Cold  Storage 
Exchange.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Masonic 
Temple  Association  of  Chicago,  and  the  Masonic 
Temple  Association  of  Joliet.  He  was  vice-president 
of  the  Knights  Templar  and  Masons  Life  Indemnity 
company  until  1890,  when  he  succeeded,  as  president 
of  this  association,  the  late  Dr.  J.  Adams  Allen.  In 
1885,  Mr.  Moulton  helped  to  incorporate  the  Illinois 
Masonic  Orphan's  Home,  and  served  as  its  president 
until  his  voluntary  retirement  in  1890.  He  is  still  one 
of  its  board  of  trustees.  The  association  has  acquired 
property  valued  at  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  the  home 
itself  is  a  source  of  great  good  to  a  large  number  of 
orphans,  children  of  Masons.  Mr.  Moulton  is  a  Mason 
of  high  standing.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar,  and  was 
crowned  sovereign  grand  inspector-general,  thirty-third 
degree,  A.  A  S.  R.,  September  20,  188T. 


275 

Mr.  Moulton  was  for  four  years  a  major  in  the 
Second  regiment,  Illinois  National  Guard,  being  com- 
missioned in  1886,  and  resigning  in  January,  1890, 
retiring  with  Col.  H.  A.  Wheeler.  He  served  in  the 
two  weeks'  campaign  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards,  at  the 
time  of  the  labor  riots  of  1887,  and  was  with  his  regi- 
ment at  all  its  encampments  and  whenever  it  did 
active  duty.  When  General  Wheeler  was  commis- 
sioned to  command  the  first  brigade  in  August,  1893, 
he  selected  Mr.  Moulton  as  one  of  his  staff  officers^ and 
he  then  received  the  commission  of  lieutenant-colonel, 
inspector  of  rifle  practice. 

Socially  he  is  much  respected  and  well  known, 
being  a  member  of  the  Union  League,  Miltonia  and 
Acacia  clubs,  and  of  the  Sons  of  Vermont,  etc.,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Art  Institute,  and  the 
Illinois  Association  of  Architects. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Florence  Garland, 
of  Burlington,  Iowa,  March  12,  1873.  They  have  two 
children,  Edith  May,  born  at  Winona,  Minn.,  and 
Arthur  Garland,  born  in  Chicago. 

Eminently  successful  both  in  commercial  and  social 
affairs,  George  M.  Moulton  is  a  good  type  of  that  class 
of  men  who,  not  content  in  remaining  in  the  position 
to  which  they  were  born,  have  pushed  forward,  and  by 
creating  and  becoming  connected  with  enterprises  of 
more  than  ordinary  importance,  have  become  public 
benefactors. 


JOSEPH   MEDILL, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MR.  MEDILL  was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  Canada, 
April  6,  1823,  his  parents  being  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry.  His  father  moved  to  Stark  county,  Ohio,  in 
1831,  when  Joseph  was  eight  years  of  age,  and  until 
he  was  twenty -one  years  old  he  worked  on  his  father's 
farm.  Subsequently  he  studied  law,  and  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  New  Philadelphia,  Ohio, 
in  1846.  In  1849,  he  founded  a  free-soil  whig  paper  at 
Coshocton,  Ohio,  and  thenceforth  devoted  himself  to 
journalism.  In  1852,  he  established  the  Leader,  a  free- 
soil  whig  paper  at  Cleveland,  and  in  1854,  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Republican  party  in  Ohio. 

Not  long  after  this  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  in  May, 
1855,  he  and  two  partners  pnrchased  the  Chicago 
Tribune,  with  which  paper  he  has  been  continuously 
identified  np  to  the  present  time.  He  put  forth  all  his 
strength  to  secure  the  nomination  to  the  presidency  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  1860,  and  upheld  him  with 
unflinching  zeal  in  the  war  for  the  restoration  of  the 
Union  and  emancipation  of  the  slaves.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Illinois  constitutional  convention  in 
1870,  when  the  organic  law  of  Illinois  was  revised,  and 
was  the  author  of  the  minority  representation  and 
several  other  provisions  of  that  law.  In  1871,  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Grant  a  member  of  the  first 


United  States  «ivil  service  commission,  and  in  the 
following  year  was  elected  mayor  of  Chicago  by  an 
immense  majority  on  the  so-called  "fire  proof"  ticket. 
Mr.  Medill  spent  a  year  in  Europe  in  1873  and  1874, 
and  wrote  out  his  observations  in  a  series  of  letters, 
which  were  published  in  the  Tribune.'  Upon  his 
return  he  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  that 
paper,  of  which  he  became  editor-in-chief.  What  the 
Tribune  has  said  and  done,  and  the  policies  and 
measures  it  has  advocated  since  then  have  been  under 
his  direction  and  guidance.  That  Mr.  Medill  has  long 
been  regarded  in  newspaper  circles  throughout  the 
country  as  standing  in  the  front  rank  of  journalism  is 
well  known  ;  and  that  the  Tribune  as  the  embodiment, 
largely,  of  his  will  and  purpose  has  been  a  power  in 
the  Republican  party,  and  an  influential  factor  in 
molding  and  directing  the  affairs  of  Chicago,  is  also 
well  known  to  the  public.  Though  giving  less  personal 
attention  than  formerly  to  the  Tribune^s  manage- 
ment, Mr.  Medill  still  supervises  all  its  affairs,  and 
though  seventy-one  years  of  age,  is  more  vigorous 
and  active  than  many  men  a  dozen  years  younger. 

Among  his  personal  friends  and  associates  Mr. 
Medill  has  always  been  highly  esteemed  for  his  strict 
integrity. 


276 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


ROBERT  M.  SNYDER, 


KANSAS  CITY,  MISSOURI. 


ROBERT  M.  SNYDER,  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
Snyder,  was  born  at  Columbus^  Ind.,  March  10th, 
1852.  He  .received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Louisville,  Ky.,  graduating  from  the  high  school  at 
seventeen  years  of  age.  After  leaving  school  he  assisted 
his  father,  from  whom  he  learned  bookkeeping  and  the 
general  rules  of  business.  He  remained  at  home  four 
years  or  until  he  was  of  age,  and  then  was  employed 
by  the  Louisville  Rolling  Mill  Co.  Finding  that  his 
knowledge  of  commercial  book-keeping  was  too  limited 
to  be  of  much  value  to  his  employers  he  attended  school 
at  night  for  several  months,  which,  together  with  the 
practical  work  at  which  he  was  engaged  during  the 
day,  soon  resulted  in  advance  of  salary  and  at  the  end  of 
the  first  year  he  was  made  general  book-keeper  at  a 
good  salary.  Soon  after  this  the  depression  in  values 
caused  by  the  panic  precipitated  the  suspension  of  his 
employers,  but  within  a  few  days  he  had  secured  another 
position,  as  book-keeper  and  cashier  of  the  largest 
wholesale  grocery  house  in  Louisville. 

Through  strict  economy  and  systematic  saving 
enough  money  was  obtained  in  a  few  years  to  start  him 
in  business.  Desiring  to  locate  further  West  he  selected 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  is 


now  one  of  the  best  known  bankers  in  that  city.  He 
is  president  of  the  Mechanics  Bank  of  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
and  of  the  James  Street  Bank  of  Deposit  and  Savings 
at  Kansas  City.  Kan.,  and  a  director  of  the  National 
Bank  of  Commerce.  He  has  visited  nearly  every  State 
in  the  Union  and  has  seen  all  of  the  principal  cities. 
He  has  never  aspired  to  political  positions,  preferring 
to  be  a  mere  member  in  the  ranks  of  the  followers  of 
Jeffersonian  doctrines. 

In  February,  1874,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie 
M.  Hord,  of  Lafayette  county,  Mo.,  who  died  two  years 
later  leaving  a  son,  Robert  M.,  a  youth  now  eighteen 
years  of  age,  attending  college.  In  1880  he  was  again 
married  ;  this  time  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Dawson.  They 
have  three  sons. 

Mr.  Snyder  has  carved  out  his  fortune  under  great 
difficulties.  Shortly  after  his  first  marriage  his  father 
died  and  on  him  devolved  the  support  of  his  mother 
and  seven  younger  brothers  and  sisters.  He  has  fulfilled 
every  obligation  nobly,  and  despite  the  grave  difficulties 
surrounding  his  start  in  the  battle  of  life  has  worked 
himself  to  the  front,  and  might  now,  if  so  disposed,  lay 
down  his  work,  assured  that  the  general  verdict  of  the 
world  would  be,  "  Well  done." 


'JOHN  JOHNSTON, 

MILWAUKEE,  WISCONSIN. 


JOHN  JOHNSTON  was  born  on  the  farm  of  Over- 
town  of  Auchnagatt,  in  the  parish  of  Savoch, 
County  of  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  on  June  8,  1836. 

He  attended  the  public  school  till  he  was  twelve 
years  old,  when  he  went  to  the  grammar  school  of 
Aberdeen,  which  was  then  famous  as  a  classical  school, 
having  James  Melvin,  LL.  D.,  as  head  master.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  gained  a  scholarship  in  public 
competition  and  entered  the  University,  whence  he 
graduated  in  March,  1855,  as  Master  of  Arts.  For  a 
few  months  he  was  in  the  law-office  of  Sir  Alexander 
Anderson,  but  on  the  invitation  of  his  uncle,  Alexander 
Mitchell,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  he  crossed  the  At- 
lantic and  entered  the  Wisconsin  Marine  and  Fire  In- 
surance Company  Bank  on  March  11,  1856. 

Mr.  Mitchell  was  then  sole  owner  of  the  bank  and 
in  1864,  young  Johnston  was  made  assistant  cashier, 
a  position  which  he  held  till  his  uncle's  death  in  1887, 
when  he  became  cashier.  On  account  of  the  fidelity 


with  which  he  attended  to  the  interests  of  his  uncle 
he  was  bequeathed  by  him,  at  his  death,  one-third  of 
the  stock  in  the  bank,  which  he  held  till  January  10, 
1893,  when  he  disposed  of  his  shares  to  Mr.  John  L. 
Mitchell.  On  account  of  the  great  financial  crisis  of  1893 
the  bank  was  forced  to  close  on  July  25th  of  that  year, 
and  although  under  the  banking  law  of  the  State,  Mr. 
Johnston  was  released  from  all  liability  to  the  creditors, 
having  ceased  for  over  six  months  to  be  a  stockholder 
in  it,  yet  under  a  special  law  he  was  still  liable. 
Instead  of  contesting  the  validity  of  the  law,  which  was 
questioned  by  many  able  lawyers,  Mr.  Johnston  as- 
sisted in  reorganizing  the  bank  by  putting  up  $500, 000 
in  good  property  to  secure  its  doubtful  assets  and  sub- 
scribing- $30,000  towards  the  new  capital  of  $500,000, 
which  was  put  up  by  some  forty  leading  citizens  of 
Milwaukee.  He  was  unanimously  elected  to  again 
take  the  position  of  cashier,  which  he  occupied  before 
he  sold  out. 


n  Ikj.jFub  Co.  Cn 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


279 


Mr.  Johnston  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
public  affairs,  literary,  charitable,  commercial,  athletic 
and  political.  He  served  for  two  terms  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  aldermen  of  Milwaukee,  and  for  six 
years  he  was  one  of  three  commissioners  of  public  debt. 
He  was  twice  a  member  of  the  committee  on  appeals  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce;  he  was  twice  its  vice- 
president  and  twice  its  president.  He  delivered  the 
inauguration  address  on  the  occasion  of  the  opening  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  1880  and  presented  the 
key  to  its  president  on  behalf  of  Alexander  Mitchell. 
He  spoke  for  Milwaukee  at  the  opening  of  the  Boards 
of  Trade  of  Chicago  and  Cincinnati,  and  more  than 
once  represented  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Mil- 
waukee at  the  meetings  of  the  National  Board  of  Trade. 

In  1S78,  he  delivered  an  address  before  the  working 
men  of  the  iron  mills,  at  Bay  View,  on  the  currency 
question,  Avhich  was  so  clear,  convincing,  and  correct, 
that  the  Honest  Money  League  of  the  northwest  cir- 
culated 100,000  copies  of  it.  In  1869,  the  Curran 
Literary  Society  gave  a  prize  for  the  best  essay  on 
"Aristocracy,"  which  was  won  by  Mr.  Johnston.  He 
has  been,  for  twenty  years,  a  trustee  of  Milwaukee 
College,  and  a  trustee  in  Calvary  Presbyterian  church 
since  1869. 

He  has  always  been  an  enthusiast  in  rifle  shooting, 
curling,  ten-pins,  and  quoiting.  He  has  been  twice 
president  of  the  Northwestern  Curling  Association 


and  the  Grand  National  Curling  Club.  He  was  three 
times  president  of  the  Milwaukee  Rifle  Club, and  three 
times  president  of  the  Saint  Andrew's  Society.  He  is, 
at  present,  president  of  the  State  Historical  Society  of 
Wisconsin,  one  of  the  best  equipped  institutions  of  the 
kind  in  America,  and  is,  also,  one  of  the  two  regents 
at  large  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  He  was,  for 
years,  a  trustee  of  the  Public  Library  of  Milwaukee, 
as  also  of  its  Industrial  Exposition. 

He  spoke  for  Milwaukee  at  the  banquet  given  to  the 
delegates  to  the  Pan  American  Congress  in  that  city, 
and  responded  for  the  Commerce  of  Milwaukee  at  the 
opening  of  the  new  Plankinton  House,  in  1884. 

Among  the  subjects  of  his  lectures  may  be  mentioned 
"Religion  and  Science;"  "Shall  we  live  hereafter?" 
"  Will  the  coming  man  be  religious?"  "  Moses,  Job, 
John  Knox ;  "  "  Scottish  humor  and  Scottish  names  ;" 
"Robert  Burns;"  "The  last  twenty-five  years  of 
American  history,"  etc.  Mr.  Johnston  has  paid  for  the 
support,  for  some  years,  of  two  young  men,  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin.  He  has  a  fine  library,  especially 
in  the  line  of  Scottish  subjects. 

He  is-  a  member  of  the  Milwaukee  Club,  the 
Recreation  Club,  the  Calumet  Club,  and  other  organ- 
izations of  a  social,  athletic,  literary,  charitable,  and 
political  nature,  and  in  all  the  spheres  of  life  in  which 
he  mingles,  he  has  ever  maintained  a  name  above 
reproach  in  every  particular. 


HON.  JAMES   FRANKLIN   ALDRICH, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  paternal  grandparents  of  J.  Frank  Aldrich 
were  William  and  Mercy  (Farnum)  Aldrich,  both 
of  whom  came  of  Rhode  Island  Quaker  families.  His 
parents  were  William  and  Anna  M.  (Howard)  Aldrich, 
and  he  was  born  at  Two  Rivers,  Wis.,  on  April  6,  1853. 
In  1861  his  father  settled  in  Chicago,  where  he  soon 
became  prominent  in  business  circles  and  was  honored 
by  his  fellow  citizens  with  many  positions  of  trust,  and 
in  every  instance  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  confi- 
dence reposed  in  him,  as  had  previously  been  the  case 
when  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Wisconsin  Legisla- 
ture in  1858.  He  was  elected  to  the  "  reform  council  " 
of  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  in  the  following 
fall  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  first  Illinois 
district,  where  he  served  three  successive  terms  and 
made  a  worthy  record  as  a  conscientious  working 
member.  He  was  a  man  of  practical  ideas  and  com- 
paratively few  words,  but  when  he  spoke  his  earnest- 
ness and  pointedness  carried  conviction.  Originally  a 
Whig,  he  aided  in  forming  the  Republican  party,  and 
was  conspicuous  in  its  councils  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  December,  1886,  leaving  the  heritage  of  an 
honored  name  and  a  manly  character  of  high  integrity, 
together  with  an  ample  fortune. 


The  subject  of  this  biography  is  a  worthy  son  of  a 
worthy  father,  many  of  whose  characteristics  and 
traits  he  inherits.  Prior  to  his  eighth  year,  young 
Aldrich  attended  school  in  his  native  place,  and  after 
his  removal  to  Chicago,  in  1861,  he  attended  the  public 
schools  there.  This  preliminary  training  was  supple- 
mented by  a  course  of  study  at  the  military  school  at 
Faribault,  Minn.,  after  which  he  fitted  himself  for  the 
profession  of  a  civil  engineer  at  the  Rensselaer  Poly- 
technic Institute  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1877. 

After  returning  to  Chicago  he  was  for  several  years 
connected  with  the  Chicago  Linseed  Oil  Company,  of 
which  his  father  was  then  president;  then  for  about  six 
years  operated  on  the  Board  of  Trade,  holding  a  mem- 
bership in  that  body,  and  subsequently  became  general 
manager  of  the  Mutual  Fuel  Gas  Co.,  of  Chicago.  He 
filled  that  position  until  April,  1881,  when  he  was 
appointed  by  Mayor  Washburne  as  commissioner  of 
public  works. 

Mr.  Aldrich  has  long  been  known  for  his  fearless 
loyalty  to  his  honest  convictions;  his  sturdy  opposition 
to  misrule  in  municipal  affairs  and  his  clear-headed  dis- 
cretion and  tact  as  manager  and  leader.  It  was  these 


280 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


and  other  kindred  traits  that  led  to  his  selection  as  a 
member  of  the  Cook  county  board  of  commissioners, 
in  1886,  of  which  body  he  became  president  after  the 
noted  "  reform  board  "  was  installed,  succeeding  the 
notorious  li  boodle  regime."  As  a  member  of  the 
county  board  he  won  universal  commendation  by  his 
practical  demonstration  of  equitable  and  honest  princi- 
ples and  by  his  fearless  defense  of  the  people's  rights 
against  the  lawlessness  and  cupidity  of  political 
chicanery,  and  established  a  record  which  did  him 
great  credit.  As  a  member  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation for  Cook  county,  he  .also  rendered  efficient 
service. 

When  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  through  its  various 
civic  clubs  and  commercial  organizations,  selected  the 
committee  who  inaugurated  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Drainage  Act,  Mr.  Aldrich  was  chosen  as  chairman  of 
that  committee,  and  was  an  influential  factor  in  the 
movement.  In  all  his  public  service  he  has  shown 
ability  of  a  high  order,  and  has  discharged  his  duties 
with  an  intelligent  and  dignified  manliness,  and  a 
familiarity  with  public  affairs  joined  to  a  fine  determi- 
nation to  be  true  to  his  convictions  of  right,  which  do 
him  honor. 

Mr.  Aldrich  has  naturally,  for  some  time,  been 
regarded  by  his  friends  as  the  natural  heir  to  the  con- 


gressional seat  which  was  so  long  and  worthily  filled 
by  his  father,  by  reason  of  his  diversified  and  eminent 
abilities  for  the  position.  In  April,  1892,  a  year  after 
his  appointment  by  May  or  Washburne  as  commissioner 
of  public  works,  Mr.  Aldrich  was  chosen  bv  acclamation 
by  the  Republican  convention  as  its  nominee  for 
congressman  from  the  first  district  of  Illinois  to 
succeed  the  Hon.  Abner  Taylor.  At  the  November 
election  Mr.  Aldrich  was  triumphantly  elected,  and 
served  his  constituents  with  conscientious  ability 
during  the  term  for  which  he  was  chosen. 

Mr.  Aldrich  is  highly  esteemed  for  his  personal  and 
social  qualities,  as  well  as  for  his  public  worth,  and  is 
the  centre  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Union  League,  the  Kenwood,  the  Hamilton  and 
the  Hyde  Park  clubs.  He  is  also  a  member  of  St. 
Paul's  Episcopal  church  at  Kenwood.  On  November 
13,  1876,  Mr.  Aldrich  married  Miss  Lulu  Sherman, 
daughter  of  General  Frank  T.  Sherman,  ex-postmaster 
of  Chicago  and  grand-daughter  of  ex-Mayor  Francis 
T.  Sherman.  Mrs.  Aldrich  is  a  woman  of  charming 
qualities,  intelligent  and  refined,  and  a  worthy  com- 
panion and  helpmate  of  her  husband.  Their  three 
children,  Eleanore,  Martha  and  Louis  Sherman,  are 
aged  thirteen,  twelve  and  eleven  years  respectively, 
and  are  bright  features  of  a  happy  home. 


ANDREW    PETERSON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


*  A  NDREW  PETERSON  was  born  in  Kolding,  Den- 
y\  mark,  the  14th  day  of  January,  1827.  Here  he 
passed  the  first  twenty  years  of  his  life,  receiving  a  good 
education.  In  the  year  1847  he  visited  America  and 
was  induced  to  stay  and  go  into  the  general  merchan- 
dising business  with  a  friend  at  Watertown,  Wis.,  thus 
becoming  a  resident  and  business  man  of  that  place 
before  Wisconsin  was  admitted  into  the  sisterhood  of 
States.  He  remained  in  business  in  Watertown  until 
1868,  when  he  sold  his  interests  there  and  went  to 
Mishawaka,  Ind.,  where  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
St.  Joseph  Manufacturing  Company. 

In  1872  he  left  Mishawaka  and  came  to  Chicago, 
going  into  the  jobbing  business,  but  not  finding  that  to 
his  liking  he  retired  a  year  later  and  started  a  general  • 
banking  business,  with  George  P.  Bay  as  a  partner, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Peterson  &  Bay,  and  under 
which  title  the  business  is  still  carried  on.  Their  first 
office  was  located  at  36  South  Clark  street,  five  years 
later  they  removed  to  164  Randolph  street,  and  in  1880 
to  163  Randolph  street,  where  the3r  remained  until 
1890  when  they  again  moved,  this  time  to  their  present 
quarters  on  the  south-west  corner  of  La  Salle  and  Ran- 
dolph streets.  While  ranking  as  one  of  the  principal 
private  banking  houses  of  Chicago,  it  does  a  large 
amount  of  business  in  real  estate,  having  been  identi- 


fied with  many  of  the  leading  transactions  in  Chicago 
since  the  great  fire  in  1871.  In  addition  to  conducting 
a  bank  of  deposit  it  does  a  general  loan  and  discount 
business,  dealing  extensively  in  local  stocks  and  secur- 
ities. Each  year  it  has  been  increasing  the  scope  of  its 
business  until  at  the  present  time  it  enjoys  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  the  public,  and  Peterson  &  Bay 
are  regarded  as  sound  and  conservative  financiers,  who 
take  a  leading  rank  among  the  bankers  of  the  West. 
Mr.  Peterson  was  for  a  time  a  director  of  what  was 
then  known  as  the  Milwaukee  &  Watertown  railway, 
but  which  has  since  developed  into  the  great  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  system,  embracing  a  large  sec- 
tion of  the  Northwest. 

He  has  never  held  nor  sought  public  office,  prefer- 
ring the  quiet  of  private  life  to  the  publicity  and 
excitement  of  politics.  Politically,  he  is,  generally 
speaking,  a  member  of  the  Republican  party,  though 
he  depends  upon  his  judgment  to  decide  for  whom  his 
ballot  shall  be  cast,  particularly  in  state  and  municipal 
elections.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Stock 
Exchange,  the  Chicago  Athletic  Club,  and  the  Union 
League  Club.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  "Chev- 
alier Bayard  Commanclery,"  Knights  Templar. 

He  was  married  in  August,  1854,  to  Miss  Josephine 
E.  Niles,  a  daughter  of  John  Niles,  of  Mishawaka,  Ind., 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


283 


who,  after  thirty  happy  years  of  married  life,  died 
March  9,  1884,  since  which  time  Mr.  Peterson  has 
mostly  made  his  home  at  the  Union  League  Club. 

He  has  traveled  extensively  all  over  Europe,  having 
visited  all  the  principal  cities  of  that  country.  He  has 
also  visited  Cuba  and  Mexico,  besides  having  seen  the 
principal  points  of  interest  in  every  State  in  the  Union, 
with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  which  are  in  the 
extreme  northwestern  corner.  He  spends  a  portion  of 
each  year  at  some  one  of  the  well  known  resorts  on 
the  Atlantic  coast,  having  a  love  for  the  great  ocean  on 


whose  shores  he  spent  the  earlier  years  of  his  life.  He 
is  an  ardent  admirer  of  America  and  American  insti- 
tutions and  only  deplores  the  fact  that  there  are  jeal- 
ousies that  might  make  one  for  a  moment  forget  that 
we  are  all  necessary  parts  of  a  great  whole.  Mr. 
Peterson  takes  as  active  an  interest  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  material  welfare  of  Chicago  as 
men  a  score  of  years  his  junior ;  he  bears  his  years 
lightly,  and  it  is  hoped  that  his  useful  life  may 
be  spared  to  the  city  of  his  adoption  for  many  years 
to  come. 


HON.  ALFRED    ENNIS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  June  24,  1837, 
in  Morgan  county,  Ind.  He  was  the  oldest  of 
three  brothers.  His  father,  Mitchell  Ennis,  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Nancy  Trent,  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  They  were 
highly  esteemed  in  the  community  in  which  they 
resided  in  central  Indiana,  where  they  had  settled  upon 
a  farm,  and  it  was  here  that  Alfred's  early  youth  was 
spent. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen,  his  educational  advantages 
having  been  such  as  the  common  schools  of  that  period 
afforded,  suplemented  by  evening  study  at  home,  he 
entered  Franklin  College,  Indiana,  in  the  fall  of  1855, 
paying  his  own  way  with  money  he  had  saved  from 
his  earnings.  When  his  small  stock  of  money  was 
exhausted,  he  returned  home  and  taught  school  for  one 
term  in  the  district  where  he  was  raised,  at  the  close  of 
which,  with  the  money  earned,  he  was  enabled  to 
resume  his  attendance  at  the  college,  where  he  applied 
himself  with  stil-1  greater  zeal  to  his  studies.  At  the 
close  of  his  college  course,  which  his  own  perseverance, 
in  the  face  of  all  obstacles,  had  made  possible,  he 
returned  home,  teaching  school  in  the  winter  seasons 
and  devoting  his  spare  time  to  study  and  self-improve- 
ment. In  the  summer  of  1858,  he  accepted  a  position  as 
salesman  in  the  dry  goods  house  of  Messrs.  Park  and 
Hite,  the  largest  and  wealthiest  mercantile  firm  in 
Martinsville. 

In  March,  1859,  young  Ennis'  father  died,  leaving 
his  mother  and  two  brothers  alone  upon  the  farm. 
Alfred  at  once  left  the  store  and  returned  home,  and 
took  charge  of  and  cultivated  the  farm  that  season, 
with  the  assistance  of  his  two  brothers.  He  was 
appointed  administrator  of  his  father's  estate,  which 
necessited  his  obtaining  and  reading  the  statutes  of 
the  State,  and  this  resulted  in  his  forming  a  desire  to 
study  law.  He  obtained  Blackstone's  commentaries, 
and  read  them  during  the  summer  of  that  year. 
During  the  succeeding  fall  and  winter,  impelled  by 
his  new  ambition,  he  taught  a  private  school  in  his 
home  district,  from  which  he  realized  sufficient  money 
to  enable  him  to  attend  a  law  school. 


In  the  fall  of  1859,  he  attended  a  law  school  in 
Indianapolis,  conducted  by  Hons.  Jonathan  W.  Gordon, 
Napoleon  B.  Taylor  and  John  Coburn,  later  attending 
the  law  school  of  the  Northwestern  Christian  Univer- 
sity, in  the  same  city,  where  the  Hon.  Samuel  E. 
Perkins,  then  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Indiana,  was  the  professor.  At  this  school  he 
entered  the  senior  class,  and  in  the  spring  of  1860, 
graduated.  Again  returning  home,  where  his  counsel 
was  sought  by  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  he  soon 
had  a  considerable  and  remunerative  practice.  In  the 
fall  of  1860  he  opened  an  office  at  Martinsville,  and 
soon  gained  an  enviable  reputation  as  being  an  exceed- 
ingly shrewd  and  faithful  legal  adviser.  About  this 
time  he  formed  a  partnership  with  the  Hon.  Samuel 
H.  Buskirk,  subsequently  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Indiana,  a  lawyer  of  experience  and 
ability,  then  residing  at  Bloomington,  Ind. 

In  the  summer  of  1863  the  partnership  between  Mr. 
Ennis  and  Mr.  Buskirk  was  dissolved,  and  early  in 
1864  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Cyrus  F. 
McNutt.  Mr.  McNutt  was  subsequently  professor  of 
law  in  the  State  University  of  Indiana,  and  judge  of 
the  Superior  Court,  at  Terre  Haute.  In  the  spring  of 
1867  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Ennis 
continued  the  practice  alone. 

Two  years  later,  Mr.  Ennis  was  requested,  in  the 
interest  of  his  clients,  to  make  a  trip  abroad,  visiting 
England,  France  and  Scotland  and  returning  much 
refreshed  by  his  trip  and  resumed  his  practice  of  law. 

In  the  fall  of  1869  he  completed  one  of  the  most 
elegant  structures  in  his  native  county.  Now  that  he 
had  built  up  a  large  and  remunerative  practice,  he  had 
every  reason  to  feel  that  he  was  settled  for  life.  His 
roving  spirit,  however,  would  not  have  it  so,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1870,  he  for  the  first  time  visited  Kansas, 
stopping  in  Topeka,  and  he  became  so  greatly  im- 
pressed with  the  prospective  greatness  of  the  State 
that  he  formed  a  desire  to  remove  there,  which  he  did 
in  June,  1871,  settling  in  Topeka. 

In  his  new  home  Mr.  Ennis  applied  himself  strictly 
to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  giving  almost  exclu- 


284 

eive  attention  to  business  in  the  Federal  courts  of  some 
six  or  seven  States,  and  especially  to  that  branch  of 
litigation  growing  out  of  the  default  of  payment  of 
municipal  and  other  corporate  securities  in  the  western 
States,  and  to  railroad  and  corporation  law  generally. 
His  success  was  highly  satisfactory.  In  the  summer 
of  1880,  Mr.  Ennis,  accompanied  by  bis  family,  visited 
California.  Two  years  later,  in  the  summer  of  1882, 
Mr.  Ennis,  accompanied  by  his  family,  took  up  his  tem- 
porary residence  in  Boston,  where  he  was  called  by 
business  interests  and  the  practice  of  his  profession,and 
where  he  was  able  to  give  his  children  the  superior  edu- 
cational advantages  of  that  city.  A  year  or  so  later  he 
was  compelled  to  go  to  New  York  with  his.  family,  re- 
maining there  until  1884,  then  coming  to  Chicago,  to 
take  charge  of  the  legal  department  of  the  Pullman 
Palace  Car  Company,  as  general  counsel  of  the  com- 
pany. Mr.  Ennis  has  since  resided  here  with  his  fam- 
ily, consisting  of  his  wife,  one  son,  Walter  B.,  and  three 
daughters,  Lillie  A.,  Luna  May,  and  Alma  Viola. 

Mr.  Ennis,  as  general  counsel,  conducted  the  large 
business  of  the  legal  department  of  the  Pullman  Com- 
pany for  about  five  years  with  the  greatest  success. 
During  the  time  named  the  business  aggregated  many 
million  dollars,  and  included  many  thousand  miscella- 
neous contested  matters,  and  many  hundred  law  suits 
throughout  Mexico  and  Canada,  as  well  as  the  United 
States.  Under  his  management  of  the  legal  depart- 
ment the  company  paid  less  than  two-thirds  of  one 
per  cent,  upon  the  amounts  involved,  an  almost  unsur- 
passed administration  of  so  vast  a  legal  department. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


About  the  close  of  1888,  Mr.  Ennis  resigned  his  position 
with  a  view  of  associating  with  himself  in  the  practice 
of  general  law  his  son,  who, although  in  delicate  health, 
was  a  most  promising  young  attorney.  On  May  1, 
1889,  Mr.  Ennis  opened  offices  in  "The  Rookery,"  in 
Chicago.  Before  Mr.  Ennis,  Jr.,  regained  his  health, 
however,  be  died,  on  March  31,  1890.  Since  his  death 
Mr.  Ennis,  Sr.,  has  endeavored  to  confine  his  practice 
to  corporation  law. 

He  is  a  man  of  great  oratorical  ability,  and  fre- 
quently, upon  special  request,  has  prepared  and 
delivered  addresses  upon  subjects  of  current  interest. 
He  read  before  the  Illinois  State  Bar  Association,  at 
its  twelfth  annual  meeting,  an  exhaustive  paper  upon 
thesubjectof  "  Commerce,  Intra-State  and  Inter-State; 
its  Regulation  and  Taxation.''  On  the  occasion  of  a 
banquet  at  the  same  meeting  of  the  above  association, 
he  also  read  a  complimentary  sentiment  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  "The  American  Bar  Association." 

On  November  29,  1860,  Mr.  Ennis  was  married  at 
Manchester,  Ind.,  to  Miss  Almarinda  Baldridge,  a 
young  lady  of  high  culture  and  refinement.  Miss 
Baldridge  was  a  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Daniel 
Baldridge,  a  pioneer  minister  of  renown  in  the  Chris- 
tian church  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  Ennis  has  been  for  many  years  a  Mason  of  the 
higher  degrees — Royal  Arch,  Knights  Templar  and 
Scottish  Rite.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago,  State, 
American  and  National  Bar  associations.  In  politics, 
he  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and  is  a  thorough 
believer  in  the  party. 


FRANK   NEWTON  GAGE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


T^RANK  NEWTON  GAGE  was  born  in  Waltham, 
I  Mass.,  July  24,  1853,  being  the  son  of  John  N. 
and  Martha  (Webster)  Gage.  His  father  settled  in 
Chicago  in  1857,  and  founded  the  house  of  Webster  & 
Gage,  which  afterwards  became  Gage  Bros.  &  Co., 
wholesale  dealers  in  fancy  goods  and  millinery. 

Frank  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Chicago, 
graduating  from  the  "Old  Central"  high  school  with 
honors  in  1870.  Having  a  predilection  for  commercial 
rather  than  professional  life,  he,  upon  leaving  school, 
entered  the  firm  of  Gage  Bros.  &  Co.,  and  the  great 
fire,  which  made  Chicago  famous,  coming  the  next 
year,  gave  him  opportunity  for  rapid  advancement,  of 
which  he  was  not  slow  to  avail  himself.  For  fifteen 
vears  following,  or  until  January  1,  1885,  when  he 
organized  the  corporation  known  as  "  The  Gage-Downs 
Corset  Company,"  of  which  he  became  treasurer  and 
manager,  he  was  well  known  in  the  Chicago  business 
world,  and  was  tireless  in  his  efforts  for  success  and 
advancement. 

The  following  six  years,  during  which  a  successful 


manufacturing  business  was  established,  were  equallv 
active.  Disposing  of  his  interest,  and  severing  his 
connection  with  this  corporation  in  the  early  part  of 
1891,  his  attention  has  since  been  given  to  his  large 
estate,  and  the  supervision  of  'his  diversified  financial 
interests,  which  yield  him  a  comfortable  income. 

Mr.  Gage  finds  time  outside  of  this  to  attend  to  his 
duties  as  president  of  the  North  American  Accident 
Association,  and  is  quite  active  in  the  management  of 
several  building  and  loan  associations,  as  well  as  on 
the  Chicago  Stock  Exchange. 

A  lover  of  good  horses,  several  of  which  can  be 
found  in  his  well  appointed  stables,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Washington  Park  Club,  while  his  artistic  instincts 
are  shown  by  his  enrollment  as  a  member  of  the  Art 
Institute. 

In  June,  1888,  Mr.  Gage  was  elected  president  of 
the  National  Union  (he  having  become  a  member  of 
the  same  in  1883),  a  beneficial  order  having  over  thirty 
thousand  members,  and  during  his  term  of  office,  which 
expired  in  June,  1890,  he  had  full  jurisdiction  over  the 


4Wt«* 


..,  o< 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


whole  order,  and  performed  the  duties  of  his  olliue  in 
an  exemplary  manner.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the  Royal  League,  and  the  Fraternal 
Mystic  Circle,  all  well  known  fraternal  orders. 

Mr.  Gage  has  traveled  extensively,  both  in  this 
country  and  Europe,  and,  possessing  as  he  does,  a  re- 
tentive memory  and  graphic  powers  of  description,  his 
reminiscences  are  always  of  an  interesting  and  enter- 
taining character. 

In  politics,  he  is  Eepublican,  and  is  always  true  to 
his  party  on  national  and  other  important'  issues;  but 
he  is  by  no  means  a  partisan,  in  the  generally  accepted 
sense  of  the  word,  and  beyond  recording  his  vote,  as 
occasion  may  require,  he  takes  no  active  part  in  politics 
generally. 

In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Universalist,  and  is  a 
member  of  St.  Paul's  Universalist  church.  It  is  not 
often  that  a  young  man  becomes  so  early  identified 
with  the  work  of  a  church  and  its  Sunday-school  as  did 
Mr.  Gage,  for  he  has  been  an  officer  of  this  church  for 


287 

many  years,  and  connected  with  the  Sunday-school 
work  since  1860.  This  is  an  honorable  record,  and  one 
of  which  Mr.  Gage  is  naturally  proud.  He  has  not  yet 
reached  the  meridian  of  life,  and  the  church  of  which 
he  is  so  active  and  prominent  a  member  anticipates 
many  years  of  service  from  him. 

He  was  married  November  6,  1889,  to  Miss  Olive 
E.  Lewis,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Mary  Lewis.  They  have 
one  child,  a  boy,  named  for  the  grandfather,  John 
Newton  Gage.  Domestic  by  nature,  Mr.  Gage  spends 
much  of  his  time  not  devoted  to  business  interests  with 
his  family,  and  he  is  never  happier  than  when,  relieved 
from  business  cares,  he  is. able  to  join  his  family  and 
enjoy  the  comforts  of  a  beautifully  situated,  comfort- 
ably and  richly  furnished  and  well  regulated  home,  or 
a  drive  behind  one  or  more  of  his  well  bred  horses. 

Of  thorough  rectitude,  pleasing  address,  and  much 
ability  he  is  one  of  Chicago's  enterprising  and  repre- 
sentative citizens,  and  as  such  his  biography  is  here 
inserted. 


ABRAM   WILLIAMS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


OF  all  the  prominent  insurance  managers  in  charge 
of  Western  departments  in  Chicago,  there  are 
none  more  prominent,  more  successful  or  better  known 
than  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Abram  "Williams, 
born  March  31,  1830,  at  Utica,  New  York.  His 
parental  grandfather  was  a  prominent  minister  in  the 
Baptist  denomination  of  that  State,  who  came  to  this 
country  from  Chester,  England,  in  1795.  His  mother 
was  Olive  Barnum,  of  Danbury,  Connecticut,  daugh- 
ter of  Ezra  Barnum,  a  clergyman, who  took  active  part 
in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  and  academies  of 
his  native  town,  young  Williams  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
left  school,  having  acquired  a  good  common  school 
education,  and  being  desirous  of  making  his  own  way 
in  life,  for,  on  the  death  of  his  father  in  1844  (our  sub- 
ject being  then  just  fourteen  years  of  age)  the  task  of 
supporting  a  family  of  five  children  devolved  upon  his 
mother,  who.  much  to  her  credit,  carried  out  this  task 
in  an  exemplary  and  thorough  manner.  One  of  his 
brothers,  Nelson  G.,educated  at  West  Point,  afterwards 
became  colonel  of  the  Third  Iowa  Regiment,  and  was 
promoted  to  brigadier-general  for  gallant  service  at 
.  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  His  three  sisters  have  all  done 
well,  received  a  good  education  and  have  been  promi- 
nent in  their  respective  circles. 

Deciding  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  great  city  of  New 
York,  young  Williams,  with  but  a  few  dollars  in  his 
pocket,  went  there,  and  after  much  effort  he  obtained  a 
situation  with  Peter  Murray,  importer  of  fancy  goods, 
notions,  etc.,  Maiden  Lane,  remaining  here  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Subsequently  he  became  a  buyer  for 


William  II.  Gary  &  Co.,  who  conducted  a  business  of 
a  similar  nature,  and  in  1852  formed  the  house  of 
Sheldon,  Harris  &  Williams,  Liberty  street,  New 
York.  This  business  grew  in  proportions,  and  success 
attended  their  efforts.  In  fact,  the  trade  they  did 
became  of  such  importance  as  to  warrant  their  estab- 
lishing, in  1854,  a  branch  house  in  Paris,  and  there 
Mr.  Williams  for  some  time  resided.  But  his  atten- 
tion to  his  duties  and  the  business  affairs  generally  of 
the  house  had  been  such  that  at  length  his  health  gave 
way,  and  he  was  forced  to  relinquish  his  connection 
with  the  firm.  Going  West  in  1856,  he  settled  in  Du- 
buque,  la.  Two  years  later  that  city  underwent  a 
severe  financial  crisis,  and  Mr.  Williams,  amongst  the 
other  prominent  merchants  of  the  city,  was  for  a  time 
considerably  embarrassed,  but,  determined  to  perse- 
vere, he  brought  to  bear  upon  his  business  renewed 
energy  and  the  result  was  that  by  1860  he  had  wiped 
out  every  debt  he  had  through  these  unfortunate  cir- 
cumstances contracted.  In  accomplishing  this  he  was 
left  virtually  without  a  dollar  of  available  capital  with 
which  to  start  anew.  He  was  appointed,  however,  a 
deputy  court  clerk  this  year,  and  occupied  this  position 
until  h'e  entered  the  army  in  1862. 

Commissioned  first  lieutenant  in  the  Sixth  Iowa 
Cavalry  he  was  ultimately  promoted  to  chief  of  cavalry 
on  General  Alfred  Sully's  staff.  In  the  winter  of 
1864-5,  being  assigned  to  addditional  duties  as  acting 
assistant  quarter-master,  the  active  and  energetic 
manner  in  which  he  filled  this  position,  and  the 
ingenuity,  tact  and  great  determination  he  displayed 
in  dealing  with  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  at  this  time, 


288 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST 


which  much  embarrassed  the  government  by  its  action, 
received  the  highest  commendations — all  this  is  a 
matter  of  history.  He  took  possession  of  this  road  as 
far  as  the  necessity  of  government  service  required,  and 
also  of  the  other  railroads  of  Iowa,  shipped  the  grain 
required  to  Cairo,  kept  up  the  supply  and  thus  carried 
out  the  orders  of  his  superior  officers.  This  course, 
though  it  resulted  in  considerable  inconvenience  to  the 
numerous  shippers  along  these  roads,  was,  nevertheless, 
unavoidable.  The  people,  and  through  them  the 
government,  required  certain  supplies,  and  this  fact 
alone  was  a  sufficient  warrant  for  action.  The  necessity 
was  great,  the  cause  just,  and  the  end  in  view  certainly 
justified  the  means.  The  railroad  companies  appealed 
to  General  Pope,  and  he  undertook  to  rescue  them  from 
Assistant  Quarter-Master  Williams'  hold,  but  the 
attempt  was  futile,  for  the  quarter-master  determined 
to  hold  them,  and  he  did  hold  them  until  the  supplies 
had  been  shipped,  and  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  under 
Gen.  Thomas  was  thus  enabled  to  continue  its  cam- 
paign. For  this.  Mr.  Williams  received  the  commen- 
dations of  his  superior  officers,  though  the  railroad 
company  sued  the  government  for  heavy  damages,  with 
what  result  is  not  known. 

His  term  of  service  expiring  in  1865,  he  returned 
to  Dubuque,  and  here  became  connected  with  the  insur- 
ance business,  becoming  general  agent  for  the  Yonkers 
and  New  York  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  New  York. 
In  1869  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Michigan,  and  all  the 
States  and  Territories  in  the  West,  were  added  by  this 
company.  The  head  offices  were  then  removed  to 
Chicago,  and  Mr.  Williams  located  himself  here  in 
August  of  that  year,  continuing  the  company's  success- 
ful career.  In  the  great  fire  of  1871  Mr.  Williams  was 
crippled,  and  was  forced  to  have  recourse  to  the  use  of 
crutches  for  over  two  years,  owing  to  his  endeavors 
during  the  fire  to  save  his  company's  books,  valuable 
documents,  etc.  In  1874  the  Continental  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company  of  New  York  appointed  him  their 
Western  manager,  in  which  position  he  continued  until 
the  fall  of  1884,  when  he  was  offered  and  accepted  a 
similar  position  with  the  Connecticut  Fire  Insurance 
Company  of  Hartford,  organizing  its  Western  depart- 
ment. Its  business  at  this  time  amounted  to  but  a 
little  over  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  while  now  it 


has  so  grown  and  developed  that  at  present  it  amounts 
to  over  nine  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Williams 
is  still  its  Western  manager,  and  is  a  man  of  sound 
principles  and  sound  practices.  It  has  been  often 
remarked  that  if  the  managers  of  all  companies  were 
like  him  the  insurance  business  would  be  invested  with 
more  dignity  than  it  a.t  present  possesses,  and  as  far  as 
possible,  it  would  be  robbed  of  its  objectionable  fea- 
tures. The  Connecticut  Fire  Insurance  Company  was 
granted  a  perpetual  charter  in  1850.  It  was  the  idea 
of  its  originators  to  be  guided  by  conservatism  in  all 
their  operations.  As  was  the  case  with  so  many  others, 
the  company  was  a  heavy  loser  in  both  the  great  Chi- 
cago and  Boston  fires.  Mr.  Williams,  among  other 
Western  fire  underwriters,  it  is  confidently  claimed,  has 
shown  more  intelligence  and  a  broader  comprehension 
of  the  principles  and  questions  involved  in  the  business 
than  have  the  New  York  managers.  In  the  metropol- 
itan district  harmony  has  nearly  always  been  an  absent 
quality,  while  in  Chicago  and  in  the  West,  as  a  whole, 
there  is  much  less  discord.  Mr.  Williams  has  served 
one  term  as  president  of  the  Northwestern  Association 
of  Fire  Underwriters  with  much  credit. 

Prominent  also  in  social  circles,  he  has  been  vice- 
president  of  the  Iroquois  club,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  and  Calumet  clubs.  A  warden  of  Grace 
Episcopal  church,  he  has  for  sixteen  years  been  one  of 
its  officers.  He  is  a  man  of  much  culture,  and  has 
traveled  extensively,  both  in  this  country  and  Europe. 

In  politics  a  Democrat,  measures  and  men,  rather 
than  party,  have  his  strongest  support. 

Mr.  Williams  was  married  in  1852,  to  Miss  Frances 
S.  Raynolds,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Williams  is  a 
daughter  of  Williams  L.  Raynolds,  a  prominent  for- 
warding and  shipping  merchant  of  that  place.  They 
have  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  dead.  His 
son,  Nelson  B.  Williams,  was  an  iron  merchant  and 
warehouseman  in  this  city,  but  has  now  retired 
with  a  competency;  his  daughter  Frances  J.  resides 
at  home. 

Of  much  ability,  sterling  worth,  and  of  social  and 
commercial  prominence,  Abram  Williams  stands  high 
among  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  and  as  a  thorougly  rep- 
resentative citizen  he  is  entitled  to  a  place  among  her 
representative  men. 


EDWIN  LYMAN  LOBDELL, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EDWIN  LYMAN  LOBDELL,  son  of  Charles  W. 
and  Eliza  (Gere)  Lobdell,  was  born  at  Granville, 
Putnam  county,  111.,  July  14,  1857.  His  father's  fam- 
ily came  frota  near  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  his  mother's 
from  Northampton,  Mass.,  to  Illinois,  about  the  year 
1848. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  came  to  Chicago 


and  secured  employment  in  the  First  National  Bank, 
where  he  was  advanced  rapidly,  holding  the  position 
of  receiving  teller  and  later  of  paying  teller.  In  1881, 
he  resigned  his  position  with  the  First  National  and 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Nash.  Wright  &  Co., 
receivers  and  shippers  of  grain.  In  1887,  he  retired 
from  this  firm  and  started  in  the  note  brokerage  busi- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


ness  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  L.  Lobdell  &  Co.  In 
1890  Mr.  Lobdell  deemed  it  desirable  to  form  a  stock 
company,  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  his  business  and 
of  securing  additional  capital.  In  this  he  succeeded, 
and  the  company  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
Lobdell,  Farwell  &  Co.  Actively  associated  with  him 
in  this  enterprise  is  Mr.  Granger  Farwell,  and  as 
directors  and  stockholders  a  number  of  well  known 
bankers  and  capitalists.  The  corporation  does  a  large 
investment  business  in  notes,  stocks  and  bonds,  and  has 
been  prominently  connected  with  Chicago  elevated  rail- 
way enterprises.  Mr.  Lobdell  is  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  and  has  been  a  director  of  the  American  Trust 
and  Savings  Bank  since  the  time  of  its  organization. 

His  social  relations  are  in  part  indicated  by  his 
membership  in  the  Union  League,  the  Washington 
Park  and  the  Chicago  Whist  clubs.  He  has  also 
traveled  extensively  in  this  country  and  in  Europe, 


289 

and  has  made  one  visit  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 
He  was  married  January  4,  1883,  to  Miss  Annie 
Philpot,  of  Chicago,  and  a  descendant  of  an  old  and 
well  known  family  of  Maryland.  They  have  three 
children,  one  son  and  two  daughters. 

Edwin  L.  Lobdell  is  a  fair  type  of  the  class  of  men 
who  have  built  up  Chicago  and  have  made  the  city 
one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world,  for  his  indomitable 
will  and  energy  have  shown  themselves  in  every  phase 
of  his  prosperous  career.  He  is  now  in  the  prime  of 
life,  at  the  head  of  a  large  corporation  transacting 
business  not  only  in  all  of  the  principal  cities  of  the 
United  States,  but  in  many  foreign  countries  as  well, 
and  is  a  prominent  figure  among  financiers. 

Personally,  he  is  of  fine  appearance,  and  though  one 
of  the  busiest  of  men,  he  has  a  smile  of  welcome  for  all, 
ungrudgingly  giving  his  time  to  those  who  ask  it  and 
thereby  constantly  adding  to  his  long  list  of  friends. 


GEORGE   PUTNAM-UFTON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BORN  at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  October  25,  1835,  Mr. 
Upton  is  the  son  of  Daniel  Putnam  and  Lydia 
JMoyes  Upton.  His  parents  were  both  Americans.  One 
of  his  early  ancestors,  John  Upton,  arrived  in  the  United 
States  in  1650,  and  settled  at  Salem,  Mass.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  educated  at  Brown  University, 
Providence,  R.  I.  He  came  to  Chicago,  October  27, 
1855,  and  two  days  later,  October  29,  began  his  career 
in  journalism,  which  has  continued  to  the  present  day. 
On  that  day  he  went  to  work  on  the  Chicago  Native 
Citizen,  where  he  remained  until  February,  1856.  In 
March  of  that  year  he  engaged  with  the  Journal,  re- 
maining there  until  November,  1861,  when  he  changed 
to  the  Chicago  Tribune,  and  has  been  connected  with 
this  newspaper  ever  since  in  an  editorial  capacity.  He 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  proficient  musical  crit- 
ics in  the  country,  and  is,  beside,  a  writer  of  note.  He 
is  the  author  of  "  Letters  of  Peregrine  Pickle,"  pub- 


lished in  1869 ;  "  Memories,"  a  translation  (1879); 
"  Woman  in  Music  "  (1880);  "  Standard  Operas  "  (1886); 
"Standard  Oratorios"  (1887);  "Standard  Cantatas" 
(1888);  "Standard  Symphonies"  (1889);  "Life  of 
Haydn,"  a  translation  (1883);  "  Life  of  Liszt,"  a  trans- 
lation (1884);  "Life  of  Wagner,"  a  translation  (1884). 
In  religion  he  is  an  agnostic,  and  in  politics  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Mr.  Upton  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Historical 
Society,  the  Wisconsin  Historical  Society,  the  American 
Arch 330 logical  Society,  the  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Sciences,  and  an  honorary  member  and 
founder  of  the  Apollo  Musical  Club.  He  was  married 
November  15,  1882,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Bliss,  who  died; 
and  again,  September  21,  1880,  to  Miss  Georgiana  S. 
Wood.  He  has  one  daughter,  Mary  E.  Favorite,  and 
two  grandchildren,  Calvin  Foster  and  George  Upton 
Favorite. 


DR.  MILTON   JAY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MILTON  JAY,  son  of  Isaac  and  Rhoda  Jay,  was 
born  near  Dayton,  O.,  May  10,  1833.  His 
parents  were  prominent  farmers  in  that  locality,  and 
gave  young  Jay  all  the  advantages  they  could  in  the 
way  of  securing  an  education.  Like  the  average 
farmer's  boy  of  the  period,  however,  he  onlv  attended 
school  in  the  winter  season,  and  spent  his  summers 
working  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  he 


entered  the  Farmers'  Institute,  at  Lafayette,  Ind., 
taking  a  three  years  course,  and  then  spent  two  years 
more  at  the  Eastham  College,  at  Richmond,  Ind. 
After  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine  and  surgery. 

In  1855,  he  entered  and  after  a  three  years  course, 
graduated,  in  1858,  from  the  Eclectic  Medical  College, 
at  Cincinnati,  and  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  in 


290 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


Philadelphia,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  ISo'J. 
After  graduating  from  this  thorough  course  of  study, 
Dr.  Jay  immediately  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  surgery  at  Marion,  Ind.,  where  he  soon 
worked  up  an  extensive  practice,  continuing  the  same 
until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago  for  the  wider 
field  of  operation  which  the  city  offers,  with  its  various 
hospitals  and  clinics.  Here  he  built  up  a  large  practice 
and  lias  for  twenty  four  years  attended  to  the  arduous 
duties  of  surgeon,  each  year  becoming  more  prominent 
in  the  ranks  of  his  profession. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  in  1870,  Dr.  Jay, 
in  c:mpany  with  Drs.  W.  H.  Davis,  H.  D.  Garrison, 
Henry  Olin  and  others,  organized  the  Bennett  Medical 
College  of  Chicago,  and  for  twenty  years  be  was  the 
dean  of  the  faculty  and  principal  manager  of  the  col- 
lege. He  was  also  professor  of  principles  and  practice 
of  surgery  and  clinical  surgery  in  that  institution. 
Much  of  the  success  of  this  institution,  doubtless,  was 
due  to  his  great  popularity*  as  a  lecturer,  and  his  ac- 
knowledged skill  as  an  operator.  Naturally  of  literary 
tastes  and  abilities,  the  doctor  has  contributed  gener- 


uiuly  iu  the  medical  periodicals  of  the  country,  and  it 
was  to  his  efforts  that  recognition  was  obtained 
for  the  Eclectic  school  of  medicine  in  the  Cook  County 
Hospital,  naming  the  staff,  and  he  himself  filling 
the  position  of  surgeon.  He  also  has  other  important 
hospital  connections  for  the  accommodation  of  private 
patients. 

Since  withdrawing  from  active  work  in  the  college, 
he  has  devoted  himself  almost  exclusively  to  his  large 
and  lucrative  practice  of  surgery.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  various  State  and  national  medical  societies,  and 
vas  president  of  the  World's  Congress  Auxilliary  of 
medicine  and  surgery,  which  met  in  Chicago  during 
the  World's  Fair  of  1893. 

Dr.  Jay  was  united  in  marriage  in  April,  1861,  to 
Miss  Euretta  Webster,  of  Marion,  Ind., a  lady  of  many 
virtues,  and  a  charming  and  talented  helpmate  to  the 
doctor. 

In  appearance,  Dr.  Jay  is  a  man  of  medium  size,  of 
genial  disposition,  well  liked  by  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact,  and  his  home  is  the  center  of  .a  large 
circle  of  friends,  who  delight  to  do  him  honor. 


JACOB  FORSYTH, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  those  honored  pioneers  who  blazed  a  path 
for  future  generations  to  follow,  who  bravely 
turned  their  faces  from  the  cities  of  the  East,  with  all 
their  advantages  of  wealth  and  civilization,  to  risk  their 
fortunes  on  the  Western  frontier  in  all  its  wildness  and 
primitive  modes  of  life;  who,  rather  than  enjoy,  the 
comforts  of  their  former  homes,  chose  to  endure  the 
hardships  of  a  wider  and  freer  country;  and  who 
made  out  of  these  obstacles,  which,  to  a  weaker  class 
of  men  would  have  been  stumbling  blocks,  the  stepping 
stones  of  wealth  and  renown — none  of  these  great  men 
are  more  noted  for  that  untiring  perseverance  and 
steady  progress  which  have  resulted  in  the  acquirement 
of  wealth  and  the  well-merited  esteem  of  their  fellow 
men,  than  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch. 
If  Chicago  ever  had  a  faithful  sponsor,  it  is  he.  He 
realized,  with  great  prophetic  foresight,  the  magnitude 
of  the  "  Garden  City's  "  prospects,  at  a  time  when  she 
gave  but  slight  signs  of  her  future  greatness.  If,  as  is 
maintained,  the  history  of  a  country  or  city  is  best 
displayed  in  the  lives  of  her  most  prominent  men,  then 
certainly  that  of  Chicago  would  be  incomplete  without 
some  record  of  the  life  of  this  man,  one  of  her  most 
influential  and  respected  citizens. 

Mr.  Forsyth  is  so  thoroughly  American  in  thought 
and  action  that  we  would  gladly  chronicle  his  birth  in 
this  country,  but  historic  accuracy  requires  the  state- 
ment that  he  came  to  us  from  across  the  sea,  from  a 
country  between  which  and  the  United  States  there  has 
ever  been  the  kindliest  feeling  and  the  deepest  sympa- 


thy. He  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland  in  1821,  the 
son  of  an  intelligent  farmer  of  small  landed  property. 
He  received  his  education  at  a  noted  private  academy, 
the  principal  of  which  was  a  learned  Greek  and  Latin 
scholar  and  a  renowned  mathematician  in  his  vicinity, 
and,  possessing  quick  perceptions  and  studious  inclina- 
tions, he  profited  by  his  advantages. 

On  arriving  in  this  country,  at  fifteen  years  of  age, 
he  settled  in  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  where  he  was  given  a  posi- 
tion as  copying  clerk  and  errand  boy  for  the  great  com- 
mission and  forwarding  house  of  Forsyth  &  Company, 
a  member  of  which  was  a  near  relative  of  young  For- 
syth. The  firm  was  the  oldest  commission  house  in 
the  city  and  owned  a  large  fleet  of  steamers  running 
on  the  various  Western  rivers.  In  those  days  the  copying 
book  had  not  been  invented,  and  all  letters  had  to  be 
copied  by  hand,  which  duty  was  part  of  young  For- 
syth's  work.  By  painstaking  diligence,  and  a  careful 
regard  for  his  employers'  interests,  he  gained  their  con- 
fidence and  esteem,  and  was  promoted  from  one  respon- 
sible position  to  another,  until  he  attained  that  of  head 
book-keeper  for  the  firm,  remaining  altogether  with  the 
house  about  fifteen  years.  But  merit  is  too  rare  a 
jewel  to  remain  long  undiscovered,  and  ambition  too 
great  a  goad  to  permit  repose;  hence  it  is  not  surprising 
that  Mr.  Forsyth  should  have  received  other  advan- 
tageous offers.  One  of  these,  and  which  he  accepted, 
was  the  position  of  through  freight  agent  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad,  with  headquarters  in  Chicago. 
Thus,  in  1857,  we  find  him  taking  up  his  residence  in 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


293 


the  Garden  City,  which  at  that  time  lacked  both  the 
'"garden"  and  the  "city."  After  a  few  years  service  in 
this  position  he  accepted  another  as  general  western 
agent  for  the  "Old  Erie"  road. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  became  impressed 
with  the  excellent  opportunities  afforded  to  buy  land 
cheaply,  and,  following  his  convictions,  in  1866,  he  re- 
signed his  position  with  the  railroad  and  began  to  in- 
vest largely  in  land.  His  wife  had  inherited  a  large 
amount  of  real  estate  in  Lake  county,  Indiana,  from 
her  brother,  the  late  Geo.  W.  Clarke,  who  died  in  1866, 
and  to  this  Mr.  Forsyth  added  by  purchasing  the  in- 
terests of  small  owners  in  the  vicinit}',  and,  in  time 
acquired  10,000  acres. in  one  tract^  arguing,  with  hard- 
headed  sense,  that  one  large  piece  of  land  would  possess 
more  value  than  the  same  amount  in  scattered  portions. 
In  fact,  Mr.  Forsyth  has  always  evinced  such  Yankee 
intuition  that  we  are  forced  to  believe  that  he  must 
have  imbibed  many  of  the  acute  qualities  of  that  pro- 
gressive nation.  He  did  not,  however,  always  have 
clear  sailing;  but,  on  the  contrary,  experienced  much 
annoyance  and  many  years' litigation  in  consequence  of 
his  efforts  to  eject  squatters,  who  at  that  time  were 
numerous  on  Lakes  George  and  Wolfe.  He  was  in 
court  five  years  and  during  that  time  read  book  after 
book  on  land  decisions  and  riparian  rights,on  which  point 
he  is  now  one  of  the  best  posted  men  in  the  country, 
amply  qualified  to  enlighten  many  attorneys  in  that 
line  of  practice.  A  decree  being  pronounced  in  his 
favor,  he  sold  8,000  acres  of  his  land  to  the  East 


Chicago  Improvement  Company  for  one  million  dol- 
lars, one-third  of  which  was  paid  down  in  cash.  The 
company,  however,  failed  to  meet  subsequent  payments, 
and,  as  a  compromise,  the  present  Canal  and  Improve- 
ment Company  was  formed  in  1887,  from  which  Mr. 
Forsyth  accepted  as  reimbursement  part  cash,  a  large 
amount  of  bonds  and  some  stock  in  the.  company.  In 
188  L  he  bought  another  large  tract  of  land  on  the  lake 
shore,  lying  directly  north  of  the  present  site  of  East 
Chicago,  and  in  1889  he  sold  a  portion  of  this  to  the 
Standard  Oil  Company,  on  which  they  have  built  their 
large  plant,  known  as  Whiting.  The  limits  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  having  been  extended  to.  the  Indiana  line, 
across  which  lies  Mr.  Forsytlrsland,it  has  consequent!}' 
been  enhanced  in  value,  and  he  is  proportionately 
benefitted  thereby. 

Mr.  Forsyth  married  Caroline  M.  Clarke,  daughter 
of  Robert  Clarke,  of  Fayette  county,  Penn.,  who  bore 
him  nine  children,  five  boys  and  four  girls,  and  all  of 
whom  are  living.  In  politics  Mr.  Forsyth  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  believing  thoroughly  in  the  principles  and 
policy  as  expounded  by  the  "grand  old  party."  He  has 
never,  however,  taken  an  active  part  in  political  affairs. 
Personally,  Mr.  Forsyth  is  a  large  and  well-propor- 
tioned man,  has  a  kindly  face  and  genial  manners, 
bearing  every  evidence  of  a  well-spent  life.  He  has  a 
comfortable  and  attractive  home  on  Michigan  avenue, 
where  in  the  midst  of  an  interesting  family,  he  is  pass- 
ing in  ease  and  peaceful  enjoyment  his  advanced  years, 
known  to  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  respected  by  all. 


E.   FLETCHER   INGALLS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


E  FLETCHER  INGALLS  was  born  in  Lee  Center, 
.  Lee  county,  111.,  September  29, 1848.  He  is  the 
second  son  of  Charles  F.  and  Sarah  H.  Ingalls.  His 
ancestors  on  his  father's  side  came  to  America  in  1627, 
and  those  on  his  mother's  side  many  years  before  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Young  Ingalls  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  near  his  native  place, 
later  taking  courses  at  the  State  Normal  institution 
and  the  Rock  River  Seminary,  at  Mt.  Morris,  111. 

He  came  to  Chicago  in  1867  and  graduated  at  Rush 
Medical  College  in  1871.  The  same  year  he  became 
connected  with  the  spring  faculty  of  that  institution,  a 
position  which  he  occupied  until  he  was  elected  to  the 
regular  faculty,  with  which  he  has  ever  since  been 
identified,  now  holding  the  chair  of  laryngology  and 
diseases  of  the  heart.  He  is  also  professor  of  diseases 
of  the  chest  and  throat  in  the  Northwestern  University 
Woman's  Medical  School ;  professor  of  laryngology 
and  rhinology  in  the  Chicago  Polyclinic;  consulting 
physician  to  the  Washingtonian  Home;  laryngbiogist 
to  the. Presbyterian  Hospital  and  St.  Joseph  Hospital; 
and  consulting  physician  of  the  Central  Free  Dispen- 


sary. He  is  president  of  the  laryngological  section  of 
the  Pan-American  Congress  and  American  Medical 
Association  ;  member  of  the  American  Laryngological 
Association,  and  the  American  Climatological  Society. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  Chicago  Medical 
Society,  Medico-Legal  Society,  Chicago  Pathological 
Society,  and  the  Practitioners'  Club.  Dr.  Ingalls  has 
long  given  attention  to  his  special  class  of  diseases,  and 
is  the  author  of  many  articles  on  diseases  of  the  throat, 
nose  and  chest,  as  also  of  a  text-book,  well  known  and 
extensively  used  in  the  colleges,  on  the  same  subject, 
and  which  has  passed  rapidly  through  its  second  edition. 
While  Dr.  Ingalls  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
popular  physicians  in  the  city,  he  is  at  the  same  time 
one  of  the  most  modest  and  retiring  of  men. 

The  doctor  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Lucy  S. 
Ingalls,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Melissa  R.  Ingalls. 
They  have  two  children  —  a  son  and  a  daughter.  Dr. 
Ingalls  is  a  man  who  is  extremely  domestic  in  his 
tastes,  and  takes  great  delight  in  his  bright  and  inter- 
esting family. 


294 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

DR.  N.  ROWE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


.  ROWE  is  well  known  all  over  America,  as  well 
s  abroad,  as  the  editor  and  manager  of  the  Ameri- 
can Field.  He  was  a  free  lance,  writing  for  the  sport- 
ing press  over  theraom  de  plume  of  "Mohawk,"  previous 
to  1876.  In  March  of  that  year,  he  assumed  the 
editorial  and  business  management  of  the  Chicago  Field, 
which  had  less  than  six  hundred  circulation,  and  less 
than  a  page  of  advertising  at  that  time.  The  name  of 
the  paper  was  changed  to  the  American  Field,  and 
since  his  connection  with  it  Dr.  Howe  has  devoted  his 
life  and  energies  to  the  work  of  placing  it  in  the  posi- 
tion it  now  occupies,  second  to  none.  He  can  justly 
pride  himself  with  the  result  achieved.  As  early  as 
1874,  Dr.  Rowe  had  become  in  this  country  foremost 
in  the  importation  of  dogs.  In  the  championship  of 
their  cause  he  has  fought  a  sturdy  fight,  and  has  con- 
tributed more  than  any  otffer  man  to  the  present  status 
of  this  animal  in  America.  He  has  been  connected  in 
one  way  or  another  with  all  the  principal  events  calcu- 
lated to  improve  the  condition  of  the  dog  and  increase 
the  interest  in  that  animal.  He  has  been  largely 
instrumental  in  the  establishment  of  field  trials  and 
bench  shows,  always  adding  additional  interest  in 
competition  by  the  distribution  of  valuable  cups  and 
prizes,  thus  creating  a  pleasant  rivalry  among  dog 
owners. 

He   has  alwavs  been  an  unwavering  advocate  of 


all  that  is  ennobling  in  field  sports,  either  public  or 
private.  The  work  of  Dr.  Rowe  has  been  character- 
ized in  this  connection  by  a  liberal  expenditure  of 
money,  and,  when,  some  years  ago,  field  trials  seemei 
to  balance  in  the  scales  of  uncertainity  as  to  whether 
they  would  be  continued  or  not,  he  personally  guaran- 
teed the  expenses  of  one,  saw  it  through  and  brought 
it  to  a  successful  conclusion.  From  that  day  to  the 
present  there  has  been  no  wavering,  and  field  trials  and 
bench  shows  are  firmly  established,  and  annually,  in 
almost  every  large  city  in  the  country,  form  as 
entertaining  and  interesting  exhibit  as  any  stock  show 
ever  inaugurated. 

No  man  has  ever  labored  so  assiduously  nor  ac- 
complished so  much  as  he  has  in  his  efforts  to  thor- 
oughly protect  the  game  and  fish  of  America,  and  to 
elevate  sportsmanship,  and  the  good  result  of  his  work 
is  acknowledged  on  all  sides.  The  title  of  "doctor"  in 
connection  with  his  name  is  no  mere  complimentary 
one.  A  number  of  years  ago  Dr.  Rowe  studied  medi- 
cine, and  for  a  time  practiced  that  profession,  but  gave 
it  up  for  journalism.  The  world  of  sportsmen,  and  the 
lovers  of  dogs,  who  are  to-day  found  among  all  pro- 
fessions and  callings  and  among  the  women  of  the 
land,  have  reason  to  congratulate  themselves  that  their 
interests  and  fancies  have  had  so  able  and  ardent  an 
advocate. 


JACOB  L.  LOOSE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


JACOB  L.  LOOSE,  son  of  Isaac  and  Eliza  (Scholl) 
Loose,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Franklin  county, 
Penn.,  on  the  17th  day  of  June,  1850.  His 
parents  were  born  in  America,  though  of  German 
descent,  and  his  mother  was  the  daughter  of  a 
minister  of  the  German  Reformed  Church.  He  was 
the  youngest  of  their  eight  children,  and  attended  the 
school  of  his  native  State  until  his  tenth  year,  when 
the  family  moved  to  Sangamon  county,  111.,  in 
which  county  the  father  had  bought  wild  land  nearly 
twenty  years  previously.  Finding  that  the  school  fa- 
cilities of  that  part  of  Illinois  were  limited,  young 
Jacob  was  sent  back  to  Pennsylvania  to  continue  his 
education.  He  went  to  Mercersburg  in  that  State, 
and  while  there  resided  with  an  elder  sister,  who  was 
married  to  a  minister.  After  remaining  for  a  few  years 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  finding  that  the  continuous  pres- 
ence of  troops  from  either  the  Federal  or  Confederate 
armies,  made  the  school  sessions  infrequent,  he  returned 
to  his  father's  home  in  Illinios,  and  finished  his  educa- 
tion in  the  high  school  at  Decatur,  111. 


After  leaving  this  school  he  entered  business  life 
with  a  dry-goods  house  in  the  same  city,  with  which 
he  engaged  as  a  clerk.  He  remained  until  he  had  at- 
tained his  twentieth  year,  and  then  started  West, " 
locating  in  Southern  Kansas,  where  he  was 
employed  in  a  dry  goods  house  owned  by  two  of  his 
brothers.  He  had  been  there  but  a  short  time  when  he 
bought  the  interest  of  one  of  his  brothers,  and  the 
business  was  then  carried  on  under  the  name  of  D.  A. 
&  J.  L.  Loose.  When  Joplin,  Mo:,  began  to  come  into 
public  notice  as  a  lead  mining  center,  the  brothers  de- 
cided to  open  a  branch  house  in  that  city,  which  they 
did  in  1877.  The  brothers  continued  in  business 
together  until  1879,  when  the  partnership  was  dissolved, 
D.  A.  Loose  taking  the  Missouri  branch,  and  Jacob 
taking  the  store  in  Kansas.  His  business  accumulated 
more  capital  than  could  be  employed  profitably  in  the 
dry  goods  business  alone,  and  in  1880  he  established  an 
extensive  lumber  yard,  and  also  invested  largely  in 
farm  lands.  He  became  interested  in  agriculture,  and 
in  the  breeding  of  blooded  stock,  and  was  the  first  to 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


import  Norman  horses  to  southern  Kansas.  Even  with 
these  extensive  interests  demanding  his  attention,  Mr. 
Loose  soon  found  that  his  field  of  operation  was  too 
much  contracted,  and  in  1882  he  and  one  of  his  brothers 
went  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  where  they  bought  a  con- 
trolling interest  in  theCorle  Cracker  and  Confectionary 
Company's  business.  Mr.  Loose  returned  to  Kansas, 
and  ninety  days  later  he  had  disposed  of  all  his  interests 
there,  and  went  to  Kansas  City  to  reside.  At  that 
time  he  knew  next  to  nothing  about  the  new  business, 
but  his  adaptability  and  habits  of  close  observation  soon 
made  him  fully  conversant  with  it,  and  but  few  years  had 
'elapsed  when  he  was  the  leading  spirit  in  that  line  in  the 
Missouri  River  valley.  During  the  years  intervening 
between  1884  and  1890,  Mr.  Loose  was  instrumental  in 
the  formation  of  several  associations  of  western  bakers, 
and  each  having  for  its  object  an  increase  in  the  con- 
sumption and  quality  of  the  goods  manufactured  by 
them. 

In  1889,  the  corporation  changed  its  title  to"  Loose 
Brothers  Manufacturing  Compan\%"  and  in  1890  Mr. 
Loose  conceived  the  idea  of  the  consolidation  of  the 
interests  of  all  the  western  bakers,  and  accordingly  on 
the  15th  day  of  May,  1890,  he,  with  many  other  leading 
men  in  his  line,  formed  the  American  Biscuit  and  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  which  was  incorporated  on  that 
day  under  the  laws  of  Illinois,  with  headquarters  at 
Chicago.  Recognizing  his  ability  and  fitness  for  the 
position,  the  company  elected  Mr.  Loose  its  first  presi- 
dent, to  which  position  he  has  been  annually  re-elected 
ever  since,  and  is  now  serving  his  fourth  term  in  that 
office.  The  company  owns  and  operates  factories  in  all 
the  principal  western  cities,  among  which  may  bemen- 


297 

tioned  Kansas  City,  Minneapolis,  St.  Paul,  Fond  du  Lac, 
Milwaukee.  Omaha,  Lincoln,  Denver,  Salt  Lake  City, 
Helena,  Memphis,  New  Orleans,  Galveston,  St.  Joseph, 
St.  Louis,  Chicago  and  Nashville,  and  have  also  re- 
cently erected  a  large  plant  in  New  York  city.  The 
company  has  over  two  thousand  people  on  its  pay 
rolls,  and  its  annual  sales  amount  to  more  than  ten 
millions. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Loose  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Ella  Clark,  a  daughter  of  Jonas  Clark  of  Carthage, 
Mo.,  and  a  direct  descendant  of  Abram  Clark,  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The}' 
have  no  children  living,  having  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  their  son  and  daughter. 

Mr.  Loose  has  traveled  extensively  in  America  and 
Europe.  A  Republican  in  politics  he  has  never  sought 
or  desired  public  office,  confining  his  active  participa- 
tion to  the  casting  of  his  ballot.  In  religion  he  is  a 
Presbyterian,  and  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  for  many  years. 

But  a  few  years  ago  he  commenced  his  comercial 
career  as  a  clerk  in  a  small  dry  goods  store,  and  has 
steadily  climbed  up  the  commercial  ladder  until  to-day 
he  is  at  the  head  of  one  of  America's  largest  and  most 
important  corporations,  and  one  of  the  most  influential 
citizens  of  America's  great  western  city.  Of  command- 
ing appearance,  he  is  genial  and  friendly,  and  leaves 
upon  either  visitor  or  friend  a  pleasant  impression.  In 
business  he  is  a  born  leader,  quick  to  grasp  a  point  and 
as  prompt  to  act  upon  his  decisions.  His  future,  judging 
from  his  past  career,  cannot  fail  to  be  successful,  at  all 
events  the  advent  of  Jacob  L.  Loose  was  a  valuable 
acquisition  to  the  commercial  life  of  Chicago. 


CHARLES    ELIHU  SLOCUM, 


DEFIANCE,   OHIO. 


/-MIARLES  ELIHU  SLOCUM,  M.  D.,  PH.  D.,phy- 
V^>  sician  and  banker,  was  born  at  Northville,  Ful- 
ton county,  N.  Y.,  December  30,  1841.  He  is  in  the 
ninth  generation  in  America,  his  first  American  ances- 
tor, Anthony  Slocum  from  Taunton,  Somersetshire, 
Eng.,  being  one  of  the  first  purchasers,  in  1637,of  a  tract 
of  land  in  New  Plymouth  now  embracing  several  town- 
ships about  Taunton,  Mass.,  which  town  they  founded. 
The  family  became  affiliated  with  the  Society  of 
Friends  (Quakers)  at  their  first  appearance  in  New 
England  in  1656,  and  so  continued  until  after  the  Rev- 
olutionary War,  when  removals  widely  separated  them 
from  this  society.  Dr.  Slocum's  father,  Caleb  Wright 
Slocum,  was  a  man  of  the  old  school,  of  sterling  integ- 
rity and  very  active  and  successful  in  his  business  of 
fanning,  milling,  tanning  and  merchandizing.  His 
mother,  Elizabeth  Bass  Slocum,  was  also  of  pure  Eng- 
lish blood  several  generations  acclimated  in  America. 
The  early  education  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 


was  for  teaching  and  for  general  business,  and  was 
obtained  at  the  high  school  of  his  native  town,  at  the 
Fort  Edward  Collegiate  Institute,  and  at  Poughkeepsie. 
Several  years  of  his  early  manhood  were  passed  as 
a  teacher  in  public  and  private  schools  with  ascending 
grades.  While  teaching  at  Albion,  Mich.,  he  began 
the  study  of  medicine  with  a  late  army  surgeon, O'Dona- 
hue.  He  attend'ed  the  University  of  Michigan,  giving 
special  attention,  for  that  day,  to  analytical  chemistry 
and  practical  microscopy.  He  also  attended  the  Detroit 
Medical  College,  and  in  that  city  registered  in  the  of- 
fice of  the  venerable  Prof.  Zina  Pitcher  and  Dr.David  O. 
Farrand  who  were  then  in  partnership.  They  were  the 
leading  physicians  and  surgeons  in  -the  city,  and  much 
valuable  bedside  training  was  there  received.  He  was 
graduated  M.  D.  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  New  York  city,  with  the  class  of  1869,  with 
health  somewhat  impaired,  but  he  at  once  entered  into 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Dr.  John  C.  Slocum,  who 


298 


•      PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


had  established  a  large  medical  practice  at  Shelby ville, 
Ind.  His  health  failing  in  1870,  he  spent  some  time  in 
traveling  through  the  South  and  East,  and,  in  July, 
1871,  he  settled  in  Defiance,  O.,  where  he  has  since 
remained  except  when  traveling  for  study  and  recrea- 
'  tion.  Parts  of  several  years  have  been  passed  in  post- 
graduate studies  embracing  general  medicine,  surgery 
and  the  various  specialties,  in  New  York  and  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  received  the  honors  of  Jefferson 
College  in  1876.  He  also  passed  two  years  in  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  there  received  the 
degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  in  course.  In  1879  he 
visited  Europe,  giving  attention  to  his  profession  in 
Vienna  and  London,  and  visiting  other  medical 
centers. 

Dr.  Slocum's  practice  has  been  general,  including 
delicate  work  in  the  specialties  as  well  as  capital  surgi- 
cal operations,  and  his  careful  attention  to  details  has 
brought  him  large  patronage  and  gratifying  success. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  Defiance  County  Medical 
Society,  the  Northwestern  Ohio  Medical  Association, 
the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society,  the  American  Medical 
Association,  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  charter  member  of  the  American  Microscop- 
ical Society  and  the  Ohio  Academy  of  Sciences,  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  the  Ohio  Archaeological  and  Historical  Society, 
the  Ninth  International  Medical  Congress,  the  American 
Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science,  and  the  Am- 
erican Public  Health  Association.  He  served  several 
years  as  United  States  examining  surgeon  for  pensions, 
and  as  railway  surgeon.  He  has  had  great  regard  for 
Masonry,  though  he  has  not  given  much  time  to  the 
craft.  He  was  made  a  master  mason  at  his  home  in 
New  York,  and  was  soon  advanced.  The  degrees  of 


knighthood  were  received  in  Ohio,  and  the  32d  degree, 
A.A.S.R.,  was  received  in  Ohio  Consistory,  Cincinnati, 
since  which  he  became  a  charter  member  of  the  Lake 
Erie  Consistory,  Cleveland,  O. 

Dr.  Slocum  has  been  a  constant  hard  worker,  and 
by  judicious  investments  has  enjoyed  financial  as  well 
as  professional  success.  He  has  three  times  declined 
proffered  professorships  in  different  medical  colleges. 
His  medical  writings  have  been  few  and  confined  to 
short  descriptions  of  cases  in  practice  published  in  dif- 
ferent medical  journals.  He  has  found  his  diversion  in 
science,  in  business  and  in  genealogy.  In  1882  he 
published  a  large  octavo  volume  entitled  "  A  Short 
History  of  the  Slocums,  Slocumbs  and  the  Slocombs  of 
America,  Embracing  Eleven  Generations  of  the  First 
Named  Family  from  1637  to  1881,"  etc.,  which  has 
been  styled  by  genealogists  a  model  work  in  arrange- 
ment and  thoroughness.  Material  is  now  in  hand  for  a 
second  volume.  These  studies  have  been  valuable  in 
their  relation  to  sociology  and  heredity.  He  was 
chosen  a  director  of  the  Defiance  National  Bank  in 
1874-,  and  continued  to  serve  in  this  capacity  until  the 
expiration  of  its  charter,  when  the  institution  was 
re-organized,  with  largely  increased  capital,  as  the  First 
National  Bank,  and  Dr.  Slocum  was  chosen  a  director 
and  vice-president,  which  office  he  still  holds.  He 
was  one  of  the  principal  stockholders  at  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Defiance  Savings  Bank,  which  was  merged 
in  1881  into  the  Merchants'  National  Bank  of  Defiance, 
of  which  institution  he  has  been  a  director  and  part  of 
the  time  vice-president,  and  acting-president.  He  has 
also  been  interested  in  some  of  the  principal  manufac- 
turing institutions  of  this  city,  and  is  now  president  of 
the  Defiance  Box  Company,  though  still  in  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  remains  unmarried. 


ANTHONY  SCHMITT, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


A  NTHON  Y  SCHMITT,son  of  Joseph  and  Josephine 
t\  (Miltenberger)  Schmitt-,  was  born  at  Vincennes, 
Ind.,  on  the  llth  day  of  October,  1839.  His  parents 
were  descendants  of  two  of  the  ancient  and  prominent 
families  of  the  French  province  of  Alsace,  and  came  to 
America  in  1838.  They  first  located  in  Indiana,  but  in 
1840  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  it  was  in  that  city  that  the 
subject  of  our  sketch  grew  from  infancy  to  manhood. 
His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  and  high 
schools,  and  after  leaving  school  he  entered  the  employ 
of  a  wholesale  grocery  house,  where  he  remained  for 
seven  years,  beginning  as  a  shipping  clerk  and  advancing 
from  one  position  to  another  until  he  became  book- 
keeper. In  1862,  he  resigned  his  position  in  the 
wholesale  grocery  liouse  to  become  cashier  in  the  office 
of  the  Missouri  Republican  (now  St.  Louis  Republic}, 
then,  as  now,  one  of  the  leading  newspapers  of  the 


West.  He  retained  his  position  on  the  Republican  for 
four  years,  and  then  resigned  in  order  to  engage  in 
business  for  himself. 

In  partnership  with  Mr.  Blish  he  entered  the 
commission  business  in  St.  Louis  under  the  firm  name 
of  Schmitt  &  Blish.  The  firm  was  doing  a  fine 
business  and  enjoying  good  success  during  Mr. 
Schmitt's  connection  with  it,  but  in  1868  he  sold  out 
his  interests  and  came  to  Chicago.  He  entered  the 
firm  known  as  E.  Schneider  &  Co.,  of  which  his 
father-in-law  was  the  head,  and  has  since  been 
connected  with  that  company.  When  Mr.  Schmitt 
became  a  member  of  E.  Schneider  &  Co.,  it  was 
doing  a  small  business  in  the  manufacture  of 
candles,  and  had  many  competitors  who  were  doing 
a  much  larger  business.  Mr.  Schmitt  started  in  with 
the  fixed  determination  of  making  the  business  one  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States,  and  bent 
every  energy  towards  accomplishing  that  end.  Under 
his  able  management  the  business  grew  each  year. 
Their  plant  was  extended  more  and  more,  and  the 
quality  as  well  as  quantity  of  their  output  showed 
great  improvement.  In  1881  the  company  was  incor- 
porated and  Mr.  Schmitt  was  elected  treasurer,  remain- 
ing in  that  position  until  Mr.  Schneider  retired,  in 
1884,  when  Mr.  Schmitt  was  elected  to  succeed  him  as 
president,  which  position  h«  has  since  and  still  occupies. 
As  before  stated,  Mr.  Schmitt's  ambition  when  he 
entered  the  firm  was  to  make  it  equal  to  any  other  in 
the  same  line  in  the  country,  and  so  earnest  was  he 
in  his  efforts  that  the  business  is  now  unquestionably 
the  largest  in  the  world,  and  their  products — candles 
of  all  kinds,  red  oil  and  glycerine — enjoy  a  world-wide 
reputation  for  excellence. 

On  the  19th  day  of  February,  1867,  Mr.  Schmitt  was 
married  to  Miss  Isidora  Schneider,  daughter  of  Eugene 
Schneider,  of  Chicago.  Four  children,  two  sons  and 
two  daughters,  have  been  born  to  them.  The  eldest 
son,  Mr.  E.  J.  Schmitt,  is  vice-president  of  his  father's 
company. 

Leaning  in  his  political  belief  toward  the  Jefferso- 


301 

nian  school  of  Democracy,  Mr.  Schmitt  is  thoroughly 
independent  of  party  influence  or  party  rule,  and  casts 
his  vote  for  those  who  in  his  judgment  are  best  fitted 
for  the  position  sought,  without  regard  to  the  partv  on 
whose  ticket  the  candidate's  name  may  happen  to 
appear.  He  has  never  sought  political  preferment  nor 
desired  public  office,  as  he  has  wisely  realized  that 
business  and  active  politics  do  not  go  well  together. 

Mr.  Schmitt  has  been  an  extensive  traveler  over  the 
North  American  continent,  and  in  1891  spent  some 
months  in  Europe,  visiting  during  that  time  all  of  the 
principal  countries,  cities  and  points  of  interest.  In 
appearance  he  looks  the  prosperous  and  successful 
business  man  that  he  is.  He  has  a  long  list  of  acquain- 
tances and  friends,  and  is  extremely  popular  wherever 
known.  In  his  business  dealings  he  is  scrupulously 
exact  and  fair,  and  easity  gains  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 
Modest  and  unassuming  in  demeanor,  he  is  social  in 
disposition  and  exceedingly  generous  in  his  treatment 
of  those  who  have  been  less  fortunate  than  himself. 
What  he  is  he  owes  alone  to  himself  and  among  Chi- 
cago's many  influential  business  men  few,  if  any, 
take  a  higher  rank  than  Anthony  Schmitt. 


EDGAR  DENMAN  SWAIN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EDGAR  DENMAN  SWAIN,  son  of  Dr.  Marcus 
and  Charlotte  Woodbury  Swain,  was  born  at 
Westford,  Vt.,  August  14,  1836.  His  father  was  a 
practicing  physician  in  his  native  town,  and  was  of 
Scotch  descent.  His  mother  was  of  English  extrac- 
tion. 

Young  Swain's  early  education  was  only  that 
obtainable  at  the  common  schools,  supplemented  by  a 
brief  academical  course  at  Colchester  and  Swanton 
academies.  When  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  he 
went  to  Worcester,  Mass.,  where  for  a  year  he  was 
engaged  in  arduous  duties  in  a  machine  shop.  While 
here  he  conceived  the  ambition  of  becoming  a  dentist, 
and  in  accordance  with  this  determination  entered  the 
office  of  a  dentist  at  Saratoga  Springs.  N.  Y.,  in  1855, 
remaining  there  until  1857.  At  this  latter  date  he 
removed  to  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  L.  D.  Parker. 
A  year  later  he  went  to  Aurora,  111.,  associating 
himself  for  the  practice  of  dentistry  with  Dr.  O. 
Wilson,  and  a  year  later  still  removed  to  Batavia,  111. 
Here  he  practiced  his  profession  alone  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  in  1861. 
Shortly  after  the  first  call  for  men  by  President 
Lincoln,  he  set  about  organizing,  together  with  other 
citizens  of  that  portion  of  Illinois,  Company  I, 
42d  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  company  he 
was  made  captain  and  mustered  in  Sept.  17,  1861. 


During  the  war  he  served  with  great  honor  and  dis- 
tinction, both  to  himself  and  to  his  country,  being 
present  and  doing  excellent  service  at  all  the  battles  of 
the  Department  of  the  Cumberland,  his  regiment  having 
been  on  skirmish  line  during  the  entire  Atlanta  cam- 
paign. In  recognition  of  his  valuable  services,  he  was 
promoted,  October  13,  1863,  to  lieutenant  colonel,  and 
assumed  command  of  his  regiment.  In  April,  1864,  he 
received  his  commission  as  colonel  of  the  regiment,  but 
was  never  mustered  in  as  such.  March,  1865,  he  was 
breveted  colonel  of  U.  S.  Volunteers  for  meritorious 
services..  In  July,  1865,  he  was,  by  order  of  General 
Stanley,  placed  in  command  of  the  second  brigade, 
second  division,  Fourtli  Army  Corps,  and  remained 
in  command  of  the  same  until  it  was  mustered  out,  in 
January,  1866.  He  was  mustered  out  as  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  42d  Illinois  Infantry,  Veteran  Volun- 
teers, December  16,  1865.  He  afterwards  returned  to 
Chicago. 

Again  returned  to  civil  life,  the  colonel  threw  aside 
his  well-earned  and  honorable  title,  and  assumed  the 
duties  of  his  profession  Upon  his  arrival  in  Chicago, 
he  engaged  himself  as  assistant  to  Dr.  George  H. 
Gushing,  dentist,  after  which  lie  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  Noble,  and  in  1870  established  himself  in 
his  profession. 

In  March,  1877,  he  again  entered  the  military  ser- 
vice of  his  State,  as  major  of  the  First  Regiment,  Illi- 


302 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


nois  Infantry  National  Guard,  participating  with  that 
regiment  during  the  troublous  times  of  the  railroad 
and  mining  riots  of  that  summer.  He  was  later  made 
lieutenant  colonel,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year, 
colonel  of  his  regiment,  which  command  he  retained 
for  four  years,  at  which  time  he  retired  from  military 
life  altogether,  feeling,  with  true  and  patriotic  spirit, 
that  ten  years'  volunteer  service  to  his  state  and  coun- 
try, four  years  and  seven  months  of  which  were  in 
active  service  in  the  field,  was  his  share  towards  help- 
ing to  sustain  the  reputation  of  his  State  and  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Union. 

He   has   been    in    the    past  an    active  G.  A.   R. 


man,  and  was  commander  of  Geo.  II.  Thomas  Post 
for  three  years,  commander  of  the  Department  of 
Illinois  during  the  years  1880  and  1881,  and  senior  vice- 
commander-in-chief  of  the  organization  in  1891-2. 

Dr.  Swain  is  an  accomplished  microscopist  and  has 
paid  much  earnest  attention  to  the  study  and  investi- 
gation of  histology.  He  was  president  of  the  Chicago 
Dental  Society  in  1874,  and  the  Illinois  State  Dental 
Society  during  1875.  In  1869  he  married  Miss  Clara 
Smith,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Smith,  an  early  settler  of 
this  city.  He  is  distinguished  for  his  courtly  bearing, 
his  genial  disposition  and  enjoys  the  esteem  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends. 


CHARLES  TRUAX, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ON  the  24th  day  of  September,  1852,  at  Milton, 
Rock  count\\  Wis.,  Charles  Truax  was  born. 
He  was  the  lineal  descendant  of  Phillippe  de  Truax, 
who,  according  to  Dutch  manuscripts  in  the  archives  at 
Albany,  settled  at  New  Amsterdam  (now  New  York) 
in  1633,  and  whose  son  was  the  first  white  child  born 
on  Manhattan  Island,  April  21,  1642.  His  parents.Dr. 
Galloway  Truax  and  Mary  Stiles  Truax,  became  pio- 
neer residents  of  Jackson  county,  Iowa,  and  the  doctor, 
a  chemist  of  local  reputation,  owned  a  drug  store  at 
Maquoketa,  where  he  also  practiced  medicine  for  many 
years  successfully.  The  opportunity  for  Charles  to 
acquire  an  education  was  limited  to  the  meager  facili- 
ties afforded  in  frontier  public  schools ;  but  he  applied 
himself  assiduously  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  as  clerk  in  a  retail  drug 
store.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  placed  in  charge 
of  his  father's  drug  store  where  he  remained  for  four 
years  until  declining  health  compelled  him  to  seek  re- 
creation in  frontier  life  on  the  plains.  He  spent  two 
years  as  cowboy,  enduring  the  privations  and  encoun- 
tering the  clangers  which  were  incident  to  such  a  life  and 
occupation  twenty  years  ago.  His  health  was  restored, 
however,  and  he  returned  to  Maquoketa  to  form  a  part- 
nership with  his  father  in  1875,  under  the  stvle  of  Dr. 
G.  Truax  &  Son. 

While  engaged  in  the  retail  drug  trade  he  conceived 
the  idea  and  matured  the  plan  of  enlarging  the  scope 
of  his  business  so  as  to  embrace  all  the  supplies  required 
by  a  physician  and  surgeon,  at  wholesale  rates,without 
the  intervention  of  a  retailer.  His  early  experience 
convinced  him  of  the  practicability  of  the  plan  and 
hence,  in  1880,  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  store  at 
Maquoketa  to  his  father  and  removed  to  Cedar  liapids, 
Iowa,  where  he  first  established  the  new  business. 
The  large  trade  which  he  quickly  secured  east  of 
the  Mississippi  rendered  desirable  a  metropolitan  loca- 
tion affording  more  ample  facilities  for  transportation. 
Accordingly,  in  1884,  he  moved  to  Chicago  and  for 


three  years  conducted  the  business  at  81  Randolph 
street.  In  1887  the  business  was  incorporated  under 
theviame  of  Charles  Truax  &  Company,  and  removed 
to  its  present  spacious  and  commodious  quarters  at  75 
and  77  Wabash  avenue,  where  it  has  reached  propor- 
tions entirely  commensurate  with  the  marvelous 
growth  and  present  position  of  the  great  city.  It  oc- 
cupies completely  four  floors  of  the  building,  which  is 
48x150  feet.  In  1891  the  company  was  reorganized 
and  its  corporate  name  .changed  to  Charles  Truax, 
Green  &  Company,  under  which  the  business  is  con- 
ducted at  the  present  time.  This  house  in  Chicago 
differs  from  all  others  of  any  note  in  the  world,  as  it 
sells  directly  to  physicians  all  the  supplies  required  by 
them  in  the  practise  of  medicine  and  surgery,  saving 
to  them  a  retailer's  profit  and  minimizing  the  trouble 
of  procuring  medicines  and  appliances  used  in  surgery. 
It  reaches  every  State  and  almost  ever}'  county  in  the 
United  States.  Its  enormous  increase  of  trade  is  in- 
dicated by  these  statistics:  During  the  first  six  months 
in  Cedar  Rapids  one  clerk  only  was  employed;  now  the 
services  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  persons  are  required. 
The  first  catalogue  issued  by  the  house  was  a  pamphlet 
of  twelve  pages.  Successive  editions  of  the  catalogue 
contained  seventy-two,  two  hundred  and  ninety-eight, 
four  hundred,  seven  hundred,  eleven  hundred,  and 
fourteen  hundred  and  forty  pages  respectively.  The 
last  edition  of  fifteen  thousand  copies  issued  in  1893,  is 
sufficient  in  bulk  to  load  five  freight  cars. 

Only  a  man  of  comprehensive  intelligence,  thorough 
knowledge  of  all  the  details  of  his  business,  accurate 
information  as  to  his  field  of  operations,  fertile  in 
resources,  methodical  and  persistent  in  the  execution 
of  plans  which  he  formulated,  just  and  honest  in 
his  dealings,  could  accomplish  such  results.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  qualities  and  requirements  enumer- 
ated, Charles  Truax  possesses  an  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  human  anatomy  and  the  ingenuity  to  in- 
vent or  adapt  appliances  to  supplement  the  members 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


303 


removed  by  surgery,  or  strengthen  such  as  are  weak. 
His  reputation  in  this  field  secured  for  him 
an  invitation  to  address  the  National  Association  of 
Railway  Surgeons  at  their  annual  meeting  in  Buf- 
falo, June,  1891,  on  the  subject  of  "Amputations." 
The  paper  which  he  read  before  that  great  body 
evinced  not  only  careful  preparation  but  thorough 
mastery  of  the  subject.  He  combated  the  old  maxim 
that  the  surgeon  should  save  every  inch  possible  of 
the  maimed  limb  or  member  in  performing  an  amputa- 
tion, and  asserted  that  it  was  the  surgeon's  duty  rather 
to  exercise  a  wise  discretion  in  selecting  the  point  of 
dismemberment,  so  that  the  artificial  substitute  might 
be  attached  with  the  best  possible  results.  His  inge- 
nuity is  displayed  in  the  invention  of  new  appliances 
and  surgical  instruments  to  meet  the  demands  of 
peculiar  cases.  A  case  in  point  is  that  of  Katie  Smith, 
of  Chicago,  nine  years  of  age,  who  was  so  fearfully 
burned  in  1891  as  to  render  necessary  the  amputation 
of  both  arms  near  the  shoulders.  Her  mother  was 
dead  and  her  father  very  poor,  so  the  Children's  Home 
Society  undertook  to  provide  for  her.  Messrs.  Charles 
Truax,  Greene  &  Co.  generously  responded  to  the 
request  for  a  contribution  by  offering  to  make  her 
aluminum  arms  so  constructed  as  to  be  of  practical 
utility,  at  least  in  conveying  food  to  her  mouth.  The 
design,  necessarily  special  and  unique,  was  executed 
with  such  ingenuity  and  skill  that  the  child  is  able  to 
write  legibly  with  her  artificial  right  hand  and  feed 
herself  with  her  knife,  fork  and  spoon  attached  to  the 
wrist  and  concealed  inside  her  hands  until  disclosed  by 
pressing  a  spring  which  moves  the  hand.  This  is  a 
benefaction  of  inestimable  value,  a  contribution  to  the 
self-respect  and  independence  of  a  bright,  worthy  child, 
whose  life  may  be  useful  and  comparatively  happy. 
The  inclination  of  Mr.  Truax  toward  medicine  and 


surgery  is  probably  an  inherited  predilection.  His 
father,  a  practicing  physician  during  all  the  years  of 
his  active  life,  is  now  enjoying  his  retirement  in  the 
pleasant  suburb  of  Ravenswood.  His  brother,  Dr.  II. 
E.  Truax,  is  a  prosperous  physician  at  Auburn  Park. 

His  domestic  relations  are  exceedingly  happy  and 
pleasant.  Married  in  1876,  to  Miss  Wolff,  daughter  of 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Maquoketa,  three  children,  two 
daughters  and  a  son,  have  brought  sunshine  and  joy 
to  a  home  blessed  with  love  and  trust.  While  a  patron 
of  several  secret  orders,  Free-masonry  is  the  one  to 
which  he  is  especially  devoted.  He  was  instrumental 
in  establishing  Ravenswood  Lodge.  No.  777,  of  which 
he  was  elected  worshipful  master  for  three  successive 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  Columbia  Chapter,  Chicago, 
and  prelate  of  Evanston  Commandery.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  Club. 

He  is  endowed  with  a  nervous  temperament,  frank- 
ness and  cordialit}r  of  manner,  quick  perception,  great 
energy  and  continuity  of  purpose.  The  success  attained 
at  the  age  of  forty,  in  a  business  which  he  founded  on 
his  own  experience,  as  the  evolution  of  his  own 
thought,  without  large  capital  or  other  adventitious 
aids,  which  smooth  the  pathway  of  many  young  men, 
is  conspicuous  evidence  of  his  ability  and  integrity,  as 
well  as  fidelity  to  that  large  and  honorable  class  of 
professional  gentlemen  whose  interests  he  conserves  in 
a  high  degree. 

The  life  of  such  a  man,  however  unpretentious  and 
quiet,  is  an  object  lesson  of  real  value  to  the  observing 
and  thoughtful.  It  brings  out  prominently  the  charac- 
teristics that  win,  offers  encouragement  to  young  men 
who  are  willing  to  work  with  their  minds  and  their 
hands,  and  affords  another  proof  of  the  familiar  adage 
that  there  is  no  royal  road  to  wealth  or  distinction  in 
this  republic.  The  achievement  depends  on  the  man. 


OSCAR  DANIEL  WETHERELL, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


OSCAR  DANIEL  WETHERELL,  son  of  George 
and  Polly  (Walker)  Wetherell,  was  born  at  Bath, 
New  Hampshire,  on  the  21st  clay  of  June,  1834.  Here 
and  in  adjoining  towns  he  passed  the  first  eighteen 
years  of  his  life,  doing  his  share  of  the  necessary  work 
and  attending  school  whenever  he  had  an  opportunitv. 
In  1852  he  came  West  and  for  one  year  was  employed 
in  a  lumber  yard  at  Henry,  111.  He  then  came  to  Chi- 
cago where  he  was  first  employed  in  tallving  lumber 
on  the  docks,  and  in  1854  was  foreman  in  a  lumber 
yard  situated  on  the  present  site  of  the  Union  Passen- 
ger Depot.  In  1860  he  resigned  this  position  to  engage 
as  a  salesman  with  the  Newaygo  Lumber  Company, 
which  position  he  retained  for  three  years,  when  he 
went  into  the  lumber  business  on  his  own  account 
under  the  firm  name  of  Wetherell  &  Jenkins. 


From  the  time  that  he  first  entered  the  lumber 
business  on  his  own  account  Mr.  Wetherell  has  forged 
rapidly  ahead,  and  each  year's  business  has  shown  a 
gratifying  increase  over  that  of  the  preceding  year. 
In  1871  he  purchased  an  interest  in  one  of  the  Saginaw 
lumber  mills  and  later  Ife  built  and  operated  many 
other  lumber  and  planing  mills.  The  large  mill  at 
2514  Quarry  street  was  built  in  1877,  the  planing 
mill  on  Wood  street,  near  Blue  Island  avenue,  in 
1880,  and  that  on  Lincoln  avenue,  which  he  sold 
in  1884,  was  established  in  1879.  Besides  these,  Mr. 
Wetherell  has  been  more  or  less  directly  interested  in 
many  others,  and  now,  though  he  has  retired  from  the 
active  management  of  his  business,  owns  the  large  mill 
on  Quarry  street.  He  also  owns  the  Wetherell  eleva- 
tor and  other  valuable  properties.  After  the  assign- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


ment  of  the  Thirty-first  Street  Bank  Mr.  Wetherell 
established  what  has  since  been  known  as  the  Wether- 
ell  Bank  on  Thirty-first  street.  When  this  bank  was 
established  Mr.  Wetherell,  in  order  to  secure  forever 
the  depositors  against  loss,  deposited  in  the  American 
Trust  &  Savings  Bank  the  sum  of  $100,000  in  cash  and 
gilt-edged  paper.  This  bank  has  been  under  the 
management  of  Mr.  George  L.  McGill,  Mr.  Wetherell's 
son-in-law,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  1890  Mr.  Wether- 
ell  made  over  all  of  his  interests  in  this  bank  to  Mr. 
McGill  and  became  president  of  the  Globe  National 
Bank,  which  opened  its  doors  for  business  on  the  22d 
of  December,  1890.  Mr.  Wetherell  remained  in  active 
management  of  the  Globe  National  for  one  year,  and 
since  that  time,  though  he  has  retained  his  position  as 
president,  and  though  he  still  guides  its  affairs,  he  has 
declined  to  accept  a  salary  after  the  first  year. 

On  the  30th  day  of  November,  1856,  Mr.  Wetherell 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Wilde,  of  Chicago. 
Three  children,  one  son  and  two  daughters,  have  been 
born  to  them  and  survive  their  mother,  who  died  in 
1883.  On  the  22nd  day  of  February,  1885,  Mr.  Weth- 
erell was  married  to  Miss  Harriet  M.  Senour  (daughter 
of  J.  F.  Senour,  of  Topeka,  Kan.),  who  presides  over 
his  home  at  3000  Calumet  avenue,  and  is  the  mother 
of  four  children.  Mr.  Wetherell  is  a  member  of  a 
number  of  the  more  prominent  clubs,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  the  Banker's  and  the  Union  League. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  though  he  has  never 
actively  sought  a  public  office,  has  been  very  prominent 
in  the  management  of  the  city's  affairs.  He  was  first 
elected  alderman  in  1881,  when  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  his  friends  he  consented  to  represent  the  Fourth 
Ward  in  that  capacity,  and  was  three  times  re-elected, 
although  at  no  one  of  the  campaigns  did  be  seek  the 
nomination  or  solicit  votes.  In  his  eight  years'  service 
as  alderman  Mr.  Wetherell  made  a  record  second  to 
no  one  in  a  similar  position.  He  was  instrumental  in 
the  inauguration  of  many  reforms,  and  during  the 


entire  period  of  his  service  his  honesty  and  integrity 
were  never  questioned  even  by  those  who  opposed 
him.  He  has  several  times  been  prominently  men- 
tioned as  the  Republican  candidate  for  mayor,  and 
could  have  easilv  secured  that  honor  had  he  seen  fit  to 
deviate  from  his  fixed  rule  and  consented  to  personally 
seek  the  office.  When  Mayor  Harrison  took  his  seat 
in  1893  he  appointed  Mr.  Wetherell  comptroller  of 
finance,  although  Mr.  Wetherell  is  a  leading  member 
of  the  opposition  party.  This  position  Mr.  Wetherell 
felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  accept,  as  he  wished  to  test  the 
legality  of  many  of  the  institutions  which  have  been  for 
years  drawing  annually  large  sums  from  the  city  treas- 
ury. Soon  after  the  election  of  Mayor  Hopkins,  last 
December,  Mr.  Wetherell  retired  as  city  comptroller  and 
Mr.  Ackerman  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  While  in 
the  council  he  at  various  times  recommended  retrench- 
ment in  this  direction,  but  those  whose  duty  it  was  to 
take  the  initial  step  declined  to  interfere.  While 
engaged  in  the  duties  of  his  office  as  comptroller,  Mr. 
Wetherell  introduced  many  reforms  and  always  exer- 
cised the  greatest  care  in  the  examination  of  all  claims 
against  the  city.  In  this  way  he  has  saved  to  the 
public  large  amounts.  His  leading  characteristic  in 
every  phase  of  life  has  been  firmness  in  following  to 
the  very  end  the  course  of  action  deemed  by  him  to  be 
right,  and  even  those  whose  interests  he  has  antago- 
nized cannot  fail  to  admire  his  integrity  and  honesty 
of  purpose.  Mr.  Wetherell  is  a  man  who  has  risen 
from  the  ranks  without  aid  from  anv  outside  source. 
He  came  to  Chicago  a  poor  boy  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, and  by  his  own  capability,  energy,  industry  and 
commercial  integrity,  he  has  risen  to  a  place  among 
the  highest.  He  has  long  been  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  lumber  dealers  in  the  West.  His  private 
business  and  his  public  service  have  been  alike  char- 
acterized by  integrity  and  uprightness,  and  he  has 
earned  the  esteem  and  respect  in  which  he  is  so  uni- 
versally held. 


EDWARD  F.  LAWRENCE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  gentleman  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of 
this  sketch  was  born  on  the  29th  of  October, 
1835,  at  Groton,  Middlesex  county,  Mass.,  which 
was  the  home  of  several  previous  generations  of 
his  family.  His  father  was  Benjamin  F.  Lawrence, 
and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  Fenelly  Staples.  In  1837 
they  moved  to  Belvidere,  Boone  county,  111.,  where 
Edward  attended  the  public  schools.  He  afterwards 
studied  under  Rev.  Arthur  B.  Fuller,  brother  of 
Margaret  Fuller,  Countess  of  Ossoli,  for  about  two 
years.  In  1847  he  was  sent  to  Lawrence  Academy, 
Groton,  Mass.,  of  which  Rev.  James  Means  was 
the  principal.  lie  returned  in  1849,  and  was  placed 


by  his  father  in  a  country  store  conducted  by 
Henry  Loop  &  Sons,  where  he  spent  the  winter  of 
1849-50.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  was  in  the  employ 
of  Hon.  Robert  W.  Waterman,  since  Governor  of  Cali- 
fornia, at  Genoa,  DeKalb  county,  111.,  and  in  the 
summer  of  the  same  3rear  he  moved  to  Sycamore,  same 
county,  and  entered  the  employ  of  J.  S.  and  J.  C.  Wa- 
terman, brothers  of  his  former  employer.  The 
experience  of  those  years  was  all  gained  in  what  are 
known  as  "country  stores"  dealing  in  everything 
usually  kept  in  such  establishments,  and  tended  to 
prepare  him  for  other  fields  of  labor. 

In  the  fall  of  1850,  Young  Lawrence's  father  was 


PROMINENT  MEK  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


307 


in  Boston  purchasing  goods  for  his  own  store  at 
Bel  videre,  and  while  there,  apprenticed  his  son  to  Messrs. 
Whitney  &  Fenno,  one  of  the  leading  dry  goods 
jobbing  houses  of  that  period.  With  this  house  Mr. 
Lawrence  remained  six  years,  during  the  several 
changes  which  took  place  in  the  firm  name,  gaining 
experience  and  business  training,  and  winning  the  con- 
fidence of  his  employers.  A  portion  of  his  term  of 
service  was  spent,  as  a  salesman  of  .the  firm,  in  travel- 
ing through  a  scope  of  country  of  which  Chicago  was 
one  corner,  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  (then  St.  Anthony 
Falls)  another,  to  Rock  Island,  and  then  across  the 
country  by  way  of  the  Illinois  river  back  to  Chicago. 
In  those  days  railroads  were  few  and  sleeping  cars 
unknown,  the  distance  between  different  places  being 
made,  except  on  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  in 
the  winter  by  sleigh,  and  at  other  seasons  by  wagon. 
Mr.  Lawrence  came  to  Chicago  in  1858,  and  has 
resided  here  ever  since.  He  has  been  engaged  in 
various  lines  of  business,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Board  of  Trade  since  1859.  He  was  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
being  re-elected  four  times,  and  during  his  terms  served 
as  chairman  on  the  committee  on  ceremonies,  was  a 
member  of  the  committee  of  ways  and  means,  and  also 
a  member  of  the  committee  on  grounds  and  buildings. 
He  is,  and  has  been  for  over  twenty  years,  a  director 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago.  As  a  business 
man  he  has  been  successful  beyond  the  ordinary  lot  of 
men,  and  enjoys  the  reputation  in  the  commercial 


world  of  being  clear-headed.  He  is  cool  and  deliberate 
in  his  judgments,  a  good  judge  of  men,  and  is  uni- 
versally esteemed  for  his  integrity,  his  hospitable 
nature,  and  engaging  social  qualities.  A  marked 
characteristic  throughout  his  life  has  been  his  ready 
adaptation  to  circumstances  and  environments;  and  a 
rule  of  his  life  has  been  to  make  the  best  of  evervthino1 

v  O  * 

He  is  a  man  of  even  temperament,  and  while  pros- 
perity has  never  caused  him  to  be  elated  overmuch, 
misfortunes  and  disappointments  have  not  cast  him 
down.  In  his  business  relations  and  in  his  private'life 
he  has  sustained  a  manliness  and  nobility  of  character 
that  have  won  for  him  universal  confidence  and  esteem. 

In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and 
takes  great  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  At  the 
same  time  he  extends  to  those  who  differ  with  him  in 
political  faith,  that  toleration  which  he  demands  for 
himself. 

Mr.  Lawrence  married  Mary,  the  youngest  daughter 
of  David  and  Agnes  Ballentine,  of  Waukegan,  Lake 
county,  111.,  on  the  23rd  of  May,  1861.  They  have 
one  son,  Dwight.  Mr.  Lawrence  is  a  man  of  fine 
presence,  being  large  in  stature  and  robust  in  constitu- 
tion. An  ardent  sportsman,  he  is  a  zealous  advocate 
of  the  rod  and  g".n,  and  seizes  every  opportunity  to 
indulge  in  his  favorite  pastime.  He  is  courteous  and 
dignified,  kind  hearted  and  generous.  He  inherits  from 
the  ancestors  of  his  mother  a  French  spoliation  claim, 
but  like  many  others,  regards  it  rather  in  the  light  of 
a  relic,  than  a  possible  source  of  addition  to  his  fortune. 


FRANK  JONES  SMITH, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Lisle,  Broome 
county,  New  York,  January  26,  1845,  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Wealthy  A.  Smith.  His  father  kept  a 
country  store  until  1865,  when  he  moved  to  Indiana 
and  began  working  a  small  farm,  coming  to  Chicago  in 
1870.  Frank  was  educated  at  Kingsville  Academy, 
Ashtabula  county,  Ohio.  He  taught  school  one  term 
and  served  as  brakeman  on  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie 
railroad,  and  was  afterward  in  the  local  freight  office 
of  the  Cleveland  &  Erie. 

He  went  to  Pulaski  county,  Indiana,  with  his  par- 
ents in  1865,  on  account  of  the  illness  of  his  father,  but 
came  to  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1866.  After  remov- 
ing to  Chicago,  Mr.  Smith  studied  law  with  Fuller  & 
Shepard,  and  has  since  built  up  a  most  extensive  gen- 
eral practice,  particularly  in  connection  with  insurance 
cases,  involving  the  assessment  of  stockholders.  He 
has  been  in  partnership  with  a  number  of  well  known 
legal  gentlemen  of  Chicago,  among  whom  may  be 
mentioned  D.  Harry  Hammer,  W.  C.  Ives  and  F.  A. 
Helmer,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  prominent  firm 


of  Flower1,  Smith  &  Musgrave.  As  an  attorney  he  has 
represented  the  Furniture  Manufacturers'  Exchange  for 
many  years,  and  has  on  several  occasions  represented  im- 
portant banking  and  manufacturing  institutions. 

Mr.  Smith  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  able  lawyers 
at  the  Chicago  bar ;  is  a  conscientious  and  tireless 
worker,  and  an  earnest  pleader.  His  tenacity  is  a 
prominent  characteristic,  and  has  won  for  him  cases 
which,  to  those  less  persevering  and  less  confident, 
would  have  seemed  hopeless.  The  law  firm  of  which 
he  is  a  member  ranks  among  the  best  in  the  country, 
its  business  extending  into  all  the  courts  and  into  many 
of  the  States  of  the  Union. 

He  has  been  twice  married — first  on  January  23, 
1870.  to  Charlotte  E.  Chapman,  of  Kingsville,  Ohio, 
and  the  second  time  to  Myra  C.  Gilbert,  of  Creston, 
Ogle  countv,  111.  He  has  two  children — Lottie,  aged 
sixteen,  and  Wirt  F.,  aged  10. 

In  religion  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Presbyterian,  and 
his  society  affiliations  are  represented  by  membership 
in  the  Union  League  and  Iroquois  Clubs. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

FRANCIS  TURNER  WHEELER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


FRANCIS   T.   WHEELER,  son   of  Moses   F.  and 
Mary  Ann  (Perry)  Wheeler,  was  born  in   New 
Haven,  Vermont,  April  23,  1829. 

Young  Wheeler  obtained  his  early  education  at  the 
district  school  in  his  native  town.  His  father  was  a 
farmer,  and  Francis  worked  upon  the  farm  until  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age.  Not  finding  this  work  con- 
genial, and  believing  that  a  business  life  would  be 
more  fitted  for  the  development  of  his  capacities,  he 
sought  employment  wherein  he  could  improve  his1 
knowledge  and  his  ability  for  the  calling  in  life  which 
he  preferred.  He  accordingly  secured  a  position  as 
clerk  in  a  general  store  at  Middlebury,  Vt.  Finding 
that  town  too  small  for  the  full  exercise  of  his  abilities 
in  commercial  life,  he  went  to  New  York  city,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty  secured  a  position  with  a  straw- 
goods  house,  as  assistant  book-keeper,  where  he  stayed 
two  years.  From  there  he  went  to  Richmond,  Va., 
as  book-keeper  for  a  branch  of  the  New  York  house, 
where  be  also  remained  for  two  years. 

Mr.  Wheeler  soon  after  came  West,  where  he  was 


engaged  for  a  time  by  De  Graff  &  Linsley,  contractors 
for  grading  the  roadbed  of  the  Illinois  Central  rail- 
road company,  from  Kankakee,  111.,  to  Urbana — 
seventy-two  miles — in  1853.  Later  he  went  to  Beloit. 
Wis.,  and  entered  into  the  banking  business.  In  1863 
he  was  appointed  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue, 
for  the  second  district  of  Wisconsin,  with  office  at 
Madison,  and  remained  there  until  1866,  when  he 
came  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  paper  bags.  In  1875  he,  with  others,  organized 
the  Union  Paper  Bag  company,  and  was  elected 
president,  which  position  he  still  occupies.  By  bis 
strict  integrity  and  great  business  ability  he  has 
placed  this  company  among  the  foremost  of  its  kind 
in  the  country. 

Mr.  Wheeler  is  a  member  of  the  Calumet  and 
Tollest'on  clubs.  In  matters  of  religion  he  is  liberal  in 
his  views,  and  attends  Professor  Swing's  services  at 
Central  Music  Hall.  Mr.  Wheeler  has  never  married. 
He  Ts  popular  with  his  friends,  and  has  an  excellent 
business  record. 


HON.   WILLIAM   VOCKE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


A  BRILLIANT  example  of  the  self-made  American 
citizen,  and  a  grand  exemplification  of  the  pro- 
gress that  an  ambitious  foreigner  can  make  in  this 
country  of  unbounded  opportunities,  is  shown  in  the 
case  of  William  Yocke,  one  of  the  leading  German- 
American  lawyers  in  the  West.  His  marked  success 
is  due  to  his  own  energ}r  and  his  high  ideal. 

Mr.  Vocke  came  to  this  country  from  his  native 
city,  the  historic  Minden,  in  Westphalia,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years.  This  was  in  1856.  His  father  was  a 
government  secretary  in  the  Prussian  service,  and 
after  his  death  the  son,  believing  that  the  United 
States  offered  him  a  future  not  to  be  found  in  his  own 
country,  emigrated  hither.  He  landed  in  New  York, 
and  for  a  short  time  devoted  his  efforts  to  various 
bread-winning  occupations,  but  the  Western  fever 
seized  him,  and  he  followed  the  star  of  empire  to 
Chicago.  He  was  for  a  time  a  carrier  in  the  employ 
of  the  Staats- Zeitung ,  and  his  district  was  the  western 
half  of  the  North  Side.  He  toiled  hard,  and  was  in 
every  way  a  faithful  employe,  working  from  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  eight  at  the  distribution 
of  his  newspapers.  His  days  were  given  to  the  study  of 
the  law.  He  had  not  the  money  to  use  for  his  tuition, 
and  Prof.  Henry  Booth  offered  him  the  instruction, 
and  time  in  which  to  pay  for  it.  The  earnest  young 
man  in  due  time  saved  enough  money  to  settle  the 


claim,  and  it  brought  him  as  much  pleasure  as  he  ever 
felt  before  or  since  to  square  his  account  with  his 
benefactor. 

After  leaving  the  Staats-Zeitung  in  1860,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Ogden,  Fleetwood  &  Co.,  then  the  lead- 
ing real  estate  firm  of  Chicago,  as  a  collector.  On  the 
day  that  the  war  broke  out,  lie  enlisted  and  his 
employers  held  him  in  such  esteem  that,  when  he 
resigned,  they  presented  him  a  handsome  sum  of 
money  in  gold.  Young  Vocke  enlisted  first  in  the 
three  months  service  as  a  private.  His  company  was 
soon  merged  into  the  Twenty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  he  was  in  all  the  engagements  in  which 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  took  part  until  the 
muster-out  of  his  regiment.  After  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  service  he  was  mustered  out  as  captain  of 
Company  D,  of  the  Twenty -fourth  Illinois. 

When  Captain  Vocke  returned  to  Chicago,  he  again 
entered  the  service  of  the  Staats-Zeitiniy,  this  time  as 
its  city  editor.  For  nearly  a  year  he  held  this  respon- 
sible chair.  From  April,  1865,  to  November,  1869,  he 
was  the  clerk  of  the  police  court  of  this  city.  He 
resumed  the  study  of  the  law  in  the  meantime,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1867. 

While  in  the  army  Captain  Vocke  gave  as  much 
time  as  he  could  spare  to  literary  studies,  and  this 
branch  of  mental  effort  he  continued  after  he  had 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T   WEST. 


"  beaten  his  sword  into  a  ploughshare."  He  won  for 
himself  a  high  reputation  as  a  discriminating  student 
and  a  polished  writer.  He  contributed  various  articles 
to  the  German  and  English  press,  and  in  1869  lie  pub- 
lished a  volume  of  poems,  excellent' translations  of  the 
lyrics  of  Julius  Eodenberg.  The  newspapers  of  Ger- 
many, as  well  as  of  this  country  joined  in  praising  his 
work  in  enthusiastic  terms.  Soon  after  the  publication 
of  this  book,  he  determined  to  give  all  of  his  time  to 
the  study  and  practice  of  the  law.  He  was  held  in  such 
great  favor  by  his  countrymen  and  the  Chicago  public 
that  he  quickly  secured  a  lucrative  practice,  and  it  has 
been  increasing  with  the  years  ever  since. 

lie  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Legisla- 
ture in  1870,  and  among  other  noteworthy  achieve- 
ments drafted  and  introduced  a  life  insurance  bill, 
which  at  the  time  was  indorsed  by  the  editor  of  the 
Chicago  Tribune  as  "the  soundest  and  most  judicious 
measure  ever  proposed  to  a  legislative  body  on  that 
subject."  Captain  Vocke  while  a  member  of  the 
legislature  was  also  instrumental  in  framing  at  the 
extra  session  shortly  after  the  great  fire  of  1871,  what 
is  known  as  the  "burnt  record  act." 

In  1873,  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Gen. 
Joseph  B.  Leake,  which  continued  until  General  Leake 
was  appointed  United  States  district  attorney  in  1880. 
Captain  Vocke  was  also  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
board  of  education  from  1877  to  1880.  For  more  than 
seventeen  years  past  he  has  been  the  attorney  for  the 
Imperial  German  Consulate  at  this  point,  and  for  the 


faithful  services  which  he  has  rendered  in  this  capacity 
to  the  constituents  of  the  Consulate  the  German 
Emperor  conferred  upon  him  last  year  the  decoration  of 
the  cross  of  the  Red  Eagle,  a  distinction  granted  only 
for  conspicuous  merit  and  high  character. 

Captain  Vocke,  although  deeply  engrossed  in  the 
law,  finds  time  now  and  then  to  do  more  or  less 
literary  work.  His  latest  effort  takes  the  form  of  a  well 
written  book  on  the  legal  systems  of  this  country.  Its 
title  is  "The  Administration  of  Justice  in  the  United 
States;  and  a  synopsis  of  the  mode  of  procedure  in  our 
Federal  and  State  courts,  and  all  Federal  and  State 
laws  relating  to  subjects  of  interest  to  aliens."  This 
work  was  published  in  1891  in  Cologne  in  the  German 
language,  and  has  not  only  received  the  highest  encom- 
iums of  German  jurists,  but  has  proved  of  great 
benefit  to  German  lawyers  and  German  business  men. 

In  1867,  he  was  joined  in  matrimony  to  Elise 
Wahl,  a  charming  woman,  and  they  have  a  family  of 
six  children — four  daughters  and  two  sons. 

No  man  is  held  in  higher  esteem  by  the  Germans 
of  Chicago  than  William  Vocke.  He  has  an  exceed- 
ingly amiable  and  upright  character,  and  a  mind  stored 
with  all  the  riches  of  wide  reading  and  deep  research. 
History  and  the  science  of  government  are  his  special- 
ties, and  there  is  no  better  authority  on  these  topics  in 
this  city  than  he.  He  is  a  delightful  entertainer  and 
genial  companion,  and  these  traits,  coupled  with  his 
mental  gifts,  make  him  a  shining  center  in  a  wide 
circle  of  friends. 


JOSEPH   HOWARD  .BUFFUM,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ONE  of  the  favored  few  who  have  achieved  success 
early  in  life  is  Joseph  Howard  Buffum,  who  was 
born  August  24, 1849,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.  To  the  public 
schools  of  that  city  he  owes  the  foundation  of  a  very 
thorough  education,  graduating  from  high  school  at 
the  age  of  eighteen.  His  first  purpose  was  to  become 
an  engineer,  and  with  that  purpose  in  view  he  studied 
engineering  for  a  year.  Finding  this  choice  not  to  his 
liking,  he  turned  to  the  medical  profession,  and  with  a 
view  to  preparing  himself  for  it,  in  1869  entered  Cor- 
nell University,  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.  His  preparation  for 
college  was  so  complete  that  he  entered  the  sophomore 
class  and  was  graduated  three  years  later.  During 
that  time  he  derived  great  benefit  from  a  special  course 
under  the  direction  of  the  distinguished  scientist,  Prof. 
Burt  G.  Wilder.  Leaving  the  university,  he  spent  one 
year  in  study  at  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Phila- 
delphia. He  then  returned  to  New  York,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical 
College  in  March,  1873. 

Dr.  Buffum  began  his  career  as  a  general  practi- 
tioner in   his  native  city,  Pittsburg,  where,  in  three 


years,  he  built  up  a  practice  most  creditable  to  so 
young  a  man.  While  there  he  did  good  service  as 
attending  physician  to  the  Pittsburg  Homeopathic 
Hospital,  especially  improving  his  opportunities  to 
study  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear.  In  1876  Dr.  Buffum 
removed  to  New  York  city,  and  further  pursued  his 
favorite  study  in  the  Ophthalmic  College  of  that  city, 
and  was  graduated  as  a  surgeon  of  the  eye  and  ear. 
He  soon  became  resident  surgeon  of  the  New  York 
Ophthalmic  Hospital,  and  was  made  lecturer  on 
diseases  of  the  eye  in  the  hospital  of  the  New  York 
Ophthalmic  College. 

In  1880,  owing  to  the  death  of  Prof.  W.  H.  Wood- 
yatt,  the  chair  of  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear  was  left 
vacant  in  the  Chicago  Homeopathic  Medical  College. 
The  faculty  unanimously  chose  Dr.  Buffum  to  fill  it, 
whereupon  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Chicago,  as  the 
manager  of  that  institution.  Dr.  Buffum's  eminence 
in  this  branch  of  medical  science  was  further  demon- 
strated when  the  American  Society  of  Homeopathic 
Oculists,  at  its  annual  meeting  held  at  Indianapolis,  in 
1SS2,  chose  him  as  its  presiding  officer.  He  is  a  mem- 


312 


PROMINENT  .MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


her  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  and  many 
other  medical  and  scientific  societies  throughout  the 
country.  In  1884  Dr.  Buffum  went  abroad,  and  spent 
some  time  in  the  hospitals  of  London  and  Paris,  and  on 
his  return  embodied  his  experience  in  articles  and  ad- 
dresses of  great  value.  He  is  a  prolific  writer,  and  is  the 
author  of  a  work  on  opthalmology,  which  is  used  in 
many  of  the  colleges  of  this  country,  and  which  is  one 
of  the  best  productions  extant  on  that  subject.  Among 
the  most  valuable  of  Dr.  Buffum's  contributions  to 
medical  literature  are  the  following  monographs:  "  Dis- 
locations of  the  Knee,"  "Electricity  as  an  Adjunct  in 
the  Treatment  of  Spinal  Diseases,"  "Two  cases  of 
Transfusion  of  Blood,"  "  Contribution  to  the  Pathology 
of  the  Eye,"  "Electrolysis  in  the  Treatment  of  Lachry- 
mal Stricture,"  "Dipthinic  Conjunctivitis,"  "  Colton 
Drumhead,"  "  Dieleties,"  "  The  Galvanic  Cautery  in 
Surgery,"  "Tinnitis  Aurium,"  "Clinical  History  of 
Sciatica,"  "  Treatment  of  Some  Eye  Diseases  by  Means 
of  Electricity,"  "  Eye  Headaches,"  "  Eye  Reflexes," 


"Tumors  and  Malformations  of  the  Lids,"  "The  Pupil 
in  Health  and  Disease,"  "Ocular  Neoplasms."  "The 
Ophthalmic  and  Aural  Complications  of  Scarlet  Fever," 
and  "  Cataract  extraction." 

Prominent  in  the  Masonic  order,  he  is  a  member 
of  Cleveland  Lodge,  A.  F.  A.  M.;  Washington  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.;  Apollo  Commandery,  K.  T.;  Oriental  Con- 
sistory, A.  A.  S.  R.  and  Medinah  Temple. 

In  1876  Dr.  Buffum  married  Miss  Evelyn  Barrett 
Sprague,  a  lady  of  high  social  standing  in  Jamestown, 
New  York,  and  a  granddaughter  of  the  noted  Aboli- 
tionist, "William  H.  Tew.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  them — Howard  E.  and  Natalis  S. 

Dr.  Buffum  is  a  man  of  powerful  mentality  and 
iron  will,  strongly  attached  to  his  profession.  Possess- 
ing all  the  students'  love  for  books,  keenly  appreciative 
of  art,  with  the  cosmic  views  of  a  traveler  in  many 
lands,  he  ranks  to-day  not  only  as  one  of  the  foremost 
professional  men  of  this  country,  but  also  as  a  polished 
man  of  the  world. 


TURLINGTON  WALKER  HARVEY, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


TURLINGTON  WALKER  HARYEY  was  born  at 
Siloam,  New  York,  March  10,  1835,  son  of  John- 
son and  Paulina  (Walker)  Harvey.  His  father  was  a 
farmer  in  early  life,  but  later  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade  at  Durhamville,  New  York.  About  1851  he 
established  a  sash,  door  and  blind  factory  at  Oneida, 
New  York,  and  in  1866  removed  to  Sandwich,  111., 
where  he  died  in  1880.  His  widow  died  in  1890. 
Young  Harvey's  educational  advantages  were  limited, 
for  from  his  eleventh  to  his  fourteenth  year  he  was 
employed  in  a  store  at  Durhamville.  After  that  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  working  with  his  father, 
and  as  he  had  opportunity  attended  the  public  schools. 
After  his  father  removed  to  Oneida,  he  attended  the 
Oneida-  Academy  a  short  time,  but  spent  most  of  his 
time  in  the  factory,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  had 
mastered  the  sash,  door  and  blind  business.  Remov- 
ing to  Chicago  in  1854,  he  first  secured  a  position  as 
foreman  of  a  small  sash,  door  and  blind  factory.  He 
next  filled  a  similar  position  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness with  Messrs.  Abbott  &  Kingman,  with  whom  he 
stayed  five  years,  and  during  that  time  familiarized 
himself  with  the  lumber  interests  and  trade  throughout 
the  Northwest. 

In  1859  he  joined  Mr.  Peter  B.  Lamb,  and  estab- 
lished a  planing  mill  and  lumberyard,  which  two  years 
later  they  were  obliged  to  enlarge  to  meet  the  demands 
of  their  constantly  growing  trade.  In  1865  Mr.  Harvey 
bought  Mr.  Lamb's  interest  in  the  business,  which  con- 
tinued to  grow  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  facilities  at 
his  command.  In  1869  he  moved  his  business  to 
Twenty-second  and  Morgan  streets,  then  the  southern 


limits  of  the  city,  where  he  bought  land  and  put  up  the 
first  fireproof  building  erected  in  Chicago  for  a  planing- 
mill.  He  alsb  bought  and  built  extensive  docks.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  what  afterward  came  to  be  the 
largest  lumber  business  in  the  United  States,  Mr. 
Harvey  owning  and  operating  lumber  mills  at  Men- 
ominee  and  Muskegon,  Mich. 

At  one  time  the  Harvey  yards  in  Chicago  handled 
a  hundred  and  twenty-five  million  feet  of  lumber  annu- 
ally. In  1878  Mr.  Harvey  furnished  the  money  to 
build  the  first  logging  railroad  in  the  United  States. 
It  connected  Lake  George  with  the  Muskegon  river, 
and  was  for  transferring  his  logs  from  the  lumber 
camps  to  the  Muskegon  river,  where  they  could  float 
to  the  mills  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  In  1883,  asso- 
ciating with  himself  a  number  of  his  worthy  employes, 
he  organized  the  T.  W.  Harvey  Lumber  Company,  and 
has  been  at  its  head  as  president  ever  since.  But  Mr. 
Harvey  has  not  confined  his  attention  to  the  lumber 
interests.  In  1890  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Harvey,  a 
suburb  of  Chicago,  where  are  located  the  works  of  the 
Harvey  Steel  Car  Company,  and  many  other  manu- 
factories. The  town  is  now  owned  by  the  Harvey 
Land  Association  and  the  Harvey  Steel  Car  Company, 
of  which  he  owns  the  most  of  the  stock,  and  is  the 
president  of  both  companies.  He  is  also  a  director  of 
the  Metropolitan  National  Bank,  and  the  American 
Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of  Chicago.  In  1882  he 
bought  two  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Eastern  Ne- 
braska, which  is  known  as  "  Turlington,"  and  is  one  of 
the  finest  stock  farms  in  the  Northwest. 

Mr.  Harvey  has  always  shown  commendable  public 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


spirit  and  has  been  a  leader  in  benevolent  and  charita- 
ble work.  His  services  during  and  after  the  great  fire 
of  1871  can  never  be  over-estimated.  He  was  then  on 
the  executive  committee  of  the  Chicago  Relief  and 
Aid  Society,  and  was  selected  to  serve  on  the  shelter 
committee.  The  chairman  of  that  committee  was 
unable  to  act,  and  his  duties  fell  upon  Mr.  Harvey. 
These  so  completely  occupied  his  time  that  he  gave  to 
his  own  business  but  one  hour  a  day  during  the  six 
months  following  the  fire.  The  winter  of  1871-2  was 
a  severe  one,  and  but  for  the  timely  help  of  this  society 
many  must  have  perished  from  hunger  and  exposure. 
One  hundred  thousand  people  were  homeless.  For  a 
portion,  temporary  barracks  were  provided,  but  the 
majority  were  comfortably  housed.  Many  owned  their 
lots  or  had  leases  of  them  ;  for  such,  houses  ready  for 
occupancv  were  furnished  costing  a  hundred  and 
twenty-five  dollars  each,  and  in  one  month,  from  Oc- 
tober 18lh  to  November  17th,  fifty-two  hundred  and 
twentv-six  houses  were  erected,  which  number  was 
afterwards  increased  to  more  than  eight  thousand. 
Foreseeing  that  the  price  of  lumber  must  advance  on 
account  of  the  millions  of  feet  destroyed  in  Chicago, 
and  by  the  extensive  forest  fires  in  Michigan  and  Wis- 
consin which  raged  in  the  fall  of  1871,  Mr.  Harvey 
bought  all  he  could  get  at  fourteen  dollars  per  thous- 
and feet.  The  price  went  up  to  twenty  dollars  per 
thousand,  so  that  on  the  thirty-five  million  feet  of 
lumber  used  by  the  shelter  committee  there  was  a 
saving  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the 
relief  fund.  During  the  same  winter  a  coal  famine  pre- 
vailed in  many  parts  of  Chicago,  and  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  Mr.  Harvey,  teams  and  wagons  were 
purchased,  and  although  many  streets  in  destitute  parts 
of  the  city  were  filled  with  eighteen  inches  of  snow, 
seven  hundred  tons  of  coal  were  delivered  to  the 
freezing  people  in  the  outskirts  in  one  day.  These  are 
illustrations  of  the  more  public  of  Mr.  Harvey's  acts  of 
benevolence.  Others  might  be  given,  for  it  is  such 


work  as  that  of  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society  that 
he  delights  in,  whose  charities  have  brightened  many 
a  cheerless  home,  and  brought  gladness  to  many  a  soul 
read}'  to  despair.  In  organization  for  the  relief  of  the 
destitute  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1893-4,  Mr. 
Harvey  has  also  taken  a  very  prominent  part. 

For  many  years  he  has  been  an  aggressive  spirit  in 
religious  work,  and  wherever  known  is  esteemed  for  his 
Christian  character.  He  was  president  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  of  Chicago,  from  1871  to 
1873,  and  again  from  1876  to  1879.  He  is  also  vice- 
president  of  the  Chicago  Evangelistic  Society,  whose 
object  is  the  promotion  of  evangelistic  work  and  Bible 
study.  The  head  of  this  society  is  Mr  Dwight  L. 
Moody,  in  whose  absence  Mr.  Harvey  is  called  to  act 
as  executive.  In  1876  he  was  chairman  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee,  which  had  in  charge  the  erection  of 
the  famous  "Moody  Tabernacle''  on  Monroe  street  He 
is  an  earnest  Sunday  school  worker,  and  for  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century  has  been  superintendent  of  a 
Sunday-school  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Harvey  is  a  man  of  simple  habits,  domestic 
tastes,  and  fond  of  home,  and  is  never  happier  than  in 
the  midst  of  the  joys  of  his  own  fireside.  He  has  a 
refined,  attractive  Christian  home,  whose  influence  is 
felt  by  all  who  come  within  range,  and  whose  inmates 
delight  in  dispensing  generous  hospitality. 

In  1859  Mr.  Harvey  married  Miss  Marie  Hardman, 
of  Louisville,  Ky.,  whose  decease  occurred  in  1870. 
Their  four  sons,  Charles  A.,  John  R.,  George  L.  and 
Robert  H.  still  survive.  Mr.  Harvey  married  Miss 
Belle  S.  Badger,  of  Chicago,  May  28th,  1873,  and  by 
her  has  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  Mrs.  H:irve\r 
is  an  accomplished  woman  of  literary  tastes  and  cul- 
ture, and  devoted  to  her  family,  and  in  hearty  sympa- 
thy with  her  husband  in  his  good^orks. 

When  measured  by  what  he  is,  and  by  what  he  has 
done,  Mr.  Harvey  may  be  pronounced,  in  the  truest 
and  best  sense  of  the  words,  a  successful  man. 


EDWARD  A.  BACHELDOR, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


CDWARD  A.  BACHELDOR  was  born  in  Wauke- 
Ct  gan,  Lake  county,  111.,  about  forty-two  years 
ago.  His  father,  E.  S.  L.  Bacheldor,  for  many  years  a 
merchant  of  that  place,  was  a  direct  descendant  of  the 
Bacheldor  and  Lowell  families  of  New  England.  His 
mother  came  of  the  old  Ayrault  family,  prominent 
among  the  pioneers  of  western  New  York.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  later 
was  a  student  at  Lake  Forest  University.  In  1868, 
with  no  capital  other  than  a  determination  to  do  some- 
thing for  himself,  he  went  to  Chicago  and  established 
himself  in  the  grocery  trade,  without  any  previous  ex- 
perience in  that  line,  and  conducted  it  successfully  for 


five  years.  He  had  never  received  a  dollar  as  a  salary 
from  any  one,  and  never  worked  for  any  one  except  to 
help  during  his  school  years  in  his  father's  store,  where 
he  received  his  first  business  experience. 

About  this  time  his  attention  was  attracted  to  the 
hotel  business,  and  in  1873  he  erected  and  opened  the 
Atherton  House,  on  AVabash  avenue,  near  Twenty- 
. second  street,  under  which  name  it  was  conducted  until 
1880,  when  he  secured  possession  of  the  Avenue  House, 
immediately  adjoining  the  Atherton  on  the  south  and 
extending  to  the  corner  of  Twenty-second  street.  The 
consolidated  hotel  was  named  "  The  Southern."  In 
1884  it  was  further  enlarged  by  building  another  ad- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


dition  on  the  north.  In  1887  Mr.  Bacheldor  purchased 
the  corner  property,  which  he  remodeled.  During 
these  years  he  built  up  for  "  The  Southern  "  an  excel- 
lent reputation  as  one  of  the  best  family  hotels  in 
Chicago,  with  a  large  and  constantly  increasing 
patronage. 

Though  constantly  enlarging  and  extending  the 
business,  he  was  not  satisfied,  but  continually  had  in 
.mind  an  enterprise  which  should  be  on  a  more  magnifi- 
cent scale.  Accordingly,  in  1890,  he  quietly  secured  the 
property  on  thecorner  of  Michigan  avenue  and  Twenty- 
second  street,  and  planned  for  the  erection  of  a 
hotel,  which  for  beauty,  elegance  and  safety  should 
stand  unapproached.  On  September  1,  1892,  the  Lex- 
ington Hotel  was  opened  to  the  public.  That  the 
house  was  finished  and  opened  on  the  very  day  planned 
months  before,  well  serves  to  illustrate  the  executive 
ability  and  force  of  character  of  Mr.  Batcheldor.  The 


hotel  represents  an  outlay  of  $1,500,000  and  is  one  of 
the  largest,  best  appointed,  best  furnished  hotels,  not 
only  in  Chicago,  but  in  the  world.  It  contains  500 
rooms,  is  ten  stories  high  and  absolutely  fire-proof.  At 
the  dedicatory  exercises  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  in  October,  1892,  the  Lexington  entertained 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  the  Cabinet  of  the 
President  and  the  entire  Diplomatic  Corps,  as  the 
guests  of  the  Exposition,  while  at  the  opening  of  the 
World's  Fair,  on  May  1;  1893,  this  hotel  was  selected 
by  the  committee  on  ceremonies  to  provide  accommo- 
dations for  President  Cleveland  and  his  cabinet. 

Mr.  Bacheldor  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Nellie  Hough,  of  Chicago,  and  to  her  he  gratefully 
attributes  much  of  his  success,  as  her  wise  counsel,  per- 
severence  and  energy  have  sustained  him  in  his  efforts, 
and  largely  contributed  to  the  success  which  has 
attended  his  enterprises. 


JOHN  A.  WILLARD, 

MANKATO,  MftWESOTA. 


JOHN  A.  WILLARD,  son  of  Daniel  S.  and  Catha- 
rine (Williams)  Willard,  was  born  in  Trenton, 
Oneida  count}',  N.  Y.,  on  the  ninth  of  November, 
1833.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  who  was  also  born  in 
Oneida  county,  where  he  spent  his  life  until  1867) 
when  the  family  moved  to  Minnesota,  where  the 
father  died  in  1868,  and  the  mother  in  1875.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  of  their  seven 
children. 

The  family,  on  the  paternal  side,  came  from 
Weathersfield,  Conn.,  to  New  York  in  1800,  and  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  Trenton,  Oneida  county. 
His  mother's  family  came  from  Wales  to  Philadelphia; 
Pa.,  in  the  same  year  and  moved  afterwards  to  the 
State  of  New  York.  The  first  representative  of  the 
family  in  America  was  Captain  Simon  Willard,  who 
landed  in  Boston,  from  Horsmonden,  Eng.,  in  1634, 
and  who,  in  English  history,  traced  his  ancestory  back 
to  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century.  His  wife 
was  Mary  Sharp.  From  this  couple  the  line  of  our 
:ubject's  ancestry  is  traced  as  follows:  Josiah,  son  of 
Simon  and  Mary  Willard,  born  in  Boston  in  1635,  . 
married  Hannah  Hosmer  in  1656,  and  removed  to 
Weathersfield,  Conn.  Simon,  his  son,  born  in  Weathers- 
field  in  1662,  married  Mary  Gilbert  in  1690.  Ephraim 
his  son.  born  in  Weathersfield  in  1707,  married  Lydia 
Griswold  in  1738.  His  son,  Simon,  born  in  Weathers- 
field  in  1745,  married  Sarah  B,obbins  in  1770.  His  son 
Ephraim,  born  in  Weathersfield  in  1772,  married  Lucy 
Griswold  in  1795.  His  son,  Daniel  S.,  born  in  Trenton, 
N.  Y.,  in  1806,  married  Catherine  Williams  in  1832, 
the  last  being  the  father  and  mother  of  the  subject  of 
this  biography. 

Young  Willard  received  his  education  in  the  public 
school  and  also  spent  a  short  time  in  an  academy  at 


Holland  Patent,  N.  Y.,  and  later  in  a  maternal  uncle's 
school  in  Utica,  N.  Y.  His  youth  was  similar  in  all 
respects  to  that  of  a  boy  raised  on  a  farm  in  the  early 
days;  going  to  school  when  he  could  and  spending  the 
balance  of  his  time  in  farm  work.  He  always  had  an 
earnest  desire  for  a  better  education,  but  his  parents, 
while  most  willing,  were  not  able  to  give  it  to  him. 
When  seventeen  years  old  he  taught  district  school 
and  from  that  time  until  he  wa's  twenty  he  taught 
school  in  winter  and  worked  on  the  farm  in  summer. 
Concluding  that  he  was  not  suited  for  a  farmer's  life, 
he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  city  of  Utica, 
in  1854,  and  was  a  year  later  admitted  to  practice  in 
all  the  courts  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  started 
west  in  1856  to  locate  and  practice  his  profession, 
having  only  a  few  books  (for  half  the  value  of  which 
he  owed  an  Albany  firm)  and  enough  money  to  take 
him  to  his  destination. 

In  September,  1856,  he  located  in  Mankato,  Min- 
nesota, where  he  has  since  resided,  and  settled 
down  to  his  profession.  He  continued  his  practice 
there  until  1870,  when  he  took  an  interest  in  railroad 
matters,  and  was  elected  president  of  the  company 
that  built  the  line  from  Mankato  to  Wells,  and  which 
is  now  a  part  of  the  great  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  System.  In  1872  he  became  interested  in  the 
manufacture  of  linseed  oil,  and  is  still  connected  with 
that  business  and  also  with  many  other  different  kinds 
of  manufacture.  He  is  now,  and  has  been  for  manv 
years,  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Mankato, 
the  National  Bank  of  Commerce,  at  Duluth,  and  the 
Granite  Falls  Bank,  Minnesota,  and  is  a  president  and 
director  in  many  other  corporations.  He  has  for  manv 
years  also  been  president  of  the  Mankato  Board  of 
Trade. 


t-KCMiNENT  MEN  Of  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


317 


A  believer  in  protection,  Mr.  Willard  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  He  has  never  held  any  public  office 
except  one.  In  1891  he  was  nominated  and  elected  by 
the  votes  of  all  political  parties  for  mayor  of  Mankato. 
A  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  he  is  active  and 
liberal  in  its  support,  and  equally  liberal  and  generous 
in  all  public  and  private  charities.  He  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the. Masonic  fraternity  in  1857,  and  passed 
through  all  the  chairs  in  the  local  lodge,  being 
worshipful  master  in  18G6.  He  is  also  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  and  a  Knight  Templar. 

On  the  23rd  day  of  August,  1865,  Mr.  Willard  was 
married  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Sibley,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  was,  at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  post- 


mistress, having  been  appointed  to  succeed  her  father. 
In  any  and  every  project  having  for  its  object  the 
advancement  of  the  material  interests  of  the  locality  in 
which  he  resides,  Mr.  Willard  has  taken  an  active 
and  leading  part.  Few  men  in  any  communily  stand 
higher  than  does  he,  and  no  man  enjoys  more  fully  the 
confidence,  respect,  and  esteem  of  his  friends  and 
fellow  citizens.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of  fine  appear- 
ance, impressing  one  unconsciously  with  the  fact  of  his 
substantial  and  solid  worth.  While  in  all  things 
modest  and  unostentatious,  Mr.  Willard  is  one  who 
readily  makes  friends  of  those  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact,  and  the  friends  thus  made  invariably  become 
friends  for  life. 


GEORGE  M.  PULLMAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EORGE  M.  PULLMAN  is  universally  known  as  one 
of  Chicago's  most  distinguished  citizens.  He  is  a 
native  of  the  village  of  Erocton.  Chautauqua  county, 
N.Y.,  and  was  born  on  March  3, 1831.  His  father,  James 
Lewis  Pullman,  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island.  He 
was  a  mechanic  by  occupation,  and  a  man  of  great 
force  of  character  and  influence  in  his  community,  and 
withal  was  known  for  his  fair  mindedness  and  his  loy- 
altv  to  what  he  believed  to  be  right.  He  died  on 
November  1,  1853.  His  mother,  Emily  Caroline 
(Minton)  Pullman,  was  a  woman  of  rare  good  sense 
and  womanly  virtues;  she  was  a  daughter  of  James 
Minton,  of  Auburn,  N.  Y. 

George  M.  Pullman  has  three  brothers  and  two 
sisters  living,  viz.:  Rev.  Royal  H.  Pullman,  pastor  of 
the  First  Universalist  church  of  Baltimore;  Dr.  James 
M.  Pullman,  a  Universalist  minister  at  Lynn,  Mass.; 
Charles  L.  Pullman,  connected  with  the  Pullman 
Palace  Car  Company;  Helen  A.,  the  wife  of  Mr. 
George  West,  a  merchant  of  New  York  city,  and  Emma 
C.,  the  wife  of  Dr.  William  F.  Fluhrer,  a  prominent 
surgeon,  also  of  New  York  city.  His  brother,  Frank 
W.  Pullman,  a  lawyer,  who  was  assistant  United 
States  district  attorney  at  New  York,  died  in  1879, 
a"hd  Albert  B.  Pullman,  formerly  connected  with  the 
Pullman  Company,  died  some  three  months  since. 

George  M.,  aside  from  careful  home  training,  re- 
ceived a  good  common-school  education,  and  while  yet 
a  boy  disclosed  that  independence,  self-reliance  and 
manly  persistence  that  have  characterized  his  subse- 
quent life  and  been  such  important  factors  in  his  suc- 
cess. He  was  full  of  original  ideas,  and  had  much 
inventive  genius,  which  took  a  practical  turn  and  which 
n is  perseverance  enabled  him  to  turn  to  good  account. 
His  introduction  to  business  life  was  as  a  clerk  in  a 
store  near  his  home  when  fourteen  years  old,  for  which 
he  received  an  annual  salary  of  fort}'  dollars.  His 
elder  brother,  Royal  H.,  was  conducting  a  small  cabinet- 


making  establishment,  at  Albion,  New  York,  at  this 
time,  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  in  the  store, 
George  took  a  place  in  his  shop  to  learn  the  cabinet- 
making  trade,  a  most  important  step,  as  subsequent 
events  disclosed.  While  yet  in  his  teens  he  became  a 
partner  with  his  brother,  where  he  continued  for  a 
time,  but  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  the  care  of  his 
mothgr  and  younger  brothers  and  sisters  devolved  upon 
him,  and  he  found  it  necessary  to  increase  his  income. 
With  his  other  attainments  he  had  gained  a  considera- 
ble knowledge  of  mechanics  and  engineering,  and  when, 
about  this  time,  the  State  of  New  York  advertised  for 
bids  to  widen  the  Erie  Canal  and  raise  the  buildings 
along  its  .line,  ne  secured  a  contract;  and  so  success- 
fully did  he  accomplish  the  work  that  he  was  soon 
ranked  with  the  leading  contractors  in  that  particular 
line  of  business,  and  found  no  difficulty  in  getting  all 
the  work  he  could  do. 

Not  long  after  the  city  authorities  of  Chicago  de- 
cided, for  sanitary  reasons,  to  raise  the  grade  of  the 
streets  in  the  business  portion  of  the  south  division 
some  six  feet,  and  in  order  to  accommodate  themselves 
to  the  ne\v  order  of  things,  owners  of  buildings  found 
it  necessary  to  raise  them  to  the  street  grade.  Mr. 
Pullman  learned  of  the  situation  and  with  a  capital  of 
six-thousand  dollars,  removed  to  Chicago  in  1859,  and 
secured  some  of  the  largest  contracts  for  raising  the 
buildings  in  the  wholesale  district  along  Lake  and 
Water  streets.  The  buildings  were  large  four  and  five 
story  structures  of  brick,  iron  and  stone,  and  to  raise 
them  bodily  seemed  impossible,  and  great  was  the 
agreeable  surprise  when  people  saw  one  after  another 
of  these  massive  structures  lifted  to  the  required 
height,  and  at  the  same  time  saw  their  business  going 
on  day  after  day.  with  comparatively  little  incon- 
venceand  as  though  nothing  had  happened.  This  suc- 
cessful achievement  was  regarded  as  a  marvel  of  engi- 
neering skill,  and  increased  the  reputation  and  fame  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


the  man  who  had  accomplished  it.  Mr.  Pullman's  next 
engineering  experiences  were  in  Colorado,  whither  he 
was  attracted,  with  the  thousands  of  others,  upon  the 
discovery  of  gold  there.  He  spent  three  years  there 
among  the  gold  mines  and  found  his  work  profitable. 

Prior  to  going  to  Colorado,  however,  he  had  con- 
sidered a  long-cherished  plan  for  lessening  the  discom- 
sorts  of  railway  traveling.  The  introduction  of  sleep- 
ing accommodations  in  railway  coaches  had  met  with 
little  encouragement,  owing  to  the  ill-suited  contri- 
vances that  had  been  used.  Mr.  Pullman  was  quick  to 
see  that  comfort  was  a  very  desirable  requisite,  and 
that  the  more  conveniences  afforded  the  greater  would 
be  the  demand  for  such  accommodations.  To  illustrate 
his  theory  he,  in  the  spring  of  1859,  had  fitted  up  two 
old  passenger  cars  belonging  to  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad  Company,  to  be  used  as  "  sleepers."  The 
novelty  and  ingenuity  and  feasibility,  combined  with 
the  artistic  taste  of  his  plan,  attracted  favorable  con- 
sideration and  comment.  It  was  the  perfection  of  his 
work,  thus  begun,  that  he  determined  upon  when  he 
returned  to  Chicago  from  Colorado  in  1863. 

With  the  aid  of  able  assistants  he  set  about  his  ta^k 
with  a  will,  sparing  no  expense  in  giving  expression  to 
his  ideas,  greatly  to  the  surprise  and  discomfiture  of 
many  of  his  friends,  who  looked  upon  his  venture  as 
foolishly  extravagant  and  impracticable.  After  many 
months'  labor  and  an  expenditure  of  eighteen  thousand 
dollars,  he  produced  his  first  car,  ready  for  service.  It 
was  a  marvel  of  beauty,  comfort  and  luxury,  and  was 
called  by  its  owner,  the  "  Pioneer."  The  modern 
Pullman  palace  car,  viewed  simply  as  a  stationary 
miniature  palace,  would  be  a  wonder  of  architectural 
and  artistic  beauty.  But  it  is  a  structure  of  numerous 
mechanical  devices;  at  once  a  vehicle  apd  a  house;  a 
kitchen,  dining-room,  parlor,  office,  sleeping-room,  and 
boudoir,  all  in  one.  The  "  Pioneer  "  made  its  first  con- 
tinuous trip  as  a  part  of  the  train  which  bore  the  remains 
of  President  Lincoln  from  Washington  to  their  final 
resting-place  at  Springfield.  Soon  after  it  was  called 
into  requisition  on  the  occasion  of  General  Grant's  re- 
turn to  his  Galena  home.  This  style  of  car  soon  ceased 
to  be  regarded  simply  a  luxury,  and  was  demanded  bv 
the  traveling  public  as  a  necessity,  and  all  the  leading 
railroads  in  the  country  were  ready  to  gratify  the 
wishes  of  their  patrons. 

The  demand  for  these  cars  led  to  the  organization 
of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  on  February  22, 
1867,  whose  operations  had  become  so  extensive  in 
1880  that  new  works  and  larger  and  more  improved 
facilities  were  required.  Here  was  offered  an  oppor- 
tunity for  testing  a  plan,  which  Mr.  Pullman  had  long 
cherished,  of  building  a  town  to  comprise  the  neces- 
sary shops,  stores,  markets,  places  of  amusement, 
houses  for  the  workmen  and  their  families,  school-houses 
and  churches,  all  to  be  under  the  care  of  the  company. 
Four  thousand  acres  of  land  were  bought  along  and 
near  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Calumet,  some  twelve 
miles  south  of  the  then  limits  of  Chicago  and  five 
miles  inland  from  Lake  Michigan.  The  land  was  first 


prepared  by  a  thorough  system  of  drainage  into  Lake 
Calumet,  and  streets  were  laid  out  and  improved,  bor- 
dered on  either  side  by  grass  plats,  beds  of  flowers  and 
rows  of  elms.  The  shops  of  the  company,  built  of 
pressed  brick  and  stone  and  roofed  with  slate,  are 
artistic  in  design  and  models  of  convenience  for  their 
various  uses;  and,  separated  as  they  are  by  broad 
avenues  and  well-kept  lawns,  they  present  a  view  both 
beautiful  and  unique.  These,  covering  some  thirty 
acres  of  land,  are  separated  from  the  southern  or  resi- 
dence portion  of  the  town  by  a  broad  boulevard,  faced 
by  handsome  dwellings.  From  this,  running  south- 
ward, are  five  broad  avenues,  along  which  stand  the 
cottages  occupied  by  the  workmen  employed  in  the 
works.  There  are  about  nineteen  hundred  houses  of  a 
great  variety  of  artistic  designs,  and  they  rent  for 
prices  varying  according  to  size,  location,  etc. 
The  Arcade  building,  erected  at  a  cost  of  three  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  is  occupied  by  the  theatre,  the 
post-office,  the  bank,  the  librarv  and  the  stores  of  the 
town,  which  latter  open  into  an  interior  court  with 
galleries,  and  which  under  the  electric  lights  at 
night,  resemble  a  brilliantly  illuminated  bazar.  In  the 
center  of  the  town  is  a  massive  tower,  the  center  of 
the  water  and  sewerage  systems.  Other  notable 
structures  are  the  Hotel  Florence,  the  several  churches 
and  school  houses,  all  models  of  elegance  and  good 
taste  in  architectural  designs,  and  provided  with  every 
modern  convenience  and  appliance  requisite  to  com- 
fort and  sanitary  completeness.  Improvements  are 
constantly  being  made,  and  already  nearly  nine  million 
dollars  have  been  expended  in  bringing  the  place  to  its 
present  state  of  completeness.  The  power  for  the 
shops,  which  began  operation  in  April,  1881,  was  fur- 
nished by  the  celebrated  Corliss  engine  used  at  the 
Centennial  Exposition  at  Philadelphia.  The  inhabi- 
tants number  over  thirteen  thousand,  and  the  social, 
moral  and  intellectual  character  of  the  place  is  greatly 
superior  to  that  of  the  average  industrial  town.  Taken 
all  in  all,  it  is  a  most  remarkable  illustration  of  practi- 
cal philanthrophy,  and  the  wonderful  success  that  has 
attended  the  enterprise  from  its  inception  verifies  the 
theory  of .  its  originator  and  promoter,  viz:  "That 
beauty  and  culture  have  an  economical  value,  and  that 
the  working  classes  are  capable  of  appreciating  and 
appropriating  the  highest  ministries  of  excellence  and 
art." 

The  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  is  the  largest 
railroad  manufacturing  interest  in  the  world.  It  em- 
ploys an  immense  capital,  and  has  in  its  service,  ac- 
cording to  its  last  report,  two  thousand  five  hundred 
and  twelve  cars;  employs  fifteen  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  forty-one  persons,  whose  daily  wages  aggre- 
gate nearly  thirty  thousand  dollars.  During  1893  over 
six  million  passengers  were  carried,  and  the  aggregate 
distance  traveled  was  about  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  million  miles. 

Although  Mr.  Pullman  has  been,  and  is,  the  moving 
spirit  of  this  gigantic  enterprise,  he  has  at  the  same 
time  been  largely  interested  in  important  interests. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


319 


Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  Eagleton  Iron 
Works,  of  New  York,  and  the  New  York  Loan  and 
Improvement  Company,  of  which  he  was  president, 
and  which  built  the  Metropolitan  Elevated  Hail  way 
on  Second  and  Sixth  avenues.  In  this  company  he 
was  associated  with  Mr.  Jose  F.  DeNavarro  and  Com- 
modore Garrison.  He  has  also  been  interested  in  the 
Nicaraugua  canal  project  since  its  inception. 

The  Pullman  building,  one  of  the  most  massive  and 
imposing  office  and  apartment  buildings  in  Chicago, 
situated  at  the  corner  of  Michigan  avenue  and  Adams 
street,  was  built  by  the  'Pullman  Car  Company  in 
1884,  at  a  cost  of  $1,000,000. 

Mr.  Pullman's  elegant  residence  on  Prairie  avenue, 
overlooking  Lake  Michigan,  surrounded  by  broad,  vel- 
vety lawns  and  graceful  elms,  with  its  spacious  apart- 
ments, costly  furniture  and  treasures  of  art  and 
literature,  and  withal  its  generous  hospitality,  is  a 
marvel  of  elegance  and  taste.  His  nobleness  of  char- 
acter could  not  better  be  illustrated  than  by  the  devo- 
tion and  care  which  he  has  always  shown  his  aged 
mother.  No  personal  sacrifice  was  too  great  for  him 
to  make  in  order  to  minister  to  her  wants.  In  the  lan- 
guage of  another  :  "  Accordingly,  Mr.  Pullman  pur- 
chased an  island  on  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  and  there 
erected  for  her  a  magnificent  home  which  was  called 


Castle  Rest.  "We  need  not  emphasize  the  costliness  of 
her  surroundings,  for  the  beauty  of  her  home  and  the 
almost  royal  luxuriousness  of  her  living  were  only  the 
smallest  part  of  the  life-long  tribute  that  was  paid  to 
her.  This  luxury  was  the  gift  not  of  ostentation,  but 
of  love,  but  hack  of  it  all  there  was  personal  devotion, 
a  personal  service  that  was  more  precious  than  any- 
thing that  wealth  could  do.  *  *  *  So  her  life  went 
on  into  extreme  old  age — eighty-four  years  of  it — before 
its  translation  into  the  other  life  that  growrs  not  old." 

In  all  his  business  life  Mr.  Pullman  is  prompt  and 
yet  never  hasty.  His  great  achievements  have  been 
the  results  of  carefully  devised  plans.  His  personal 
and  social  qualities  are  such  as  to  endear  him  to  all  who 
come  within  the  range  of  his  influence.  His  hand  is 
open  to  all  worthy  charities,  and  all  public  enterprises 
find  in  him  a  warm  friend,  while  his  conduct  is  charac- 
terized by  modesty  and  moderation. 

In  March,  1867,  Mr.  Pullman  married  Miss  Harriett 
A.  Sanger,  daughter  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Sanger,  of  Chicago. 
Their  four  children  are:  Florence  Sanger,  Hattie  San- 
ger, George  M.  and  Walter  Sanger,  the  last  two  being 
twins.  Mrs.  Pullman  is  a  woman  of  rare  accomplish- 
ments and  Christian  virtues,  and  with  her  charming 
daughters  takes 'an  earnest  interest  in  religious  and 
benevolent  work. 


GEORGE  THOMAS  SMITH, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EORGE  THOMAS  SMITH  was  born  at  Provi- 
dence,  R.  I.,  on  May  10,  1849,  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  two  of  whom 
died  in  childhood.  Fred  W.,  the  youngest  son,  was 
for  ten  years  a  member  of  the  firm  of  H.  G.  Gaylord 
&  Company,  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade.  The 
parents  of  Geo.  Thomas  Smith  are  Thomas  P.  and 
Dorothy  (Ingalls)  Smith. 

When  George  was  eight  years  old,  his  father  settled 
in  Lockport,  111.,  with  his  family,  and  in  1865  removed 
to  Chicago,  where,  for  twenty  years,  he  was  well 
known  on  the  Board  of  Trade  as  a  member  of  the  old 
highly  respected  firm  of  Trego  &  Smith.  Young 
Smith  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Lockport  and  afterward  at  Eastman's  Business 
College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  The  ability  and  appli- 
cation of  the  young  student  was  such  that  he  was  able, 
in  1865,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  to  become  a  bookkeeper 
and  general  clerk  in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Spruance, 
Preston  &  Company,  a  prominent  firm  at  that  time. 
He  remained  with  the  firm  eight  years  and  part  of 
that  time  did  their  trading  on  the  Board.  When 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  Mr.  Smith  went  into  the 
brokerage  business  on  his  own  account,  and  after  two 
years  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Henry  G.  Gaylord, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Smith  &  Gaylord.  The  partner- 


ship lasted  two  years,  and  since  that  time  he  has  con 
ducted  business  in  his  own  name  with  marked  ability 
and  acknowledged  success.  As  showing  the  estimation 
in  which  Mr.  Smith  is  held,  it  is  proper  to  state  that,  in 
1878  and  1879  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  arbi- 
tration committee  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  in  1880 
and  1881  he  was  placed  on  the  committee  of  appeals; 
was  made  second  vice-president  in  1884,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  first  vice-president.  In  1886,  and  again  in 
1891,  strong  efforts  were  made  to  induce  him  to  accept 
the  presidenc}'  of  the  Board,  but  he  declined  the  honor 
because  his  other  large  business  interests  not  only 
claimed  his  attention  but  necessitated  his  frequent 
absence  from  the  city.  Mr.  Smith  is  not  only  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  but  is  a  director 
in  the  Diamond  Match  Company  and  a  director  of  the 
National  Railway  Company,  which  controls  five  lines 
of  street  railway  in  St.  Louis.  He  has  also  large  real 
estate  interests. 

But  while  he  is  a  thorough  business  man,  Mr.  Smith 
has  found  time  for  extensive  travels,  and  in  this  way 
given  a  wider  range  to  his  large  fund  of  useful  knowl- 
edge. He  has  visited  not  only  every  part  of  this 
continent,  and  China,  Japan  and  the  Indies,  but  he  has 
also  traveled  up  the  Nile  and  through  Palestine,  and 
completed  the  circuit  of  the  globe  by  visiting  the  prin- 


320 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


cipal  countries  of  Europe.  Mr.  Smith"  married  Miss 
Frances  Gaylord,  daughter  of  Mr.  George  Gaylord,  a 
merchant  and  prominent  citizen  of  Lockport,  111.,  in 
January,  1875.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  them  : 
Stephen  G.,  who  was  born  September  12, 1878,  and  died 
January  24,  1879,  and  Annie  Dorothy,  born  May  14, 
1883,  and  who  died  at  Nassau,  N.  P.  (one  of  the 
Bahama  Islands)  February  8,  1889. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican,  but  takes  no  part  in 
politics  other  than  to  perform  his  duties  as  a  good  citi- 
zen. He  is  a  man  of  liberal  and  progressive  ideas  and 
a  friend  to  honest  government.  In  religious  matters, 
he  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Universalist  church. 
He  attends  the  "  People's  Church,"  under  charge  of 
Dr.  H.  W.  Thomas,  and  while  steadfast  in  his  own 


principles,  he  is  tolerant  and  charitable  to  all.  He  is  a 
man  of  domestic  tastes, who  loves  his  home  and  enjoys 
the  sunshine  of  its  happy  surroundings;  and  although 
a  member  of  the  Chicago  and  Washington  Park  Clubs, 
the  happiest  hours  of  his  life  are  spent  in  his  borne  on 
Grand  Boulevard. 

One  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  Mr.  Smith's  life  is 
to  steal  a  few  days  frequently  from  the  cares  and  anxi- 
eties of  business  and  visit  the  old  farm  in  Connecticut, 
where  his  ancestors  settled  in  1720,  now  occupied  by 
his  grandmother,  who  still  lives  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
peaceful  old  age.  Although  a  young  man,  Mr.  Smith 
is  very  prominent  among  the  business  men  of  Chi- 
cago, and  his  kindly  nature  and  genial  disposition  have 
won  for  him  many  friends. 


D.  L.  WHEELER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Rens'elaer 
county,  N.  Y.,  on  January  15,  1850.  He  was 
taken  to  Milwaukee  by  his  parents  in  1851,  and  was 
educated  at  Racine  college,  Racine,  Wis.,  graduating 
in  the  class  of  1870.  He  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Wisconsin  in  November  1871.  and  im- 
mediately  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Mil- 
waukee. After  a  year  in  that  city  he  was  induced  by 
relatives  there  to  go  to  Boston,  where  he  practiced 
until  1878,  when  sickness  made  it  necessary  for  him  to 
leave  that  climate,  and  he  returned  to  the  West,  arriv- 
ing in  Chicago  in  February,  1879. 

Mr.    Wheeler's    financial   condition   at  .that   time' 


would  not  permit  of  his  opening  a  law  office  and  wait- 
ing for  clients.  He  therefore  secured  work  on  some  of 
the  newspapers,  and  was  occupied  in  the  field  of 
journalism  until  1887,  filling  positions  on -most  of  the 
Chicago  dailies,  from  proof-reader  to  managing  editor. 
In  1887  he  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  for  North 
Chicago  by  Governor  Oglesby  on  recommendation  of 
the  judges  of  the  courts  of  record.  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
re-appointed  in  1891,  and  still  (spring  of  1894)  holds  his 
honorable  position.  In  religion  he  js  an  Episcopalianj 
and  in  politics  has  always  voted  and  acted  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  Justice  Wheeler  has  made  a  good  record 
and  is  highly  esteemed  by  those  who  know  him  best. 


JOHN  TILGHMAN   DICKINSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  TILGHMAN  DICKINSON  was  born  in 
Houston,  Texas,  June  18,  1858.  His  father,  who 
was  a  prominent  merchant  in  that  city  and  who  died 
in  1871  at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  was  born  at  Kelso  on 
the  Tweed  in  Scotland,  and  his  mother,  who  also  died 
in  the  city  of  Houston  three  years  later,  was  born  in 
Hanover  county,  Virginia.  Thus  early  left  an  orphan, 
Mr.  Dickinson,  who,  up  to  the  death  of  his  parents, 
had  been  educated  liberally  at  the  very  best  schools  of 
England  and  Scotland,  was  then  sent  to  Randolph- 
Macon  College,  Ashland,  Virginia,  and  finally  gradu- 
ated in  several  of  the  academic  schools  of  the  University 
of  Virginia  at  Charlottesville,  in  June,  1879.  When 
just  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  received  -the  diploma 
of  Bachelor  of  Law  from  the  great  law  school  of  that 
venerable  institution.  He  then  graduated  at  Eastman's 
Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  Returning 


to  Texas,  he  became  one  of  the  owners  and  editor  of 
the  Houston  Daily  Telegram,  and  entered  at  once  and 
actively  upon  public  life.  In  January,  1891,  while  on 
a  visit  to  Austin,  Texas,  the  capital  of  the  State, 
he  was  elected  secretary  of  >  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives of  the  Texas  Legislature,  and  in  May, 
1882,  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Texas  State 
Capitol  board,  which  board,  composed  of  State  offi- 
cials, supervised  the  construction  of  the  Texas  state 
house,  the  largest  in  the  Union.  During  this  time  he 
was  also  appointed  secretary  of  the  State  penitentiary 
board,  and  filled  these  positions  under  three  Gover- 
nors— O. .  M.  Roberts,  John  Ireland  and  L.  S.Ross, 
and  also  served  on  the  military  staff  of  Governor  Ire- 
land. Col.  Dickinson  was  the  originator  and  general 
manager  of  a  very  successful  and  brilliant  Interstate 
Military  encampment  and  International  Band  Contest 


nuivv^™ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


323 


given  at  Austin,  Texas,  in  May,  1888,  in  honor  of  the 
completion  of  the  magnificent  granite  State  house, 
and  immediately  thereafter  he  was  elected  general  man- 
ager of  the  International  Fair  Association,  of  San  An- 
tonio, and  conducted  the  organization  and  preparation 
of  the  first  Texas-Mexican  Exposition  held  in  that  city 
in  November,  1888.  In  July.  1889,  while  on  a  visit  to 
Chicago,  at  the  time  this  city  entered  the  contest  for 
the  location  of  the  World's  Fair,  his  services  were  im- 
mediately engaged  by  the  Chicago  "World's  Fair  com- 
mittee and  he  was  sent  to  interview  members  of  con- 
gress in  his  own  and  several  other  States,  in  behalf  of 
Chicago,  in  which  mission  he  met  with  great  success. 
In  December,  1889,  he  joined  the  Chicago  World's  Fair 
legislative  committee  in  Washington,of. which  Director- 
General  George  R.  Davis  was  chairman,  and  remained 
witli  the  committee  performing  efficient  service  until 
Chicago  was  victorious  in  the  contest.  When  the  act 


of  congress  was  soon  thereafter  passed,  creating  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition  and  providing  for  two 
commissioners  from  each  State,  Col.  Dickinson 
was  appointed  by  Gen.  L.  S.  Ross,  Governor  of 
Texas,  as  the  Democratic  commissioner  to  represent 
the  Lone  Star  State  on  the  National  commission. 
At  the  organization  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Commission  in  Chicago,  on  the  twenty-seventh  of 
June,  1890,  Col.  Dickinson  was  unanimously  elected  as 
its  secretary.  In  addition  to  his  varied  duties  after 
his  election  to  this  important  position,  he  was 
appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  as  dis- 
bursing agent  of  the  World's  Columbian  Commission, 
and  has  disbursed  several  hundred  thousand  dollars  for 
the  Government  in  connection  with  the  World's  Fair. 
On  June  the  fifteenth,  1893,  Col.  Dickinson  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Sadie  F.  Mattocks,  widow  of  the  late  John 
Mattocks,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Chicago. 


ABRAM    M.  ROTHSCHILD, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


T  N  the  German  village  of  Nordstetten,  which  the  nov- 
elist Berthold  Auerbach,  whose  birthplace  it  was, 
has  made  glorious  with  the  light  of  his  genius,  Abram 
M.  Rothschild  was  born  in  1853.  There  he  spent  his 
early  days  until  1866,  when  he  came  to  America,  going 
direct  to  Davenport.  Iowa,  where  he  was  joined  by  his 
eldest  brother  Emanuel,  who  had  established  himself 
there  several  years  before.  At  first  he  worked  at 
his  brother's  store,  and  to  such  good  use  did  he  put 
his  energies  that  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  was 
admitted  as  a  partner  to  the  firm,  which  then  became 
E.  Rothschild  &  Brothers.  During  the  time  he  was 
laying  the  foundation  for  his  future  business  careen 
he  was  also  industriously  supplementing  the  education 
he  had  received  in  the  little  German  village  from  which 
he  had  come,  by  attending  the  night  school  in  Daven- 
port. Notwithstanding  the  difficulties  under  which  he 
labored,  he  proved  himself  an  apt  and  progressive  stu. 
dent,  and  soon  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  thorough  com- 
mon school  education. 

In  1871,  when  Chicago  lay  in  ruins,  Mr.  Rothschild 
and  his  brothers,  foreseeing  clearly  the  wonderful  suc- 
cess to  which  the  Garden  City  must  soon  attain,  re- 
solved to  and  did  open  a  branch  business  here  in  con- 
nection with  the  one  in  Davenport.  Their  confidence 
in  Chicago,  particularly  as  a  manufacturing  and  busi- 
ness center,  grew  with  their  business  success,  and  ac- 
cordingly, in  1875,  the  firm  of  E.  Rothschild  &  Broth 
ers  withdrew  altogether  from  the  retail  business  and 
began  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  clothing  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale.  In  1875  Mr.  Rothschild  left  Davenport 
and,  taking  up  his  residence  permanently  in  Chicago, 
at  once  devoted  himself  with  characteristic  energv  and 
enthusiasm  to  the  development  of  the  business. 


The  large  building  on  Madison  street,  near  Market, 
soon  became  too  cramped,  and  accordingly  the  firm 
took  a  lease  of  more  commodious  quarters  on  Wabash 
avenue.  This,  too,  soon  proved  inadequate,  and  in 
1881  the  firm  removed  to  its  own  immense  double 
building  at  203  and  205  East  Monroe  street,  where  it 
has  continued  its  successful  development.  It  is  not  so 
much  of  the  wonderful  growth  from  a  retail  business 
in  Davenport  to  a  great  jobbing  and  manufacturing 
concern,  doing  a  business,  of  several  million  dollars  a 
year,  that  Mr.  Rothschild  is,  as  he  has  reason  to  be,  so 
proud,  but  more  of  the  high  financial  standing  which 
his  house  has  attainted  with  the  business  public,  its 
popularity  with  its  trade  competitors  and  its  thousands 
of  customers  throughout  the  country.  To  this  growth 
Mr.  Abram  Rothschild  has  in  no  small  degree  contrib- 
uted. His 'executive  capacity,  his  tireless  energy,  his 
remarkable  enthusiasm,  has  placed  him  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  progressive  business  men  of  a  most  pro- 
gressive city,  while  his  loyalty,  his  genuineness  and 
straightforward  manliness  have  made  him  friends 
everywhere. 

In  addition  to  his  partnership  in  the  firm  of  E. 
Rothschild  &  Brothers  he  has  numerous  other  business 
interests  of  magnitude.  He  organized  and  is  president 
of  the  Palace  Clothing  Company,  a  corporation  which 
has  the  leading  establishment  in  Minneapolis,  Kansas 
City  and  other  places.  He  is  also  director  and  an  of- 
ficer of  the  St.  Louis  National  Stock  Yards  Company, 
and  in  several  large  local  corporations,  and  on  July  13, 
1891.  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  National 
Bank  of  the  Republic,  a  new  institution  with  a  capital 
of  a  million  dollars.  In  March,  IS'Jl,  Mr.  Rothschild 
was  chosen  to  occupy  a  director's  chair  on  the  board 


324 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  and  held  impor- 
tant committeeships  to  which  he  brought  a  mind  well 
stored  with  valuable  information  gained  by  his  broad 
business  experience  and  enriched  by  extensive  travel, 
both  in  Europe  and  America.  Mr.  Rothschild  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Standard  Club  and  other  social  organizations, 
also  of  Sinai  Congregation  and  several  charitable  aid 
societies. 

In  December,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Gusta  Morris, 
daughter  of  Nelson  Morris,  one  of  America's  most  suc- 
cessful men.  The  couple  are  blessed  with  one  child — 
Melville  Nelson  Rothschild. 

Although  Mr.  Rothschild  is  a  native  of  Germany, 


he  is  nevertheless  distinctively  and  thoroughly  Ameri- 
can. In  love  for  this  country  and  its  institutions  there 
is  no  one  who  excels  him,  and  he  is  devoted  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  citizen.  - 

Such  is  the  biography  of  the  man  who  began  the 
struggle  of  existence  with  nothing  but  health,  ambi- 
tion and  energy.  With  a  reputation  for  the  highest  pos- 
sible integrity,  a  record  of  splendid  successes,  an 
ample  fortune,  a  large  and  increasing  business,  a  warm 
circle  of  devoted  friends,  and  above  all  a  happy 
home,  Mr.  Rothschild  stands  to-day  as  a  public- 
spirited  citizen  worthy  of  the  high  place  that  he 
occupies. 


REV.  WILLIAM    G.  CLARKE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  Michigan, 
having  been  born  at  Adrian  on  April  13,  186], 
his  father  being  George  W.  Clarke  and  his  mother 
Cornelia  (Chapin)  Clarke.  In  his  early  youth  his 
parents  resided  in  New  York  city  and  in  the  west, 
coming  to  Chicago  when  he  was  twelve  years  old.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  he  united  with  the  Third  Pres- 
byterian church,  of  which  Rev.  A.  E.  Kittredge,  D.D., 
was  pastor.  After  attending  the  public  schools  and 
spending  some  time  in  private  academies  in  Chicago, 
young  Clarke  attended  the  Northwestern  University 
at  Evanston,  and  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary, 
He  continued  his  course  at  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary,  N.  J.,  graduating  therefrom  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  distinguished  as  being  the  youngest 
graduate  from  the  seminary  in  a  decade.  In  1883  he 
visited  Europe,  going  through  England,  Germany, 
France  and  Switzerland,  and  in  June,  1884,  became 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Waukegan, 
111.  In  September,  1885,  Mr.  Clarke  accepted  the 


pastorate  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Riverside} 
near  Chicago,  and  three  years  later,  in  September, 
1888,  he  became  pastor  of  the  Campbell  Park  church, 
in  this  city.  During  his  pastorate  at  Riverside,  he 
employed  a  vacation,  granted  by  his  church,  in  making 
a  tour  of  Europe,  Egypt  and  Palestine,  the  result  of 
his  observations  being  embodied  in  a  book  entitled, 
"Rambles  Among  Ruins."  Since  Mr.  Clarke's  pastorate 
with  the  Campbell  Park  church,  the  present  handsome 

edifice   has  been   erected,  and  the   members    of  the 

\ 

society  increased  from  about  sixty  to  four  hundred. 
Mr.  Clarke  has  from  the  start  been  an  active  promoter 
of  the  People's  Institute  on  West  Van  Buren  street, 
and  is  secretary  of  the  society.  It  is  an  institution 
designed  for  the  promotion  of  the  civic,  social,  indus- 
trial, mental  and  moral  welfare  of  the  people.  As 
such  it  has  aroused  Mr.  Clarke's  interest,  as  he  always 
delights  to  aid  kindred  movements  intended  for  up- 
raising the  laboring  classes  in  the  scale  of  true  civiliza- 
tion and  progress. 


CHARLES   H.  WACKER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


/CHARLES  H.  WACKER  was  born  in  Chicago  in 
v_>  1856  He  is  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Catharine 
Wacker.  His  parents  were  of  German  nationality  and 
descent,  and,  although  they  are  now  dead,  Mr.  Wacker 
delights  to  say  that  whatever  success  he  may  have 
attained,  whatever  he  may  be  in  the  social  or  business 
world,  is  due  to  the  training  he  received  at  home.  He 
is  in  every  wav  an  exemplary  citizen,  and  in  diligent 
attention  to  business  and  uprightness  of  character, 
has  followed  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  who 
was  a  self-made  man. 

Mr.  Wacker  received  his  education   in   the  public 


and  high  schools  of  this  city,  attending  the.  Lake 
Forest,  Academy,  and  was  for  several  terms  at  a 
business  college.  He  studied  music  at  the  conservatory 
at  Stuttgart,  and  attended  lectures  at  the  University 
of  Geneva,  in  Switzerland.  He  began  business  life  as 
an  office  boy  in  the  establishment  of  Moeller  &  Co.,  of 
Chicago,  who  did  a  grain  commission  business.  In  1880, 
he  was  taken  into  partnership  by  his  father,  who  was 
then  engaged  in  the  malting  business,  and  the  style  of 
the  concern  became  F.  Wacker  &  Son.  In  1882  the 
Wacker  &  Birk  Brewing  and  Malting  Company  >vas 
organized,  of  which  the  senior  Mr.  Wacker  was  elected 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


president,  and  Charles  H.  Wacker  secretary  and 
treasurer.  In  1884,  Frederick  Wacker  died,  and  his 
son  was  elected  president  and  treasurer  of  the 
company,  offices  which  he  has  held  ever  since. 

He  has  been  a  thoroughly  public-spirited  man,  who 
has  ever  been  ready  to  do  what  lay  in  his  power  for  the 
advancement  of  the  interests  of  the  city.  Although 
he  has  never  sought  political  preferment,  he  was  nomi- 
nated in  1888  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  State 
treasurer.  He  has  been  tendered  many  positions  of 
trust  and  honor,  but  has  always  felt  disinclined  to 
enter  politics  or  public  life  in  any  capacity,  on  account 
of  the  pressure  of  private  business. 

In  religion,  Mr.  Wacker  is  a  Protestant;  and  in 
politics,  as  above  indicated,  he  has  always  been  a  con- 
sistent Democrat.  Being  an  excellent  business  man 
he  has  naturally  been  drawn  into  many  business  cor- 
porations and  enterprises.  Besides  his  brewing  busi- 
ness, he  is  a  director  in  the  Corn  Exchange  Bank,  the 
Chicago  Title  and  Trust  Company,  the  Western  Stone 
Company,  Germania  Safe  Deposit  Company,  and 
Wright  &  Hill's  Linseed  Oil  Company.  He  is  treasurer 
of  the  German  Opera  House  Company,  a  stockholder 
in  the  Auditorium,  president  of  the  Chicago  Heights 
Land  Association  and  a  director  of  the  German  Old 
People's  Home.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Athletic 


327 

Association,  the  Art  Institute,  the  Turn  Germeinde 
and  several  German  singing  societies,  besides  being  a 
member  of  the  Iroquois,  Waubansee,  Union  League, 
Germania,  Union,  Sunset,  Bankers',  Fellowship  and 
German  Press  Clubs. 

Mr.  Wacker  has  traveled  extensively,  and  has  not 
only  seen  all  the  prominent  portions  of  this  country, 
but  has  visited  most  places  of  interest  in  Europe.  He 
spent  three  years  abroad;  from  1876  to  1879  and  spent 
a  winter  in  Egypt.  He  visited  the  Centenial  Exposi- 
tion of  1876  at  Philadelphia  and  the  Paris  Exposition 
of  1878. 

Early  in  the  enterprise  he  became  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  and 
was  active  in  promoting  its  success.  Experience  and 
knowledge  obtained  during  his  travels  enabled  him  to 
serve  the  Exposition  with  intelligence  from  the  start. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  ways 
and  means  committee,  as  well  as  of  several  other  of 
the  important  committees  which  carried  the  Exposition 
to  a  successful  conclusion. 

Mr.  Wacker  married  Miss  Otillie  M.  Glade  on  May 

10,  1887,  and  has  two  sons — Fredrick  G.  and   Charles 

11.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  deserved  popularity  with  all 
classes  and  a  prominent  figure  in  the  best  development 
of  his  native  city. 


RODOLPHUS  WAITE  JOSLYN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ODOLPHUS  WAITE  JOSLYN,  son  of  Col.  E.  S. 
1  \  and  Jane  (Padelford)  Joslyn,  was  born  in  Elgin, 
Illinois,  March  23,  1866.  His  ancestors  were  of  New 
England  stock,  and  his  father  was  known  throughout 
the  entire  West  as  one  of  the  most  representative  and 
eloquent  members  of  the  legal  profession,  who  after 
thirty  years  of  successful  practice  and  public  life  passed 
away  in  1885.  On  his  father's  side,  Mr.  Joslyn  is  a 
descendant  of  the  illustrious  Waite  family,  his  grand- 
mother bearing  that  name,  which  has  been  so  prominent 
in  this  country.  Mr.  M.  L.  Joslyn,  who  was  assistant 
secretary  of  the  interior  under  President  Arthur,  was 
his  uncle;  Chauncey  Joslyn,  who  was  a  circuit  court 
judge  in  Michigan,  was  also  an  uncle  of  the  subject  of 
our  sketch.  He  is  also  a  descendant  of  Roger  Williams, 
the  founder  of  Rhode  Island. 

Mr.  R.  Waite  Joslyn  was  given  his  early  training 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  graduating  in 
1886  from  the  Elgin  high  school,  after  having  com- 
pleted a  three  years'  course  in  two  years.  After  two 
years  of  school  teaching  in  that  city,  he  spent  three 
years  in  the  Michigan  University,  at  Ann  Arbor, 
graduating  with  the  degree  of  LL.  M.  During  this 
time  he  pursued  extensively  the  stud}'  of  the  classics 
and  political  science.  While  at  the  University,  he  was 
chosen  assistant  editor  of  one  of  the  college  papers,  to 


which  he  contributed  general  articles  on  ethical  sub- 
jects As  indicating  the  favor  in  which  he  was  held 
by  his  fellow  students,  he  was  made  president,  in  1892, 
of  the  alumni  of  the  Elgin  high  school.  After  his 
graduation  from  the  regular  course-,  at  the  University 
of  Michigan,  Mr.  Joslyn  spent  one  year  in  the  Univer- 
sity "Law  School,"  as  a  tutor,  after  leaving  which 
position  he  first  established  himself  in  the  practice  of 
law  with  the  firm  of  Joslyn  &  Joslyn,  in  Elgin,  Illinois. 
Here  he  continued  until  he  removed  to  Chicago,  and 
accepted  a  position  in  the  well-known  law  firm  of 
Swift,  Campbell,  Jones  and  Martin,  where  he  remained 
about  six  months,  leaving  to  form  a  partnership  with 
Mr.  B.  H.  Loveless,  under  the  firm  name  of  Loveless 
and  Joslyn.  Mr.  Loveless  was  compelled  to  retire  from 
the  partnership  by  severe  illness,  whereupon  Mr.  Joslvn 
associated  himself  with  Mr.  Louis  Kistler,  a  well-known 
and  prominent  practitioner  at  the  Chicago  bar.  The}' 
at  present  practice  under  the  firm  name  of  Kistler  & 
Joslyn,  Mr.  Joslyn's  residence  being  at  Evanston,  111. 
They  have  in  a  short  time  established  an  extensive 
business  which  is  remunerative  and  distinctive,  indicat- 
ing that  they  are  to  be  of  importance  in  the  future 
legal  world  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Joslyn  is  a  man  of  literary  tastes  and  talents, 
and  of  pronounced  oratorical  ability.     He  has  always 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


taken  an  interest  in  questions  concerning  social  and 
political  economy.  His  lectures  on  political  science, 
delivered  at  various  times,  are  highly  prized.  He  has 
lectured  on  the  relation  of  "  Employer  and  Employe," 
and  is  the  author  of  a  pamphlet  on  "  Employer  and 
Employed,"  both  of  which  have  been  largely  com- 
mented upon  by  the  press  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.  His  literary  contributions,  however,  have 
not  been  confined  to  economical  or  political  science 
altogether.  He  is  the  author  of  an  article  on  the 
"Philosophy  of  Law,"  which  appeared  in  the  Green 
Sag,  a  magazine  devoted  tn  the  interests  of  law  and  of 
lawyers.  In  fact,  his  contributions  have  covered  a 
wide  field,  ranging  from  simple  essays  to  exhaustive 
philosophical  research.  In  his  studies  he  has  been  per- 
sistent and  arduous,  and,  besides  his  continuous  efforts 
for  improvement  in  the  line  of  his  profession,  in  the 
study  of  interesting  leading  questions  of  'the  day,  etc., 
has  attended  lectures  under  many  prominent  legal 
writers,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Professors 
Thomas  M.  Cooley,  James  L.  High,  Melville  E.  Bige- 
low,  and  many  other  well  known  lecturers. 

Among  the  most  important  cases  with  which  Mr. 
Joslyn  has  been  connected  in  his  legal  capacity,  per- 
haps, may  be  cited  the  Columbia  Hotel  case,  in  which 


he  was  associated  with  Judge  George  W.  Brown. 
The  trial  of  this  case  occupied  about  three  weeks,  and 
was  hotly  contested  by  both  parties,  resulting  in  a  vic- 
tory for  Messrs.  Brown  &  Joslyn  in  the  lower  courts, 
but  they  were  afterwards  defeated  on  the  appeal. 

Mr.  Joslyn  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
has  been  active  in  all  church  matters.  He  is  a  non- 
partisan  in  politics,  although  actively  interested  in 
political  matters,  and  believes  that  every  man  should 
reserve  the  free  exercise  of  his  prerogative  on  political 
questions,  without  binding  himself  to  support  any 
party;  and,  while  realizing  the  necessity  of  parties,  he 
thinks  ttiat  only  in  this  way  can  questions  of  national 
or  local  importance  be  settled  in  a  manner  which  will 
be  for  the  benefit  of  all.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chi- 
cago Academy  of  Sciences,  and  takes  much  interest  in 
the  society's  work. 

Although  young  in  years,  Mr.  Joslyn  has  already 
reached  a  considerable  degree  of  prominence  at  the 
bar  and  in  the  world  of  letters.  His  ability  is  appre- 
ciated and  his  friends  predict  for  him  a  brilliant  future. 
He  is  popular  with  all  his  associates,  and  is  ever  a 
welcome  guest  and  an  entertaining  companion,  well 
liked  and  respected  among  his  wide  circle  of  acquain- 
tances. 


FRANK  GRANGER  LOGAN, 

CHICAGO.  ILLINOIS. 


FRANK  GRANGER  LOGAN,  son  of  Simeon  Ford 
and  Phoebe  Ann  (Hazan)  Logan,  was  born  in  Cay- 
uga  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  7th  day  of  October, 
1851.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Litchfield,  Conn.,  but 
moved  to  what  was  then  considered  a  wild  and  unsettled 
country  west  of  the  Hudson  river  at  an  early  day,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  near  Ithaca.  He  was  soon  married, 
and  it  was  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Cayuga  that  his 
two  sons  were  born,  and  where  they  passed  the  early 
years  of  their  lives. 

The  father  wished  each  of  his  sons  to  make  for  him- 
self a  choice  of  what  should  be  his  avocation  in  life, 
that  after  choosing  he  might  direct  their  studies  toward 
the  desired  end.  Frank  decided  upon  the  law  as  his  pro- 
fession, but  after  deriving  such  education  as  was  to  be 
obtained  at  the  district  schools  and  at  Ithaca  Academy, 
he  found  that  his  parents  were  unable  to  assist  him 
through  a  course  at  college,  and  consequently  had  to 
abandon  his  hopes  in  that  direction.  However,  he  did 
not  allow  this  to  discourage  him,  but  determined  to 
make  a  success  in  some  other  line  of  life  since  he  was 
unable  to  complete  his  law  studies,  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  came  West  and  located  in  Chicago.  Here 
lie  first  obtained  employment  in  a  dry  goods  store  on 
the  West  Side,  and  remained  there  until  after  the  fire 
in  1871,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  Field,  Leiter& 
Company,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1875. 


After  resigning  his  position,  he  became  connected 
with  one  of  the  largest  receiving  houses  on  the  Board 
of  Trade,  but  after  twelve  months'  experience  resigned, 
and  started  in  the  grain  and  commission  business  on 
his  own  account,  under  the  firm  name  of  F.  G.  Logan 
&  Company,  under  which  title  the  business  has  been 
continuously  carried  on  up  to  the  present  time,  each 
year's  accounts  showing  satisfactory  increase  over 
that  which  preceded  it.  Mr.  Logan  is  well  and  favor- 
ably known  in  Board  of  Trade  circles,  and  has  held 
many  posts  of  honor  and  trust  in  its  service. 

He  is  also  a  director  of  the  City  Missionary  Society, 
and  a  popular  member  of  the  Union  League  Club.  Pie 
has  been  for  some  years  an  officer  in  the  Plymouth 
Congregational  church,  and  is  in  the  heartiest  sym- 
pathy with  its  pastor's  broad  work  for  the  betterment 
of  the  condition  of  his  fellow-creatures.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  stands  ready  at  all  times  to 
render  his  party  every  assistance  within  his  power. 

On  the  15th  day  of  June,  18S2,  Mr.  Logan  was 
married  to  Miss  Josie  Hancock,  daughter  of  the  late 
Colonel  John  L.  Hancock,  of  Chicago.  They  have 
three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Mr.  Logan  has  traveled  quite  extensively  over  the 
United  States,  and  has  also  during  recent  years  made 
two  visits  to  Continental  Europe.  A  gentleman  of 
high  culture  and  literary  tastes,  his  home  on  Prairie 


-• 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


avenue  is  filled  with  rare  volumes,  and  contains  also 
many  works  of  the  old  masters.  An  ardent  admirer 
of  the  grand  characters  of  American  history,  Mr. 
Logan  has  gathered  together  a  priceless  collection  of 
relics  of  John  Brown  and  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  is 
also  the  owner  of  the  "Rust"'  collection  of  Indian 
relics,  which  was  exhibited  at  the  World's  Fair  in 
charge- of  Professor  Putnam,  in  the  Anthropological 
building,  and  is  now  in  the  museum  at  Beloit  College, 
of  which  he  is  a  trustee.  The  entire  museum  has  lately 
been  named  the  Logan  Museum  in  his  honor.  He  is 
also  a  writer  of  rare  strength  and  ability,  and  has 
received  the  highest  commendation  for  several  articles 
written  bv  him.  A  man  of  enterprise,  positive  charac- 


331 

ter,  indomitable  energy,  strict  integrity  and  liberal 
views,  he  is  and  has  been  fully  identified  with  the  growth 
and  prosperityof  the  city  of  his  adoption.  A  typical  Chi- 
cagoan  in  every  sense  of  the  term,  he  is  one  of  the  best 
known  members  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  one  of  Chi- 
cago's most  respected  citizens.  While  taking  a  most 
active  part  in  all  public  enterprises  pertaining  to  Chi- 
cago's material  welfare,  Mr.  Logan  is  in  his  tastes  one  of 
the  most  domestic  of  men,  and  finds  his  truest  pleasure  in 
the  society  of  his  charming  wife  and  little  children.  His 
pride  and  ambition  are  centered  in  them,  and  it 
may  be  said  that  the  better  part  of  his  life  is  devoted 
to  t.hem,  and  the  many  friends  to  be  found  in  his  well 
selected  librarv. 


LEWIS  L.  COBURN, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  paternal  grandparents  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  hailed  originally  from  Massachusetts, 
removing  at  an  early  day  to  Washington  county,  Vt. 
His  maternal  ancestors  were  early  settlers  in  East 
Montpelier,  and  much  esteemed  by  the  community  in 
which  they  lived.  His  father  was  a  man  of  great 
activity,  and  owned  one  of  the  largest  estates  in  Cen- 
tral Vermont.  His  prominence  was  more  than  local, 
and  be  was  held  in  high  esteem.  At  different  periods 
a  representative  in  the  State  Legislature,  he  also  held 
various  offices  in  his  town  and  county  with  honor  to 
himself  and  lasting  good  to  his  constituents. 

Lewis  L.  Coburn  was  born  at  East  Montpelier,  Vt., 
November  2,  1834,  being  the  youngest  of  five 
children  of  Lamed  and  Lovisa  (Allen)  Coburn.  Lewis 
worked  on  the  farm  in  summer,  and  attended  school 
during  the  winter  months.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he 
entered  Morrisville  Academy,  afterwards  that  of  North- 
field,  and  subsequently  that  at  Barre,  Vt.,  studying 
during  the  spring  and  fall  terms,  and  teaching  during 
the  winter  and  working  on  the  farm  summers.  Hav- 
ing completed  his  preparatory  course  at  Barre  in  the 
summer  of  1855,  he  entered  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont, from  which,  four  years  later,  he  was  graduated 
with  mathematical  honors  and  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  Having  decided  to  enter  the  legal  profession, 
his  studies  while  at  the  university  were  directed  to  this 
end,  while  during  vacations  he  read  law  in  the  office  of 
Roberts  &  Chittenden.  at  Burlington,"Vt.,  and  on  leav- 
ing the  university  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  T.  P. 
lledfield,  at  Montpelier,  for  a  short  time.  He  entered 
Harvard  Law  School  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1861.  Subsequently  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  all  the  courts  of  Massachusetts. 

In  Februrary,  1861,  he  settled  in  Chicago.  In 
other  and  older  cities  several  Iaw3rers  had  won  success 
by  adopting  patent  law  as  their  speciality,  and  Mr. 
Coburn  decided  to  devote  himself  to  this  branch  of 


practice,  and  was  the  first  lawyer  in  Chicago  who 
made  this  branch  a  special  study.  With  the  opening 
of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  about  this  time,  inventions 
multiplied  to  supply  machinery  to  do  the  work  of 
those  called  from  home  to  serve  their  country,  the 
results,  often  complicated,  requiring  the  services  of 
those  well  versed  in  the  laws  relating  to  patents. 
Successful  from  the  commencement,  Mr.  Coburn's 
business  rapidly  assumed  large  proportions,  and  in 
November,  1861,  he  took  as  his  partner  an  old  college 
friend  and  classmate,  Mr.  William  E.  Marss,  of  the 
Vermont  bar.  The  business  continuing  to  grow,  it  at 
length  assumed  such  proportions  that  it  extended  to 
the  United  States  courts  of  nearly  all  the  Western 
States.  While  on  a  visit  to  his  parents  in  Vermont, 
in  the  summer  of  1862,  a  brigade  of  nine  months'  men 
was  being  organized,  one  of  the  companies  of  which 
was  being  raised  in  East  Montpelier  and  adjoining 
towns.  Unanimously  elected  as  the  captain  of  this 
company,  although  his  business  interests  were  large 
and  responsible,  hepbeyed  the  call  of  his  country,  and 
accepted  the  position,  leaving  his  partner  to  conduct 
the  business  meanwhile.  As  captain  of  Company  C. 
Thirteenth  Regiment  of  Vermont  Volunteers,  he  was 
in  the  front  line  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  in  General 
Stannard's  brigade,  and  led  his  company  on  a  charge 
by  which  one  of  the  battries  captured  by  the  rebels  was 
retaken.  He  was  the  first  to  reach  two  of  the 
cannon.  Amongst  others  who  surrendered  to  him 
personally  was  Major  Moore,  of  the  Florida  regiment, 
and  a  captain  and  lieutenant  of  a  Mississippi  regiment, 
whose  swords  and  pistols  he  was  permitted  to  keep. 

On  being  mustered  out  of  service  he  immediately 
returned  to  Chicago  and  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
His  partner  dying  in  1868,  Mr.  Coburn  was  left  alone 
with  an  enormous  practice  in  the  United  States  courts. 
In  1875  he  was  joined  by  Hon.  John  M.  Thacher,  also 
an  old  classmate,  and  who  for  ten  years  had  been  in 


332 


PROMINENT  .MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST 


the  United  States  Patent  office,  holding,  when  he 
resigned  to  join  Mr.  Coburn,  a  conrmissionership. 

Mr.  Coburn  has  a  clear  knowledge  of  mechanism, 
and  readily  grasps  the  principles  of  an  invention,  and 
his  great  experience  and  diligent  study  of  all  questions 
bearing  on  inventions  is  such  that  the  inventor  who 
places  a  case  in  his  hands  finds  his  work  greatly  facili- 
ated,  while  at  the  same  time  he  obtains  the  advice  and 
counsel  of  an  attorne\r  whose  authority  on  such  matters 
is  incontrovertible.  He  has  been  connected  as  attorney 
with  several  of  the  most  important  patent  litigations 
that  have  occurred  in  Chicago,  among  them  being  the 
Irwin  tubular  lantern  .patent  suits,  the  barbed-wire 
suits,  the  beef-canning  suits,  and  many  others. 

He  was  married  June  23d,  1880,  to  Miss  Annie  S. 
Swan,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  has  made  considerable 
investments  in  real  estate  in  Chicago,  and  to-day  reaps 
the  reward  of  his  sagacity.  He  has  been  closety  identi- 
fied with  many  of  the  important  material  interests,  both 
politicall\T  and  financially, of  thiscity.  When  her  finances 
were  at  a  low  ebb,  he  inaugurated  the  movement  which 
led  to  a  change  in  the  south  town  and  city  governments, 
and  presided  at  the  first  public  meeting.  Not  confining 
his  interests,  however,  to  municipal  affairs,  he  has  been, 
with  others,  the  originator  of  several  charitable  and 
benevolent  institutions,  notably  the  Christian  Union — 


now  the  Chicago  Athenaeum — also  the  Vermont  Associ- 
ation of  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  the  latter  of  which  he 
has  taken  great  interest,  having  been  one  of  its  most 
active  supporters  and  officers  from  its  inauguration, 
and  at  one  period  its  president.  He  was  also  the  first 
president  of  the  Union  League  Club. 

Frequently  urged  t6  become  a  candidate  for  politi- 
cal offices,  he  has  hitherto  uniform!}'  declined.  -He  was 
proposed  as  a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate,  and  has 
been  almost  unanimously  indorsed  by  the  press  of 
Chicago  and  by  his  many  friends  as  a  candidate  for 
Congress  to  represent  the  First  District,  but  felt  him- 
self justified  in  declining  these  offers,  honorable  and 
flattering  as  they  undoubtedly  were. 

A  man  of  great  natural  ability,  his  success  in  his 
profession  has  been  uniform  and  rapid,  and,  as  has  been 
truly  remarked,  after  all. that  may  be  done  for  a  man 
in  the  way  of  giving  him  early  opportunities  for  obtain- 
ing the  acquirements  which  are  sought  in  the  schools 
and  in  books,  he  must  essentially  formulate,  determine 
and  give  shape  to  his  own  character,  and  this  is  what 
Mr.  Coburn  has  done.  He  has  persevered  in  the  pursuit 
of  a  persistent  purpose,  and  gained  a  most  satisfactory 
reward.  His  life  is  exemplary  in  all  respects,  and  he 
has  the  esteem  of  his  friends  and  the  confidence  of  those 
who  have  business  relations  with  him. 


SAMUEL  M.  NICKERSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


SAMUEL  M.  NICKERSON,  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  First  National  Bank,  its  vice-president  upon 
its  organization,  and  from  1867  to  July,  1891,  the  presi- 
dent of  that  institution,  was  born  at  Chatham,  Mass., 
on  June  14,  1830.  His  parents,  Ensign  Nickerson  and 
Rebecca  (Mayo)  Nickerson,  were  descended  from  the 
early  Puritan  settlers  of  Massachusetts,  his  father  being 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Wra.  Nickerson,  who  left  Nor- 
walk,  England,  and  settled  at  Chatham,  Mass.,  in  1660. 

When  seven  years  of  age  young  Nickerson's  parents 
removed  to  Boston,  where  he  received  his  education  at 
the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  left 
school  and  became  clerk  in  his  brother's  store,  at  Apal- 
achicola,  Fla.,  where  he  received  his  earlier  business 
training.  Here  he  remained  until  1851,  when,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  he  began  mercantile  life  for  him- 
self, by  entering  into  the  general  mercantile  business> 
which  he  continued  until  1S57,  when  his  business  was 
destroyed  by  a  disastrious  fire,  and  ruined  him.  He 
made  a  compromise  with  his  creditors,  turning  over  all 
the  means  he  had,  and  some  five  years  later  paid  them 
in  full,  although  not  legally  obliged  to  do  so. 

After  his  failure,  he  borrowed  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars from  his  friends  and  removed  to  Chicago,  where, 
in  1858,  he  launched  upon  a  prosperous  business  career 
•as  a  distiller  of  alcohol  and  high  wines.  In  this  busi- 


ness he  succeeded  so  well  that  within  six  years  he  had 
accumulated  a  fortune  sufficiently  large  to  enable  him 
to  retire  from  business.  In  1864  he  became  president 
of  the  Chicago  Horse  Railway  Company,  and  continued 
as  its  presiding  officer  and  was  its  controlling  spirit  for 
seven  years.  In  1871,  the  banking  business,  in  which 
he  was  also  engaged,  required  so  much  of  his  time  and 
attention,  that  he  resigned  his  official  posioion  with  the 
railway  corporation  to  devote  his  entire  time  to  this 
and  other  interests. 

Since  1863,  when  he  assisted  in  the  organization  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago,  his  history  has 
been  essentially  the  history  of  that  corporation.  At 
the  organization  he  was  elected  vice-president,  which 
official  position  he  held  until  1867,  when  h"e  was  elected 
president,  which  position  he  retained  until  July,  1891, 
when  he  resigned  after  twenty-eight  \rears  service,  and 
Lyman  J.  Gage,  for  many  years  cashier,  was  elected 
to  the  presidency.  It  has  been  largely  due  to  Mr. 
Nickerson's  fostering  care  that  the  First  National  Bank 
occupies  the  important  position  in  the  financial  world 
that  it  does  to-day.  He  was  present  at  its  birth, 
watched  over  it  carefully  during  its  infancy  and  child- 
hood days,  carried  it  through  the  perils  caused  by  the 
time  of  fire,  1871,  and  guarded  it  through  the  storms  of 
the  panic  of  1873. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


333 


Mr.  Nickerson  has  also  been  prominently  identified 
with  other  financial  concerns.  The  Union  Stock 
Yards  National  Bank,  of  Chicago,  afterwards  called 
the  National  Live  Stock  Bank,  owes  its  existence  to 
him,  he  having  organized  it  in  1867.  He  was  its  first 
vice-president  and  continued  as  such  for  several  years. 

In  1864  Mr.  Nickerson  was  chosen  as  a  director  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  in  1871  was  appointed 
by  the  governor  as  a  member  of  the  first  board  of 
commissioners  for  Lincoln  Park.  He  continued  as 
commissioner  for  four  years,  and  was  always  an  active 
member  of  the  board. 

In  December,  1858,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda 
P.  Crosbv,  of  Brewster,  Mass.  Roland  Crosby  Nicker- 
son, the  sole  issue  of  this  marriage,  has  been  prominent 
in  banking  circles. 

Mr.  Nickerson  has  always  been  largely  interested 
in  art  and  musical  work.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society,  and  a  trustee  of  the  Art 


Institute,  and  his  fine  residence  contains  many  choice 
works  of  art  that  he  has  collected  during  his  extended 
travels,  which  have  not  only  covered  this  country  and 
Europe,  but  haveextended  entirely  around  the  world,  he 
having  made  a  circuit  of  the  world  in  1883  and  1884. 

Mr.  Nickerson  is  a  man  of  pleasing  appearance,  and 
of  dignified  bearing,  always  courteous,  kindly  and 
affable,  and  ever  ready  to  assist,  both  financially  and 
personally,  any  movement  for  the  public  good.  Long 
at  the  helrn  of  the  largest  financial  institution  in  the 
West,  esteemed  by  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  and  admired 
by  his  friends  and  business  acquaintances,  he  stands 
to-day  as  a  man  who  during  his  life  has  .always  been 
an  honored,  respected  citizen  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lived.  On  his  retirement  from  the  presi- 
dency of  the  First  National  Bank  in  1891,  the  directors 
placed  on  record  most  appreciative  and  complimentarv 
resolutions,  and  which  also  expressed  great  regret  for 
his  retirement. 


NICHOLAS   SENN,  M.  D.,  PH.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


NICHOLAS  SENN  was  born  in  Buchs,  in  the 
canton  of  St.  Gall,  Switzerland,  on  October  31, 
1844.  His  parents  were  farmers,  and  highly  respected 
in  the  community  for  their  thrift  and  honesty.  Nich- 
olas was  the  second  youngest  member  of  a  family  of 
three  sons  and  one  daughter.  In  his  native  canton  he 
attended  the  district  schools  until  nine  years  old,  when 
his  parents  immigrated  to  America,  and  soon  after 
settled  at  Ashford,  Fond  du  Lac  county,  Wisconsin. 
At  the  city  of.  Fond  du  Lac  he  entered  the  grammer 
school  where  he  pursued  his  studies  with  marked 
ability,  and  graduated  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 

Having  determined  to  enter  the  medical  profession 
he  became  a  student  under  Dr.  Munk.  and  afterward 
entered  the  Chicago  Medical  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1868.  He  was  awarded  the  first 
prize  for  a  thesis  on  the  modus  operand!  and  therapeu- 
tic uses  of  digit-alis  purjHtrca.  His  original  investiga- 
tion of  the  action  of  this  drug  was  most  unique,  and  to 
the  astonishment  of  the  profession,  he  proved  that 
instead  of  a  cardiac  'sedative,  as  digitalis  had  been 
previously  regarded,  it  was  a  cardiac  stimulant,  and 
this  latter  opinion  has  since  generally  obtained.  After 
receiving  his  degree  of  M.  D.,  Dr.  Senn  was  appointed 
hoilse  surgeon  in  the  Cook  County  Hospital  at  Chicago, 
where  he  remained  a  year  and  a  half. 

Returning  to  Fond  du  Lac  county,  he  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Ashford,  and  was  married 
the  following  year  to  Miss  Aurelia  S.  Millhouser.  He 
removed  to  Milwaukee  in  the  spring  of  1874,  where  he 
enjoyed  a  practice  that  was  exceptionally  remunerative 
the  first  year.  In  1878  he  went  abroad  and  attended 
a  course  of  lectures  at  the  University  of  Munich, 


Germany,  and  was  graduated  Mayna  Cum  Laude.  pre- 
senting a  thesis  on  the  surgical  treatment  of  varicocele 
by  sub-cutaneous  ligation.  Before  going  abroad  he 
was  appointed  attending  surgeon  at  the  Milwaukee 
Hospital,  and  was  also  elected  president  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin State  Medical  Society,  before  which  he  delivered  an 
address  on  medical  legislation,  which  attracted  wide- 
spread and  favorable  comment.  Dr.  Senn  also  pur- 
sued a  special  course  in  pathological  and  microscopic 
anatomy  under  professor  Heitzmann,an  eminent  patho- 
logist of  New  York.  He  also  attended  the  surgical 
lectures  and  clinics  at  the  college  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  of  New  York  city. 

Returning  to  Milwaukee,  he  resumed  his  practice 
which  had  grown  to  great  proportions,  attracting 
patients  from  all  parts  of  Wisconsin  and  many  of  the 
neighboring  States.  He  perfected  the  hospital  facili- 
ties of  Milwaukee,  and  continuing  his  original  investi- 
gations and  operations  in  surgery,  became  noted  on  two 
continents  for  his  bold  and  successful  surgical  achiev- 
ments.  When  Professor  Von  Esmarch,  the  celebrated  • 
German  surgeon,  visited  this  country,  he  made  a  special 
journey  to  Milwaukee  to  personally  greet  Dr.  Senn 
whose  name  had  crossed  the  Atlantic. 

In  all  details  of  intestinal  surgery,  Dr.  Senn  became 
a  recognized  authority,  and  his  methods  of  diagnosis 
and  treatment  in  this  specialty  were  both  original  and 
scientific.  In  gunshot  wounds  of  the  abdomen  he 
introduced  the  use  of  hydrogen  gas  in  the  rectum  as 
the  only  reliable  means  of  determining  a  perforation  of 
the  bowel.  If  the  intestines  were  perforated,  the  gas 
escaped  through  a  small  glass  tube  inserted  in  the 
wound,  and  would  burn  brightly  on  applying  a  lighted 


334 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


match.  The  same  test  was  also  available  in  wounds  of 
the  stomach. 

Among  other  distinctions  awarded  by  foreign 
societies  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Societe 
Chevalier  Sauveteur.  In  1885  he  was  appointed  profes- 
sor of  the  principles  and  practice  of  surgery  in  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chicago,  meantime 
continuing  his  residence  and  labors  in  Milwaukee.  Three 
years  later,  on  the  death  of  Professor  Gunn,  of  Rush 
Medical  College,  Dr.  Senn  resigned  from  tl^e  faculty  of 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  and  accepted 
the  chair  of  principles  of  surgery  and  surgical  pathol- 
ogy in  Rush  Medical  College.  Soon  after  the  death  of 
Dr.  Parkes,  the  distinguished  surgeon  of  that  college, 
Dr.  Senn  was  chosen  to  fill  his  place,  and  removed  to 
Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1891,  to  the  great  regret  of  his 
Milwaukee  patients  and  friends.  Governor  Peck  had 
appointed  him  surgeon-general  of  Wisconsin,  and  he 
had  begun  a  thorough  organization  of  the  surgical 
corps  of  that  State.  So  great  was  his  enthusiasm  in 
his  work,  that  he  decided  to  retain  his  commission  on 
the  governor's  staff  and  perfect  the  work  which  he  had 
undertaken. 

He  has  the  largest  and  most  select  private  medical 
library  in  the  world,  and  it  is  amid  such  environments 
that  Dr.  Senn  has  produced  his  most  valuable  surgical 
monographs  and  supplied  the  surgical  conventions  of 
the  world  with  brilliant  illustrations  of  his  genius.  At 
the  convention  of  the  International  Medical  Congress 
held  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  1887,  he  contributed  his 
remarkable  monograph  on  the  diagnosis  and  treatment 
of  gunshot  wounds  of  the  stomach  and  intestines.  It 
marked  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  upon  the  subject  of 
gunshot  wounds  of  the  abdomen.  In  1890,  he  also 
represented  America  at  the  above  congress,  held  in 
Berlin,  where  his  elucidation  of  the  above  subject  won 
honors  and  decorations. 

Among  Dr.  Senn's  published  works  are  "The 
Principles  of  Surgery,"  now  in  its  first  edition; 
"Experimental  Surgery,"  and  "Surgical  Bacteria," 
which  have  reached  their  second  edition  and  have  been 
translated  into  the  French,  Italian  and  Polish 
languages;  "Intestinal  Surgery,"  which  has  been  tran- 
slated into  the  German  language.  All  these  works 


are  standard  text-books  on  their  respective  subjects. 
Dr.  Senn  was  invited  to  co-operate  with  twelve  of  the 
most  eminent  surgeons  of  this  country  in  the  product- 
ion of  the  "American  Text  Book  of  Surger\T,"  and  con- 
tributed all  of  that  portion  relating  to  abdominal 
surgery.  This  work,  from  the  prominence  of  the 
authors,  becomes  the  most  authentic  surgical  work  of 
the  present  day.  In  1887  Dr.  Senn  visited  all  the 
European  hospitals,  and  wrote  a  book  entitled  "Four 
Months  Among  the  Surgeons  of  Europe,"  which  was 
well  received  by  the  profession. 

Dr.  Senn  received  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin,  on  returning  from  his  second 
trip  to  Europe.  Besides  being  professor  of  surgery  in 
Rush  Medical  College  and  attending  surgeon  to  the 
Presbyterian  and  St.  Joseph's  Hospital,  professor  of 
surgery  in  the  Chicago  Polyclinic,  and  consulting  sur- 
geon in  the  Central  Free  Dispensary,  he  is  fellow  of 
the  American  Surgery  Association,  honorary  fellow  of 
the  College  of  Physicians  of  Pennsylvania,  permanent 
member  of  the  German  Congress  of  Surgeons,  honor- 
ary member  of  La  Academia  de  Medicina  de  Mexico, 
of  the  Hayes  Agnew  Surgical  Society  of  Philadelphia; 
corresponding  member  of  the  Harveian  Society  of 
London,  England;  member  of  the  Ohio  and  of  the 
Minnesota  State  Medical  Societies;  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  British  Medical 
Association,  the  Wisconsin  State  Medical  Society,  the 
Brainard  Medical  Society,  the  Chicago  Medical  So- 
ciety, the  Chicago  Academy  of  Medicine,  etc. 

Of  Dr.  Senn's  personnel  we  need  only  add,  that  he 
is  a  most  courteous  and  affable  gentleman,  who  greets 
one  with  a  manner  that  is  full  of  cheerful  warmth 
and  makes  his  visitors  thoroughly  at  home  and  at 
their  ease,  as  the  result  of  tres  bonne  esprit.  His  home 
life  is  extremely  domestic,  and,  although  of  a  social 
disposition,  he  finds  less  time  than  he  could  wish  for 
the  exchange  of  social  amenities.  Flis  family  consists 
of  his  estimable  wife  and  two  sons,  aged  sixteen  and 
twenty-three  years,  respectively.  The  elder  son  is  a 
graduate  of  Rush  Medical  College  and,  it  is  hoped,  will 
realize  the  fond  wishes  of  his  parents,  and  that  the 
mantle  of  the  illustrious  father  may  fall  upon  the  shoul- 
ders of  the  son. 


JOHN    NORTON   HILLS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


J.  N.  HILLS,  son  of  Cyrus  Bingham  Hills  and  Laura 
Allen  (Norton)  Hills,  was  born  at  Arlington, 
Vt.,  June  27, 1837.  His  father  was  a  country  mer- 
chant; his  mother  was  a  descendant  of  Gen.  Ethan 
Allen  and  both  are  descendants  of  sturdy  New  Eng- 
landers  of  Revolutionary  parentage. 

Young  Hills'  father  died  when  he  was  but  fourteen 
years  of  age,  but  he  had  regularly  attended  school  and 


was  well  up  in  his  studies.  He  attended  Burr  Sem- 
inary, at  Manchester,  Vt.,  after  leaving  public  school, 
and  later  graduated  at  Phillips'  Academy,  at  Andover, 
Mass.  T 

After  leaving  school  Mr.  Hills  entered  the  emplov 
of  a  large  wholesale  millinery  store  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  as 
manager.  Later  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Co.,  and  was  in  their  employ  during 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  IVEST. 


the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  continuing  in  that  occupation 
until  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Champlain  Trans 
portation  Co.,  on  Lake  Champlain,  as  second  officer  on 
the  steamer  "  Vermont,"  continuing  until  the  winter 
of  1871-2,  when  he  came  to  Chicago  and  accepted  the 
position  of  general  manager  and  financial  agent  of  the 
National  Life  Insurance  Co.,  of  Vermont*  which  posi- 
tion he  has  held  for  over  twenty-two  years. 

Mr.  Hills  has  never  sought  public  office  but  took 
his  share  of  the  work  that  naturally  falls  to  prominent 
men,  and  has  served  as  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  schools,  of  the  town  of  Lake  View,  and 
superintended  the  construction  of  the  Lake  View  High 
School.  He  was  also  for  several  years  a  member  of 
the  district  school  board  of  Eavenswbod  and  after- 
wards its  president.  He  was  also  for  many  years 
senior  warden  of  All  Saints'  Episcopal  church  at 
Ravenswood.  It  was  mainly  through  Mr.  Hill's  work 
that  this  church  was  built.  He  is  now  On  the  vestry 
of  the  Church  of  St.  Andrews,  Chicago.  He  gained 


33^ 

conbiderable  prominence  as  foreman  of  the  jury  that 
indicted  the  Chicago  anarchists,  and  was  also  one  of 
the  legal  witnesses  of  their  execution. 

Mr.  Hills  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  a 
Knight  Templar.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

In  1859  Mr.  Hills  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  S. 
Tuttle,  of  Bennington,  Vt.,  who  died  in  1887,  leaving 
two  daughters,  Laura,  wife  of  Prof.  Jas.  H.  Norton, 
principal  of  Lake  View  High  School,  and  Clara,  wife 
of  S.  Conant  Parks,  vice-president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Lander.  Wyoming.  In  1890,  Mr.  Hills  was 
again  married,  to  Miss  Clara  Briggs.  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  formerly  a  resident  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Hills  is  a  gentleman  of  pleasing  address,  and 
one  who  makes  friends  wherever  he  goes.  In  personal 
appearance  he  is  of  good  height,  commanding  presence 
and  courteous  demeanor.  In  his  business  affairs  he  is 
active  and  energetis,  personally  looking  after  its 
various  details.  Socially,  he  is  companionable,  and  has 
friends  without  number,  who  hold  him  in  esteem. 


RICHARD    CHAUNCEY    RUSSELL, 

OSHKOSH,  WISCONSIN. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  Alvin  and 
Sarah  Russell,  and  was  born  at  Sunderland,  Mass., 
April  21,  1830.  Alvin  Russell,  who  was  a  carriage 
manufacturer,  was  in  good  financial  circumstances 
until  the  panic  of  1837,  when  he  lost  all  his  property. 
This  threw  the  children,  of  whom  Richard  was  the 
youngest  but  one  of  six  brothers,  upon  their  own 
resources.  At  the  age  of  ten  Richard  went  to  the 
academy  at  Amherst.  where  he  studied  for  six  years, 
all  the  while  earning  his  own  living  by  working  on  a 
farm.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  academic  course  he 
spent  the  following  fall  working  on  a  farm  at  North 
Hadley,  Mass.,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  spent  an- 
other year  in  the  academy.  During  the  succeeding 
three  years  he  attended  lectures  in  Amherst  College. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  clothing  and  general  merchan- 
dise business  at  Amherst,  but  through  intense  applica- 
tion broke  down  in  health,  and  his  physician  told  him 
he  "must  either  go  West  or  die."  He  decided  upon  the 
former  alternative,  and  traveled  through  the  West  and 
South,  visiting,  among  other  places,  Oshkosh,  Wis., 
where  several  acquaintances  had  gone  before  him. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  (1856),  Mr.  Russell 
returned  to  Boston,  where  he  had  a  position  offered 
him  as  purchasing  partner  in  an  importing  house.  On 
account  of  continual  ill-health,  in  the  spring  of  1857  he 
again  started  West,  calling  at  Chicago,  but  not  finding 
the  climate  in  that  city  favorable  to  him,  decided  not 
to  locate  there,  but  proceeded  to  Minneapolis,  where 
he  arranged  to  open  a  banking  house.  The  party, 
however,  with  whom  he  was  to  join  in  business  failed 
to  furnish  its  share  of  the  capital,  and  the  enterprise 


was  abandoned.  He  then  went  to  Oshkosh  for  the 
second  time,  where  he  decided  to  locate  permanently. 
In  the  fall  of  1858  he  opened  the  first  grain  warehouse 
in  the  city,  and  did  a  large  business,  shipping  cargoes 
to  New  York  via  the  lakes  and  the  canal.  He  followed 
this  business  until  1865,  when  his  health  again  failed, 
and  disposing  of  his  business,  traveled  for  a  year,  at 
the  expiration  of  which  he  returned  to  Oshkosh.  Dur- 
ing'the  war  he  offered  himself  as  a  volunteer,  but  was 
refused  on  account  of  failure  to  pass  the  medical  exam- 
ination. 

In  1863  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  in  Oshkosh,  and  was  re-elected  to  the  same 
office  in  1864.  It  was  during  his  term  of  office,  and 
under  his  direction,  that  the  schools  were  graded.  In 
1864-5  he  represented  his  district  in  the  Legislature. 
Subsequently  he  was  offered  'many  other  political  hon- 
ors, but  declined  them,  preferring  to  devote  his  whole 
time  and  energy  to  a  business  career. 

In  1866-7  Mr.  Russell  was  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  at  Manistee,  Mich.,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Russell,  Leach  &  Co.  At  the  end  of  two  years  they 
sold  out  to  Chicago  parties,  and  he  once  more  returned 
to  Oshkosh,  where,  in  1869.  he  started  as  a  private 
banker,  and  in  1871  organized  the  Union  National 
Bank  of  Oshkosh,  of  which  he  was  general  manager 
and  cashier  for  eighteen  years.  In  1887,  with  George 
Whiting  and  others,  Mr.  Russell  organized  and  was 
made  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Menasha, 
Wis.,  Hon.  Robert  Graham,  ex-State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction,  being  cashier,  Mr.  Russell  in  the 
meantime  retaining  his  position  in  the  Union  National 


338 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


Bank.  In  January,  1889,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he 
resigned  his  position  of  general  manager  and  cashier  in 
the  latter  bank,  and  traveled  again  for  one  year.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1890,  the  German  National  Bank  of  Oshkosh  was 
organized,  and  Mr.  Russell  was  made  president,  which 
position  he  still  holds.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Citizens'  National  Bank  of  St.ven's  Point,  Wis.,  and 
vice-president  of  the  Wisconsin  Eiver  Paper  and  Pulp 
Co.,  and  of  the  Foote-Cornish  Milling  Co.  He  is  a 
director  in  the  Fronteriza  Silver  Mining  and  Milling 
Co.,  of  Mexico.  He  holds  an  interest  in  the  Plover 
Paper  Co.,  and  is  also  interested  in  the  Alamo  Heights 
Land  and  Improvement  Co.  at  San  Antonio ;  also  in 
the  Rapid  Transit  Street  Railway  of  that  cit}',  and 
other  enterprises. 

When  a  young  man,  Mr.  Russell  was  identified  with 
the  Whig  party,  and  in  the  year  1851  was  a  delegate 
to  the  State  convention  at  Boston.  -Since  that  time  he 


has  heen  a  Republican,  although  in  municipal  affairs 
he  has  acted  independent]/.  In  religious  matters  he 
has  always  been  a  Congregational ist,  having  joined  the 
church  of  that  denomination  at  Amherst.  He  early 
developed  a  taste  for  literature,  and  notwithstanding 
his  great  business  responsibilities  he  lias  found  time 
to  lecture  oi»  various  subjects  of  public  interest. 

As  a  banker  he  is  most  competent,  and  his  knowl- 
edge of  commercial  law  is  quite  extensive.  He  has 
ever  takeri  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  young 
men  giving  them  the  benefit  of  his  experience  and  coun- 
sel, and  often  assisting  them  in  a  financial  way. 

Mr.  Russell  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  Reirdon, 
in  July,  1858,  at  her  father's  residence  in  Oshkosh. 
They  have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  survive 
and  are  both  married.  Mr.  Russell  is  a  descendant  of 
Richard  Russell,  who  came  from  Herefordshire,  Eng- 
land, in  1612  and  settled  in  New  England. 


J.  FOSTER  RHODES, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


J  FOSTER  RHODES,  son  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
.  (Lowry)  Rhodes,  was  born  in  Brownsville,  Penn., 
on  September  14,  1850.  He  is  a  descendant  of  a 
family  who  left  their  native  home,  Frankfort-on-the- 
Mam,  in  Germany,  and  came  to  America  while  it-was 
but  little  better  than  a  wilderness.  They  settled  in 
Maryland,  where  they  prospered  exceedingly,  members 
of  the  family  having  been  prosperous  and  respected 
citizens  of  that  State  for  more  than  two  hundred  years. 
The  father  of  J.  Foster  Rhodes  was  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  minister,  much  esteemed  and  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him,  and  who  first  instilled  into  the  mind 
of  his  son  the  principles  of  strict  integrity  and  fairness 
that  have  been  the  leading  characteristics  of  his  busi- 
ness life.  The  son  was  educated  at  St.  Mary's  Insti- 
tute, at  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  after  leaving  school,  in 
1868,  he  entered  the  banking  house  of  Andrew,  Bissell 
&  Co.,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  as  messenger.  In  this  place 
he  advanced  rapidly  through  the  intermediate  positions 
until  he  had  charge  of  the  handling  of  all  the  cash  of 
the  institution.  He  held  this  position  for  six  years.  In 
1874  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  at  once  became 
connected  with  the  Hibernian  Banking  Association, 
with  which  he  remained  four  years,  employing  his 
spare  time  in  studying  in  the  Union  College  of  Law. 
He  afterward  completed  his  studies  in  the  law  offices 
of  Messrs.  Small  &  Moore,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1877.  He  commenced  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  once,  and  continued  the  same  for  six  years, 
when  he  became  interested  in  building  and  other  enter- 
prises. Mr.  Rhodes  was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the 
Insurance  Exchange  Building,  on  La  Salle  and  Adams 
streets;  the  Traders'  Building,  on  Pacific  avenue:  the 
Rialto,  adjoining  the  new  Board  of  Trade;  the  Com- 


merce Building,  on  Pacific  avenue;  the  beautiful  and 
substantial  fire-proof  hotel,  "  The  Lakota,"  corner  of 
Thirtieth  street  and  Michigan  avenue,  and  many  other 
office  buildings  and  fine  apartment  houses  in  Chicago. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  American  Bank 
Building  in  Kansas  City,  the  Commercial  Building  in 
St.  Louis,  and  other  fire-proof  structures  in  various 
other  cities. 

He  has  held  numerous  offices  at  different  times  in 
connection  with  various  corporations,  such  as  president 
and  director;  and  is  at  present  (1894)  director  of  the 
Northwestern  Safe  and  Trust  Company,  the  Chicago 
Deposit  Vault  Company,  the  Commercial  Safety 
Deposit  Company,  the  Berkshire  House  Company,  the* 
Devonshire  House  Company,  the  Yorkshire  House 
Company  and  other  corporations  of  a  similar  kind. 
He  is  also  secretary  and  a  director  of  the  Dearborn 
Savings,  Loan  and  Building  Association,  a  financial 
corporation  which  was  organized  by  Mr.  Rhodes  in 
1881,  and  under  his  management  has  become  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  successful  institutions  of  its  kind. 
Mr.  Rhodes  is  also  a  director  in  several  eastern  railroad 
companies  and  other  public  corporations.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  other 
fraternal  societies.  He  is  a  member  of  Lakeside  Lodge. 
Corinthian  Chapter,  a  charter  member  of  Chevalier 
Bayard  Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Order  of  Scotland,  and  of  the  Nobility  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Chicago, 
Washington  Park  and  Chicago  Athletic  Clubs,  and  a 
member  and  president  of 'the  Carleton  Club,  of  this 
city.  In  politics  he  always  has  been  a  firm  Democrat. 

Mr.  Rhodes  was  married  September  12th,  1878,  to 
Miss  Margaret  W.  Patterson,    descendant  of  an   old 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


341 


Connecticut  family.  Of  three  children  born  to  them, 
two  survive,  viz:  Margaret  Elizabeth,  born  December 
27,  1879,  and  J.  Foster,  Jr.,  born  November  18,  1881. 
Mrs.  Rhodes  is  a  lady  of  much  culture  and  refinement, 
extremely  sociable  and  possessed  of  many  womanly 
virtues  and  she  has  a  host  of  friends  by  whom  she  is 
highly  esteemed. 

J.  Foster  Rhodes  is  one  of  the  men  who  daring  the 
past  decade  have  done  so  much  toward  giving  to  'Chi- 
cago its  architectural  beauty,  and  which  makes  the  city 
one  of  the  show-places  of  the  world.  To  him  and  to  his 
influence  Chicago  owes  many  of  the  buildings  that 


make  her  famous  and  these  buildings  will  long  stand 
as  monuments  of  one  of  the  most  wonderful  eras  of 
commercial  prosperity  in  the  history  of  the  New 
World.  Mr.  Rhodes  is  a  man  of  medium  height  and  is 
of  fine  personal  appearance;  his  manner  is  genial  and 
pleasant  and  to  all  alike  he  is  affable  and  courteous. 
Modest  and  unostentatious  in  dress  and  demeanor  he  is 
always  a  liberal  contributor  to  public  enterprises  and 
public  and  private  charities.  A  typical  Chicagoan  in 
every  sense  of  the  word,  he  has  had  and  still  has  a 
place  in  Chicago  history  that  will  be  remembered  as 
Ions:  as  is  the  citv  itself. 


SILAS  B.  COBB, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  history  of  Silas  B.  Cobb  is  largely  identified  with 
the  history  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  no  record 
of  either  man  or  community  would  be  complete  without 
mention  of  both.  A  resident  of  Chicago  since  1833, 
Mr.  Cobb  has  seen  the  little  military  post  of  Fort 
Dearborn  grow  to  a  magnitude  of  a  great  metropolis, 
far  beyond  the  fondest  hopes  of  its  earl}'  settlers.  Mr. 
Cobb  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  widely  known  bus- 
iness men  of  Chicago,  where  he  has  man}'  interests  of 
great  magnitude.  He  is  now  about  eighty-two  years 
of  age,  but  stronger  in  mind  and  body  than  most  men 
of  three-score,  and  intensely  active  in  all  the  cares  of 
business  and  the  demands  of  domestic  life. 

Mr.  Cobb  is  the  son  of  Silas  W.  Cobb,  and  was  born 
in  Montpelier,  Vt.,  January  23,  1812.  His  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Hawkes,  died  when  our  sub- 
ject was  an  infant.  At  an  ase  when  most  lads  are 
deep  in  their  school  studies,  Silas  was  an  assistant  to 
his  father  in  his  changing  vocations.  -  Mr.  Cobb,  Sr., 
tried  by  turns  farming,  tanning  and  inn-keeping,  but 
when  his  son  became  old  enough  he  sent  him  to  a  shoe- 
maker to  learn  the  trade.  This  position,  however,  was 
quickly  given  up,  and  he  bound  himself,  as  was  the 
custom  in  those  days,  as  an  apprentice  to  a  harness 
maker.  When  his  term  of  apprenticeship  was  finally 
served,  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  harness  maker  in 
Montpelier  and  other  towns  of  Vermont,  to  the  satis- 
faction of  his  employers.  After  nine  months  of  hard 
work  and  frugal  living,  he  had  managed  to  save  the 
small  sum  of  $60,  and  he  resolved  to  go  West.  At  this 
time  he  was  twenty-one  years  old  and  a  sturdy,  self- 
reliant  young  man,  hopeful  of  the  future  and  fearless 
of  the  present.  Oliver  Goss,  of  Montpelier,  was  form- 
ing a  company  to  take  up  some  government  land  which 
he  had,  on  a  previous  expedition,  located  near  Chicago. 
The  journey  was  a  long,  wearisome  and  expensive 
one,  and  Mr.  Cobb,  Sr.,  was  opposed  to  his  son 
undertaking  it,  but  the  young  man  persisted,  and  finally 
went  with  the  Goss  party  to  Albany,  and  there  took 
passage  on  an  Erie  canal  boat  to  Buffalo.  When  he 


reached  this  latter  city  he  had  but  seven  dollars  left  of 
his  sixty.  The  price  of  passage  to  Chicago  by  the 
schooner  "Atlanta"  was  just  seven  dollars,  but  this  did 
not  include  board,  and  each  passenger  had  to  provide 
his  own  provisions.  Young  Cobb  arranged  with  the 
captain  to  go  through  by  the  payment  of  his  seven 
dollars,  but  on  arriving  at  Chicago  the  latter  went  back 
on  his  word  and  sought  to  enforce  full  payment,  under 
penalty  of  carrying  Cobb  back  to  Buffalo,  but  through 
the  kind  intervention  of  a  stranger,  he  was  released 
and  allowed  to  go  ashore.  ,  When  Mr.  Cobb  finally 
stepped  ashore,  the  Chicago  at  which  he  landed,  May 
29,  1833,  was  a  log-hut  settlement,  populated  by  about 
one  hundred  whites  and  half-breeds,  and  seventy 
soldiers.  Although  Mr.  Cobb  was  penniless  upon  his 
arrival  in  the  city  of  his  subsequent  triumphs,  he  was 
not  daunted,  and,  although  he  knew  nothing  about  the 
carpenter  trade,  he  applied  for  and  secured  the  position 
of  head  carpenter  to  build  a  large,  rude  structure  of 
logs  for  James  Kinzie,  to  be  used  as  a  hotel,  at  a  salary 
of  $2.75  a  day.  He  retained  this  position  until  a  med- 
dlesome individual  underbid  him  fifty  cents  and  drew 
attention  to  his  ignorance  of  the  trade.  It  may  be 
mentioned  that  with  the  first  money  earned  here 
he  repaid  his  kind  deliverer.  When  he  left  this 
position,  with  the  money  earned  therein,  he  purchased 
a  lot  of  trinkets  and  began  to  trade  with  the  natives. 
He  made  by  these  transactions  sufficient  capital  and 
determined  to  build  a  small  frame  structure  of  his  own. 
There  was  no  lumber  to  be  had  in  Chicago  and  the 
nearest  saw  mill  was  at  Plainfield,  111.  He  set  out  for  this 
place  and  purchased  his  lumber,  and  having  bargained 
with  a  settler  near  Plainfield  for  the  use  of  three 
yoke  of  oxen  and  a  strong  wagon  he  set  out  upon  his 
return.  At  night  he  slept  upon  the  wagon,  under  an 
improvised  shelter  of  boards  from  his  load.  The  pelt- 
ing rain  and  the  howling. of  the  hungry  wolves  com- 
bined to  make  the  surroundings  the  most  dreary  and 
desolate  the  young  Vermonter  had  ever  experienced. 
On  account  of  the  terrible  condition  of  the  roads,  he 


342 

was  compelled,  from  time  to  time,  to  throw  off  portions 
of  his  load,  until,  on  the  fourth  day,  when  he  reached 
the  DesPlames  River,  he  was  finally  compelled  to  aban- 
don the  last  of  his  load.  Turning  the  oxen  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Plainfield  he  set  them  adrift  to  find  their  way 
home,  which  they  finally  did,  without  accident.  When 
the  prairie  was  again  dry,  the  trip  was  again  made,  and 
the  lumber  collected  and  safely  brought  to  Chicago. 
When  he  had  constructed  his  building,  he  let  the  upper 
part  and  started  a  harness  shop  on  the  ground  floor,  in 
connection  with  Mr.  Goss,  who  purchased  the  stock. 
This  partnership  lasted  a  year,  when  Mr.  Cobb  with- 
drew and  removed  to  larger  headquarters  and  began 
business  on  his  own  account.  Trade  prospered  with 
him,  and  in  1848  he  sold  out  at  a  good  profit.  Chicago 
was  then  just  commencing  the  wonderful  growth  which 
has  since  made  her  famous,  and  Mr.  Cobb  saw  that  any 
legitimate  enterprise,  if  conducted  properly,  would  suc- 
ceed. This  led  him  to  form  a  co-partnership  with 
William  Osborne  in  the  general  boot  and  shoe,  and  hide 
and  leather  trade.  Confident  as  he  had  been  of  success, 
he  found  the  business  profitable  beyond  his  fondest  ex- 
pectations, and  in  1852  he  retired  with  a  comfortable 
fortune.  Since  then  he  has  confined  his  operations  to 
real  estate  investments  and  the  promotion  of  corpora- 
tions of  various  sorts.  In  1855  Mr.  Cobb  was  elected  a 
director  of  the  Chicago  Gas  Light  and  Coke  Company, 
and  a  few  years  later  to  the  important  position  of  a 
member  of  the  board  of  managers.  This  position  he 
held  until  1887,  when  he. disposed  of  his  interests  and 
withdrew  from  the  company. 

One  of  the  greatest  improvements  in  Chicago,  and 
which  is  largely  due  to  the  enterprise  of  Mr.  Cobb,  is 
the  cable  railway  system,  which  was  inaugurated  and 
constructed  while  he  was  president  of  the  Chicago  City 
Railway  company.  He  is  still  prominent  in  the  councils 
of  this  company,  and  is  also  prominently  connected 
with  the  West  Division  Horse  Railway  Co.,  as  well  as 
the  National  Bank  of  Illinois.  For  years  Mr.  Cobb 
was  the  controlling  spirit  in  the  Chicago  &  Galena 
(now  the  Northwestern)  railway,  and  the  Beloit  & 
Madison  railroad.  Several  fine  blocks  of  buildings  on 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


Luke  and  Dearborn  streets  appear  as  silent  testimony 
to  his  faith  in  Chicago  realty,  and  they  have  been 
profitable  investments. 

While  the  lessons  of  economy  in  early  life  have  had 
their  influence  on  Mr.  Cobb,  there  is  no  parsimony  in 
his  nature.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  indul- 
gent father  and  husband,  and  none  has  ever  taken 
more  care  to  surround  his  family  with  the  luxuries  and 
comforts  which  would  tend  to  their  enjoyment.  He  is 
a  man  who  passes  his  social  pleasures  in  his  own  home, 
and  it  is  indeed  a  pleasant  place  to  spend  the  declining 
years  of  his  active  and  busy  life. 

In  1840,  Mr.  Cobb  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Warren,  daughter  of  Daniel  Warren,  of  Warrensville, 
Dupage  county.  Mrs.  Cobb  died  May  10th,  1888. 
They  had  six  children,  only  two  of  whom  survive, — 
Maria  Louise,  wife  of  William  13.  Walker,  and  Bertha, 
wife  of  the  late  William  Armour.  Those  deceased  are 
the  first  born  and  only  son,  Walter,  and  Leonora,  wife 
of  Gen.  G.  Coleman,  and  two  daughters  who  died  in 
infancy. 

In  political  faith  in  early  days  Mr.  Cobb  was  a  Whig, 
but  he  has  been  a  firm  and  staunch  Republican  since 
the  establishment  of  the  party. 

The  success  of  Mr.  Cobb  in  business  has  been  so 
marked,  in  all  his  undertakings  that  his  methods  are  of 
interest  to  everybody.  He  has  based  his  business 
principles  and  actions  upon  strict  cidherence  to  the  rules 
which  govern  industry,  economy,  temperate  habits  and 
strict,  unswerving  integrity.  To  these  he  added  in 
early  life  a  resolution  to  keep  out  of  debt,  and  this  he 
has  never  broken  but  two  or  three  times  during  his 
long  and  honorable  career.  He  is  among  the  few  living 
men  to-day  to  whose  exertions  can  be  attributed  the 
development  of  the  small  settlement  of  Fort  Dearborn 
to  a  thriving  city.  He  is  one  of  the  few  who  have 
seen  the  small  straggling  settlement  grow,  like  the 
fabled  "bean-stock"  until  it  is  the  wonder  of  the 
civilized  world,  the  admired  "  World's  Fair  City,"  a 
monument  to  the  courage,  energy,  industry  and  heroism 
of  its  early  pioneers,  foremost  among  whom  was  Silas 
B.  Cobb. 


THEODORE  P.  SHONTS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THEODORE  P.  SHONTS,  son  of  Dr.  Henry  D. 
Shonts  and  Margaret  Marshall  Shonts,  was  born 
in  Crawford  county,  Pa.  His  parents  were  native  born 
Pennsylvanians.  His  father,  who  is  of  German-Irish 
descent,  studied  medicine  in  Crawford  county,  gradu- 
ated from  the  Jefferson  Medical  C.  liege  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  afterwards  achieved  considerable  prominence 
in  his  profession.  His  mother,  who  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  is  a  woman  of  great  energy  and  unusual  force 
of  character. 


The  family  removed  to  Centerville,  Iowa,  in  May, 
1861,  where  the  parents  yet  reside.  Young  Shonts' 
first  education  was  received  at  the  public  schools  of 
Centerville.  After  graduating  from  its  high  school  lie 
entered  Monmouth  College,  taking  the  regular  classical 
course,  and  graduating  from  that  institution  with 
honors  in  the  class  of  '76,  with  the  title  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  Three  years  later  the  same  institution  conferred 
the  title  of  Master  of  Arts  upon  him.  After  engaging 
one  vear  in  the  banking  business  with'  his  brother-in- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


345 


law,  Mr.  D.  C.  Campbell,  of  Centerville,  he  studied 
law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  became  associated 
with  the  prominent  law  firm  of  Baker  &  Drake.under  the 
firm  name  of  Baker,  Drake  &  Shonts,  The  firm  were 
the  general  attorneys  for  the  Missouri,  Iowa  & 
Nebraska  Railroad  Co.,  of  which  corporation  Gen. 
F.  M.  Drake,  one  of  the  members  of  the  firm,  was  also 
president. 

Gen.  Drake  retired  from  the  practice  of  law  one 
year  after  Mr.  Shonts  entered  the  firm,  in  order  to  give 
his  attention  to  his  large  and  rapidly  growing  railroad 
interests.  Eailroad  construction  became  very  pre- 
valent through  the  western  country  at  this  time  and 
the  owners  of  the  Missouri,  Iowa*fc  Nebraska  Railroad 
were  early  in  the  field.  In  the  division  of  the  legal 
work  of  that  corporation  between  its  attorneys,  the 
litigation  growing  out  of  the  construction  of  the  road 
was  put  largely  on  Mr.  Shonts'  shoulders;  in  this  way 
he  became  familiar  with  many  of  the  details  of  that 
department,  until  in  1881,  at  the  solicitation  of  Gen. 
Drake,  he  quitted  the  practice  of  law  to  assume  the 
position  of  superintendent  of  the  Iowa  Construction 
Company,  of  which  General  Drake  was  general  man- 
ager and  Russell  Sage  president.  In  this  capacity  he 
succeeded  in  completing,  in  the  face  of  great  obstacles, 
the  lines  of  road  running  from  Marshalltown,  la.,  to 
Storey  City,  la.,  and  from  Hampton,  la.,  to  Belmont, 
la.,  in  time  to  save  large  subsidies  voted  to  the  con- 
struction company.  These  lines  of  road  are  now  part 
of  the  Iowa  Central  System. 

In  the  spring  of  1882,  Mr.  Shonts  went  to  Kanka- 
kee,  111.,  to  assume  charge  of  the  construction  and 
operation  of  the  Indiana,  Illinois  &  Iowa  Railroad 
Company.  The  road  was  then  built  from  Momence, 
111.,  to  Dwight,  111.  Under  his  supervision  it  was 


finished  west  to  Streeter,  111.,  and  the  next  year  pushed 
east  to  North  Judson,  Ind..  and  a  little  later  on  to 
Knox,  Ind.  Four  years  ago  leases  were  made  of  those 
portions  of  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  and  Chicago 
&  West  Michigan  railways,  between  Wheatfield,  Ind., 
and  New  Buffalo,  Mich.,  and  over  a  year  ago  a  lease  was 
made  over  that  portion  of  the  C.,  C.,  C.  &  St.  L.  railway, 
extending  from  Kankakee,  111.,  to  Seneca,  III.,  thus 
securing  to  the  I.  1.  &  I.  R.  R.  Company  a  system  of 
two  hundred  and  ten  miles  of  road,  connecting  five  of 
the  western  trunk  line  systems  with  all  the  great  trunk 
lines  of  the  east  and  south. 

Mr.  Shonts  personally  organized  every  department 
of  the  road,  and  for  years  gave  his  personal  attention 
to  the  details  in  each  branch  of  the  service.  Under 
this  close,  detailed  management  the  road,  possessing 
neither  trunk  line  nor  strong  financial  backing,  except 
such  as  it  created  for  itself,  has  grown  to  be  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  the  transportation  problem  of  the  coun- 
try. The  demands  made  upon  the  physical  resources 
of  the  property  by  the  constant  and  rapid  development 
of  its  traffic  have  at  all  times  been  anticipated,  with 
the  result  that  its  material  condition  has  been  improved 
and  strengthened  from  year  to  year,  until  now  its 
road-bed,  tracks,  structures,  buildings,  motive  power, 
equipment,  ^-tc.,  are  thoroughly  modern  and  first  class 
throughout,  and  the  property  is  capable  of  promptly 
and  efficiently  handling  any  quantity  of  traffic  that 
may  be  thrown  upon  it. 

Mr.  Shonts  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss  Milla 
Drake,  eldest  daughter  of  Gen.  F.  M.  Drake,  a  woman 
of  liberal  culture  and  marked  musical  abilitv.  Thev 
have  two  bright  daughters,  Marguerite  Amelia 
and  Mary  Theodora,  aged  respectively  eight  and 
six  years. 


AARON   BENEDICT  MEAD, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BORN  on  November  7,  1838,  in  Franklinville,  Cat- 
taraugus  county.  New  York,  Aaron  Benedict 
Mead  is  the  son  of  Merlin  and  Polly  (Clark)  Mead. 
His  father,  an  enterprising  farmer,  was  an  elder  for 
fifty  years  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  being  one  of  the 
original  members,  and  prominent  in  all  the  affairs  of 
the  town.  A  "true  blue"  Abolitionist,  his  house  was 
one  of  the  stations  of  the  famous  "  Underground  Rail- 
way." Aaron  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  received 
his  early  education  in  the  district  schools  and  local 
academy  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when,  by  invita- 
tion of  an  uncle,  he  \\ent  to  AVaterbury,  Conn.,  and 
entered  its  high  school,  standing  number  one  in  his 
class. 

Upon  leaving  school  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  dry 
goods  store  in  Waterbury,  receiving  a  salary  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy-six  dollars  per  year.  Determined 


to  succeed,  young  Mead,  by  rigid  economy  in  his  habits, 
managed  to  save  out  of  his  salary  twenty-five  dollars 
the  first  year,  when  the  firm  failed.  He  soon  found  a 
place,  however,  as  clerk  in  a  crockery  st6re  in  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  where  he  remained  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the  late  Civil  War. 

In  June,  1861,  young  Mead  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Fourth  Regiment,  Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  afterwards  became  the  First  Connecticut  Heavy 
Artillery.  The  original  enlistment  for  three  months 
was  afterward  changed  to  the  three  years'  service. 
This  regiment  was  the  first  one  filled  up,  equipped  and 
accepted  for  the  three  years'  service.  Mr.  Mead  was 
with  the  regiment  stationed  near  Washington  for 
one  year,  when  he  was  discharged  onaccountof  illness, 
the  discharge  taking  place  at  Coal  Harbor.  Afier 
recovering  from  his  illness  sufficiently  to  allow  of  his 


346 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


engaging  in  business  once  more,  he  entered  the  real 
estate  office  of  his  uncle,  Abner  L.  Ely,  who  at  that 
time  had  probably  the  largest  real  estate  agency  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  In  this  office  Mr.  Mead  gained  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  various  details  connected 
with  the  transfer  and  sale  of  real  estate  which  has  been 
valuable  to  him  in  his  later  experience. 

In  January,  1867,  he  removed  to  Chicago,  which 
then  gave  favorable  promise  of  a  bright  future,  and 
opened  a  real  estate  office.  He  recalls  with  interest 
his  first  fee  of  two  dollars,  which  he  received  for  draw- 
ing a  contract  for  the  sale  of  a  farm,  and  which  he 
donated  to  Fisk  University  of  Nashville,  Tenn.  In 
January,  1868,  Mr.  Mead  formed  a  partnership  with 
Albert  L.  Coe,  under  the  firm  name  of  Mead  &  Coe, 
which  partnership  has  continued  to  the  present  time 
(1894),  being  the  oldest  real  estate  firm  in  the  city,  and 
their  business  having  become  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful and  flourishing  in  this  particular  line  in  Chicago. 
Carefully  built  up  and  under  judicious  management,  it 
has  grown  rapidly  from  the  commencement.  Their 


clientage  is  of  an  extensive  and  substantial  nature,  no 
firm  having  a  higher  reputation  than  Mead  &  Coe. 

Mr.  Mead  was  married  in  September,  1868,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Packard,  daughter  of  James  B.  and  Sarah  C. 
Packard.  They  have  four  children. 

In  his  religious  views  he  is  a  Congregationalist, 
being  a  member  and  deacon  of  the  First  Congregation- 
al church.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  Illinois  Home 
Missionary  Society,  and  a  trustee  of  Illinois  College  at 
Jacksonville.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent  Republican, 
and  before  the  war  was  an  Abolitionist,  as  was  his 
father  before  him.  Mr.  Mead  is  a  member  of  Geo.  H. 
Thomas  Post,  No.  5,  G.  A.  R,  of  this  city. 

He  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  dark  complexion  and 
full  beard,  and  in  manner  is  genial  and  extremely  affa- 
ble and  possesses  a  generous  disposition.  An  energetic 
and  enterprising  business  man,  he  is  another  of  those 
who  have  contributed  so  largely  to  the  building  up  of 
-the  reputation  which  the  city  of  Chicago  to-'day  so 
ably  sustains.  As  a  public  spirited  citizen,  he  is  ex- 
tensively known  and  highly  esteemed. 


MORRIS  SCHWABACHER, 

Y? 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MORRIS  SCHWABACHER,  son  of  Lazarus  and 
Julia  (Kurtz)  Schwabacher,  was  born  in  "Wur- 
temburg,  Germany,  on  the  5th  day  of  November,  1849. 
Lazarus  Schwabacher  was  a  presiding  elder  of  the  con- 
gregation of  his  native  town,  and  one  of  his  brothers 
and  one  of  his  nephews  gained  honor  and  fame.  The 
brother,  as  a  musician,  was  the  most  noted  in  the 
kingdom,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  possessor 
of  a  number  of  meJals  presented  to  him  by  different 
royal  personages  on  account  of  his  great  talent.  The 
nephew  was  a  Jewish  rabbi,  who  for  a  long  time  was 
at  the  head  of  the  largest  congregation  in  the  Russian 
town  of  Odessa,  and  who,  later,  was  sent  with  the 
Princess  Olga  to  India,  as  an  envoy,  and  received  in 
recognition  of  his  services  the  medal  of  the  Iron  Cross. 
Morris  Schwabacher's  early  education  was  acquired 
in  the  famous  college  of  Seegnitz,  on  the  river  Main,  in 
Bavaria,  at  that  time  a  most  celebrated  college  for 
boys.  From  there  he  went  to  Furth,  also  in  Bavaria, 
and  in  1866  came  to  America,  where,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  his  brother,  Julius  Schwabacher,  he  finished 
his  education  at  Blackman's  College,  New  Orleans, 
from  which  he  graduated  with  honors.  He  then  started 
out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  and  served  as 
clerk  for  several  different  firms  on  the  Yazoo  river,  in 
Barataria  and  in  Memphis,  Tenn.  He  returned  to 
New  Orleans  in  1872,  and  started  in  business  for 
himself  on  the  Bayou  La  Fourche,  near  Napoleonville, 
where  he  soon  became  a  leading  business  man.  His 
venture  there  was  a  decided  success,  but  finding  himself 
too  much  restricted  he  returned  to  New  Orleans,  where 


he  acquired  an  interest  in  the  business  of  the  well-known 
firm  of  Schwabacher  &  Hirsch. 

Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Hirsch  the  firm  became 
J.  &  M.  Schwabacher,  under  which  title  the  business 
was  carried  on  until  1890,  when  it  became  J.  &  M. 
Schwabacher,  Limited,  with  Julius  Schwabacher,  pres- 
ident ;  Morris  Schwabacher,  vice-president ;  Max  Schwa- 
bacher. treasurer  ;  and  Leonce  Desforges  as  secretary. 
Under  this  title  the  business  has  been  carried  on  until" 
the  present  time,  at  New  Orleans,  and  the  firm  is  one 
of  the  best  known  and  most  prosperous  in  the  South. 
They  have  direct  connections  with  Kansas  City,  St. 
Louis,  Chicago  and  other  great  centers  of  the  western 
market,  and  make  a  specialty  of  provisions,  bread- 
stuffs,  grain  and  dairy  products.  Some  idea  of  the 
influence  exercised  in  the  commercial  circles  of  New 
Orleans  by  Morris  Schwabacher  can  be  formed  when  it 
is  stated  that  he  originated  the  Board  of  Trade,  form- 
erly called  the  Produce  Exchange,  in  that  city,  and 
was  several  times  a  vice-president  of  that  institution, 
of  which  he  is  still  a  valued  member.  In  addition  to 
this,  Mr.  Schwabacher  was  director  and  member  of  the 
finance  committee  of  the  Germania  National  Bank; 
president  of  the  Limited  Credit  Association  from  1887 
until  he  moved  to  Chicago  in  1890,  an  organization 
which  is  rapidly  gaining  popularity,  and  increasing  in 
business  every  vear ;  president  of  the  Challmette 
Homestead  Association  in  1887,  which  has  since  been 
consolidated  with  several  other  similar  associations, 
and  president  of  the  Barataria  Canning  Association,  of 
Biloxi,  Miss,  (from  1886  until  1890),  a  company  which 


:«S^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


349 


is  furnishing  its  products  throughout  the  entire 
country.  In  1888  Mr.  Schwabacher  was  appointed 
bv  the  Governor  of  Louisiana  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  administration  of  the  Charity  Hospi- 
tal of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  remained 
on  the  board  until  he  moved  to  Chicago  in 
1890.  This  is  an  honor  only  accorded  to  citizens 
of  the  state  of  highest  standing.  The  institution  is  a 
world-renowned  hospital,  caring  for  twenty  to  thirty 
thousand  patients  annually  gratis.  He  is  vice-president 
of  the  North  American  Provision  Co.,  of  Chicago,  and 
was  director  and  on  the  finance  committee  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Cotton  Seed  Oil  Co.,  of  New  Orleans;  director 
and  vice-president  of  the  Kaufman  Fiber  Manufactur- 
ing Co.;  director  in  the  Ilosetta  Gravel  Co.,  and  an  ad- 
visorv  member  of  the  Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society 
of  the  United  States  -for  the  State  of  Louisiana.  He 
was  president  of  the  Harmony  Club  for  several  years 
which  is  the  most  solid  and  highly  esteemed  club  in 
New  Orleans,  and  through  his  efforts  it  was  removed 
from  its  old  home  to  its  new  and  spacious  apartments  on 
Canal  street.  He  was  a  director  and  member  of  the 
Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  'Association,  which 
association  succeeded  in  establishing  a  bureau  of  trans- 
portation and  securing  rates  from  all  railroads  running 
into  New  Orleans,  with  competing  cities  of  the  West. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  members  that  joined  the  Young 
Men's  Democratic  Association,  in  November,  1887,  and 
was  appointed  as  financial  secretary.  This  organization 


carried  a  sweeping  majority  over  the  reigning  city 
government  called  the  "ring,"  and  secured  for  the  city 
one  of  the  best  local  governments  it  has  ever  had,  with 
Mayor  Shakespere  at  the  head. 

Mr.  Schwabaclier  was  also  appointed  one  of  the 
committee  to  escort  the  old  "Liberty  Bell  "  from  Phil- 
adelphia to  New  Orleans  at  the  time  of  the  World's 
Fair  there  in  1884.  The  trip  was  made  famous  by  the 
ride  of  Jefferson  Davis,  the  ex-president  of  the  Confeder- 
acy, from  Bouvoir,  his  home,  to  New  Orleans  on  the 
same  train  with  the  Liberty  Bell,  on  which  he  made 
one  of  his  famous  speeches  to  the  escorting  committee. 
Mr.  Schwabacher  removed  to  Chicago  in  1890,  and  is 
now  actively  engaged  in  the  interests  of  the  North 
American  Provision  Co. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Standard  Club,  of  Chicago, 
and  is  a  Mason.  lie  is  a  member  of  Dr.  E.  G.  Hirsh's 
congregation,  being  of  the  Jewish  faith  but  very  liberal 
in  his  ideas.  Mr.  Schwabacher  is  a  brilliant  addition 
to  all  social  circles,  and  is  noted  for  his  repartee  and  wit. 

Since  coming  to  America  he  has  visited  Europe 
twice,  once  on  his  wedding  tour  in  1884,  and  again  in 
1889,  when  he  made  an  extended  trip  through  Europe, 
and  visited  the  last  World's  Fair  in  Paris. 

He  was  married  June  3d,  188-4,  to  Miss  Nellie  Kohn, 
daughter  of  Joseph  A.  Kohn,  member  of  the  large  cloth- 
ing firm  of  Kohn  Brothers,  of  Chicago.  lie  has  two 
children,  a  boy  named  Leslie  J.,  and  a  girl,  Jessie  M., 
aged  respectively  nine  and  seven  years. 


WARREN   F.  LELAND, 

•      CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  is  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, and  was  born- at  Landgroye,  June  1,  1845. 
He  is  the  son  of  Aaron  P.  and  Submit  (Arnold)  Leland, 
both  natives  of  New  England.  Aaron  P.  Leland  was 
an  extensive  stage  proprietor  and  mail  contractor  fifty 
years  ago,  and  well  known  in  the  New  England  states 
and  New  York  as  an  energetic  business  man.  In  about 
the  year  1810  Simeon  Leland,  his  father,  opened  the 
Green  Mountain  Coffee  House.  His  great-grandfather, 
the  liev.  Aaron  Leland,  was  a  noted  Baptist  minister 
and  author,  of  Berkshire  count}-,  Mass.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  force  of  character,  and  had  much  influence 
among  the  common  people  of  western  Massachusetts. 
The  Leland  family  came  originally  from  England,  two 
brothers  coming  to  this  country  soon  after  the  settle- 
ment of  Plymouth  and  Boston.  The  maternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  Judge  Samuel  Arnold,  of 
Londonderry,  Vt.,  an  eminent  jurist  of  his  day. 

The  grandfather  of  Warren  F.,  Simeon  Leland, 
had  six  sons,  Lewis,  Aaron  P.,  Simeon,  William, 
Warren  and  Charles,  of  whom  the  last  four  .became 
noted  and  successful  hotel-keepers.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  Aaron  P.  Leland,  ultimately  located  near 


Newburgh,  Ohio,  and  engaged  in  stock  raising. 
Besides  Warren,  his  sons  were  John,  who  died  at  an 
early  age;  Lewis,  formerly  of  the  Sturtevant  House, 
N.  Y.;  Horace,  of  the  Sturtevant,  and  also  of  the 
Leland  Hotel,  at  Springfield,  III ,  who  died  in  August, 
1889;  George  S.,  formerly  of  the  Sturtevant,  who 
died  in  August,  1881 ;  Jerome,  formerly  of  the  Sturte- 
vant, and  the  Columbian,  at  Saratoga,  N.  Y,  who 
died  in  April,  1884,  and  Charles  E.,  proprietor  of  the 
De^van,  at  Albany,  the  Clarendon,  at  Saratoga,  N.Y., 
and  the  Portland  Hotel,  at  Portland,  Oregon. 

In  1852,  Warren,  being  then  fifteen  years  old,  went 
to  New  York  city,  and  took  a  humble  position  in  the 
Metropolitan  Hotel,  of  which  his  four  uncles  were  then 
the  proprietors.  Beginning  in  the  store-room,  he  was 
gradually  promoted  until,  in  1866,  he  had  the  honor 
of  holding  the  position  of  room-clerk.  In  that  year 
he  went,  in  connection  with  his  brother  Horace,  and 
opened  the  Leland  Hotel,  of  Springfield  ,  III.,  but  in 
1867  returned  to  the  East,  and  took  the  position  of 
chief  office  man  in  the  Delevan  House  at  Albany,  of 
which  his  brothers,  Charles  E.  and  Lewis,  were  the 
proprietors.  In  1872,  he  became  a  partner  in  the 


350 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


business,  and  remained  there  until  1880,  when  he  sold 
his  interest  to  his  brother  Charles,  his  brother  Lewis 
having  previously  withdrawn  from  the  firm.  Remov- 
ing to  Chicago  in  1881,  Mr.  Leland  purchased  the 
Gardiner  House  property,  reconstructed  the  interior, 
handsomely  re-fitted  and  furnished  it,  and  opened  what 
has  since  been  known  as  the  Leland  Hotel.  As  a 
business  venture  the  enterprise  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful and  profitable,  the  investment-  having  more 
than  doubled  in  value.  Mr.  Leland  married,  December 
16,  1868,  Miss  Isabella  C.  Cobb,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  a 
lady  of  education  and  refinement.  They  have  had  four 
children,  viz.:  Warren,  Fannie  A.,  Ralph  C.  and  Helen 
M.  Mr.  Leland  is  a  member  of  the  Calumet,  Washing- 
ton Park  and  Kenwood  Clubs,  and  of  (he  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, being  a  Knight  Templar.  He  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  takes  much  interest  in  local 
and  national  politics,  but  has  uniformly  declined  office. 
He  holds  to  the  Protestant  faith  in  religious  matters, 
but  is  not  identified  with  any  denomination,  being 
somewhat  liberal  in  his  views. 


Mr.  Leland  was  largely  instrumental  in  procuring 
the  location  of  the  various  national  political  conven- 
tions held  at  Chicago,  viz.:  the  Republican  and  Demo- 
cratic conventions  of  18S4,and  the  Republican  conven- 
tion of  1888,  and  the  Democratic  convention  of 
1892.  He  also  took  a  prominent  part  in  securing  the 
location  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Leland  is  a  genial,  companionable  gentleman, 
with  quick  perception  in  looking  after  the  details  of 
his  business,  and  as  a  hotel  manager  has  always  been 
deservedly  popular  with  his  guests.  He  has  inherited 
the  genius,  by  no  means  common,  requisite  to  "  keep  a 
hotel,1'  the  Leland  family  for  two  generations  having 
been  noted  in  filling  the  position  of  "  mine  host." 
Prior  to  the  opening  of  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago  in 
May,  1893,  Mr.  Leland  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the 
Leland  Hotel  and  became  part  owner  and  manager  of 
the  Chicago  Beach  Hotel  near  Jackson  Park,  retiring 
from  the  hotel  business,  however,  at  least  for  a  time, 
at  the  close  of  the  Fair. 


HARRY   PERRY    ROBINSON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Lahore, 
India,  on  Nov.  30,  1860,  his  father.  Rev.  Julian 
Robinson,  being  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  England. 
His  education  was  acquired  at  Westminster  School  and 
Oxford  University.  While  at  the  university  he  wrote 
for  the  English  press,  and  on  coming  to  America,  in 
1883,  joined  the  staff  of  the  New  York  Tribune.  Two 
years  later,  in  1885,  he  became  connected  with  the 
Minneapolis  Tribune,  and  left  that  journal  in  January, 
1887,  to  establish  a  new  weekly  paper,  the  Norihicestern 
Railroader,  which  was  published  in  St.  Paul  until 


October,  1891,  when  he  bought  the  Railway  Age  of 
Chicago,  the  leading  railway  journal  of  the  countrv. 
The  two  journals  were  consolidated  and  became  the 
present  Railway  Age  and  Northu-estern  Railroader,  of 
which  Mr.  Robinson  is  now  president,  manager,  editor 
and  majority  owner  of  stock.  He  has  published  several 
pamphlets  on  railway  matters,  and  has  written  consider- 
ably for  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  the  North  American 
Review,  and  other  leading  magazines.  In  September, 
1891,  Mr.  Robinson  married  Mary  Lowry,  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  Thomas  Lowry,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn. 


BENJAMIN  THOMAS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BENJAMIN  THOMAS  was  born  in  Towanda, 
Bradford  county,  Penn.,  October  28,  1841.  His 
father,  whose  ancestors  came  from  Wales,  was  born  in 
Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  in  1810  and  died  in  1884  at  Wav- 
erly,  N.  Y.  His  mother,  whose  ancestors  were  from 
the  north  of  Ireland,  was  born  at  Shoreham,  Vt.,  in 
1804  and  died  in  1873,  at  Newark,  N.  J.  His  parents 
removed  from  Towanda  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  about  the 
year  1854,  his  father  being  a  hat  manufacturer. 

Young  Thomas  attended  school  at  Towanda  until 
he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  later  attended  public 
school  at  Newark.  While  attending  night  school  at 


Newark  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  American  Print- 
ing Telegraph  Company,  whose  office  on  the  corner  of 
Market  and  Broad  streets,  was  in  charge  of  W.  H. 
Knapp,  who  was  at  that  time  very  prominent  in  tele- 
graph circles.  Shortly  after  young  Thomas  had  learned 
to  operate  the  company  was  absorbed  by  the  Morse 
Magnetic  Telegraph  Company  (now  the  Western 
Union),  and  the  American  printing  instruments  were 
abandoned.  Thus  he  had  to  commence  all  over  again, 
but  he  applied  himself  to  the  task  and  soon  became 
a  good  Morse  operator.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  or  about 
that  time,  realizing  that  he  was  deficient  in  education, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


he  gave  up  business  and  attended  the  Lyceum  at  Jersey 
City,  where  he  studied  hard,  paying  for  his  tuition  and 
board  by  teaching,  until  he  was  prepared  to  enter 
Brown's  College  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  as  a  sophomore. 
He  was,  however,  unable  to  carry  out  this  cherished 
plan  on  account  of  the  expense,  which  he  was  unable 
to  meet.  .  While  preparing  himself  for  college  he 
became  a  good  Latin  scholar  and  mathematician,  and 
taught  these  branches  successfully  for  a  long  time. 
His  studies  have  never  been  entirely  discontinued,  and 
to-day  one  of  his  principal  recreations  is  in  reading 
Latin  and  French. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  Lyceum  he  went  to  Port 
Jervis,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  entered  the 
service  of  the  New  York  &  Erie  Eailroad,  now  the 
New  York,.  Lake  Erie  &  Western,  as  a  telegraph 
op3rator.  He  was  promoted  in  a  short  time  to  the 
position  of  division  operator,  having  charge  of  all  the 
operators  on  the  Delaware  division  and  branches. 
Then  in  rapid  succession  he  was  appointed  to  the 
important  and  responsible  positions  of  night-train 
despatcher,  day-train  despatcher,  chief  train-despatcher 
and  train-master.  In  August,  1873,  he  was  made 
acting-superintendent  of  the  Delaware  division,  the 
company  not  being  willing  to  appoint  so  young  a  man 
to  so  important  a  position  without  first  giving  him  a 
trial;  the  trial  was  satisfactory,  and  so  in  December  of 
the  same  year  he  was  promoted  to  division  superinten- 
dent, which  position  he  held  for  eight  years. 

On  June  1,  1881,  he  was  appointed   superintendent 


353 

of  transportation  of  the  Erie  system,  with  headquarters 
at  New  York,  and  later  assistant-general  superintendent, 
and  general  superintendent,  filling  the  last-named 
position  for  four  years.  In  August,  1887,  he  resigned 
his  position,  and  was  soon  afterwards  appointed  general 
superintendent  of  the  Chicago  &  Atlantic  Railroad, 
with  headquarters  at  Chicago,  and  at  the  same  time 
was  elected  a  director  of  the  Chicago  &  Western 
Indiana  Railroad  Company,  and  also  of  the  Belt 
Railway  Company,  of  Chicago.  September  15,  1888, 
he  was  elected  vice-president  and  general  manager 
of  the  Chicago  &  Western  Indiana  and  Belt 
Railway  Companies,  and  in  June,  1890,  was  elected 
president  of  the  same  companies,  which  position  he  now 
occupies.  Mr.  Thomas  is  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a 
clear-headed  and  capable  railroad  man,  in  fact,  one  of 
the  best  in  the  country.  His  experience  with  the 
property  of  which  he  is  now  president  shows  this. 
When  he  became  connected  with  it  it  was  scarcely 
paying  operating  expenses,  but  under  his  management 
it  is  now  paying  good  dividends  on  several  millions 
annually.  He  is  a  great  reader,  a  hard  student  and  a 
lover  of  old  and  rare  books,with  which  his  library,  at  his 
elegant  residence  in  Kenwood,  111.,  is  well  stocked.  He 
is  a  man  of  many  accomplishments,  is  fond  of  social  life, 
an  agreeable  companion  and  a  courteous  gentleman. 
Such  is  the  brief  and  necessarily  incomplete  sketch  of  the 
life  of  one  of  Chicago's  most  prominent  citizens.  His 
life  has  been  marked  by  the  strictest  integrity,  and  he 
has  the  full  confidence  of  the  business  world. 


ELBRIDGE  GALLET  KEITH, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONGST  the  prominent  citizens  of  Chicago  who 
hail  from  the  Green  Mountain  State,  there  are 
few  who  have  been  more  closely  connected  with  or 
more  deeply  interested  in  everything  tending  to  the 
welfare  of  this  city  than  has  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Elbridge  Gallet  Keith. 

Born  in  Barre,  Washington  county,  Vt.,  July  16, 
1840,  lie  is  the  \roungest  son  of  Martin  and  Betsey 
(BVench)  Keith.  The  Keitli  family  of  New  England 
are  all  descendants  of  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  clergy- 
man, James  Keith,  who  graduated  at  Aberdeen  Col- 
lege, Scotland,  and  came  to  America  about  1650, 
settling  in  Bridgewater,  Mass.  Our  subject's  father 
was  born  at  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  and  removed  to  Vermont 
at  an  early  age. 

The  early  years  of  young  Keith  were  spent  on  a 
farm,  and  he  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and  subsequently  attended 
Newbuiy  Seminary,  Vt.,  and  Barre  Academy  (at  that 
time  presided  over  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Spaulding,  an  able 
educator  of  his  day).  Young  Keith  was  at  this  time 
more  inclined  to  political  and  literary  pursuits  than  to 


business,  but  he  eventually  entered  a  country  store  in 
his  native  town  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  remained 
there  for  a  year.  In  1857  he  joined  his  two  elder 
brothers,  Edson  and  O.  R.  Keith, who  had  preceded  him 
in  taking  up  their  residence  in  Chicago.  After  a  short 
time  spent  in  the  employ  of  W.  W.  Secombe,  he 
entered  the  house  of  Keith  Brothers  &  Faxon,  contin- 
uing in  their  employ  until  1865,  when  Mr.  Faxon 
retired,  and  he  then  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
under  the  style  of  Keith  Brothers,  which  firm  still 
exists,  occupying  a  leading  position  in  its  line  of  busi- 
ness, as  it  has  done  for  upwards  of  twenty  years. 

In  1884  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Metropol- 
itan National  Bank,  to  which,  from  the  date  of  its 
organization,  he  has  devoted  the  most  of  his  attention 
and  care.  It  has  achieved  a  most  marked  success,  and 
now  ranks  as  one  of  the  leading  institutions  of  its  kind 
in  the  city.  Mr.  Keith  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  all  movements  tending  to  the  welfare  of  the 
city  and  the  entire  country.  He  served  seven  years  on 
the  Chicago  board  of  education,  and  was  a  leading 
member  of  that  body,  serving  as  chairman  on  numerous 


354 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


occasions  on  several  of  its  most  important  committees, 
and  as  a  token  of  the  warm  interest  lie  displayed  in 
educational  matters,  the  board  named  one  of  its 
schools  the  "Keith  School."  Higher  education,  also, 
has  found  in  him  a  warm  advocate,  and  he  is  at  present 
one  of  the  trustees  of  Beloit  College.  He  was  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  Union  League  Club,  and 
subsequently  became  ils  president,  and  rs  to-dav 
prominently  identified  with  it  in  all  the  patriotic  and 
public  spirited  work  in  which  it  is  engaged.  He  has 
also  been  prominently  identified  with  the  Commercial 
Club,  and  has  served  as  its  president.  He  is  also  a 
prominent  member  and  has  been  president  of  the 
Bankers'  Club.  Mr.  Keith  has  held  numerous  other 
positions  in  connection  with  the  various  benevolent 
and  philanthropic  institutions  of  the  city,  having  been 
president  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
and  also  of  the  Chicago  Orphan  Asylum. 

In  politics,  a  steadfast  Republican,  he  has  from  an 
earl}'  age  been  an  interested  student  of  political  affairs, 
it  being  related  of  him  that  .when  but  fourteen  years 
of  age,  he  walked  twelve  miles  to  attend  the  first 
State  convention  of  the  Republican  party  in  Vermont. 
Although  an  ardent  Republican,  he  has  never  been  a 
bitter  or  bigoted  partisan.  An  active  member  of  his 
party,  he  has  had  much  to  do  with  nominating 
conventions,  both  of  the  city  of  Chicago  and  the  State 
of  Illinois.  Mr.  Keith  represented  the  city  of  Chicago 
in  the  memorable  national  convention  that  nominated 
Garfield  for  president ;  while  he  has  frequently  been 


urged  to  accept  positions  of  high  political  importance, 
but  has  uniformly  declined  to  become  a  candidate  for 
any  political  office.  lie  v  as  a  director  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  and  an  active  promoter  of  that 
enterprise  from  the  first. 

In  matters  of  religion,  he  holds  evangelical  views 
and  is  a  warm  supporter  of  Du-ight  L.  Moody,  while 
he  is  also  a  promoter  of  and  firm  believer  in  unsectarian 
Christian  work.  Brought  upa  Methodist,  the  influence 
of  a  pious  mother  has  been  marked  throughout  his  life. 
For  over  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  Christ 
Reformed  Episcopal  church  (Bishop  Cheney's)  and  its 
senior  warden  for  many  years.  He  was  married  in  De- 
cember, 1SG5,  to  Miss  Harriet  S.  Hall,  a  native  of  LaSalle 
county,  Illinois.  They  have  four  sons  and  two  daughters. 
A  man  of  large  affairs,  his  time,  as  may  be  imag- 
ined, is  fully  occupied,  for  he  is  always  prominent  in 
benevolent  work,  and  actively  interested  in  everything 
tending  to  the  benefit  of  Chicago,  and  of  good  citizen- 
ship generally.  His  labors  are  with  a  zeal  seemingly 
beyond  his  physical  strength,  for  he  is  by  no  means 
robust  and  his  constitution  none  of  the  strongest.  It 
is  safe  to  say  that  Mr.  Keith  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
men  in  the  city,  one  of  the  most  widely  known,  and 
certainly  one  of  the  most  respected.  A  typical  Chi- 
cagoan,  he  is  truly  a  representative  citizen  and  belongs 
to  that  class  who  have  aided  so  materially — and  to  an 
extent  asyet  unknown — in  raising  Chicago  to  the  pos- 
ition which  it  occupies  among  the  cities  of  Arnerica,and 
of  the  world. 


JOHN   CHAUNCEY  TRAINOR, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  at  Water- 
town,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  May  18,  1858,  his 
parents  being  James  and  Catherine  Trainor,  of  Water- 
town,  where  the  father  still  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead, his  mother  having  died  in  1873,  when  John  was 
fifteen  years  old.  His  youth  was  spent  in  his  native 
place,  and  there  he  received  his  early  education,  upon 
the  completion  of  which  lie  began  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  Hannibal  Smith,  who  was  the  principal 
of  the  Watertown  High  School  when  young  Trainor 
first  entered  that  institution,  and  an  old  and  valued 
friend.  During  the  winter  terms  of  1878-79  he  tem- 
porarily left  the  law  office,  to  become  teacher  of  the 
village  school  at  East  Rodman,  in  his  native  county, 
after  which  he  resumed  his  legal  studies  in  the  office 
of  Edmund  B.  Wynn,  general  counsel  for  the  Rome, 
Watertown  and  Ogdensburg  Railroad  Company.  After 
close  application  to  his  studies,  Mr.  Trainor,  on  Janu- 
ary 6,  1882,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  the  general  term  of  the  Supreme  Court 
held  at  Syracuse,  1ST.  Y.,  after  a  creditable  examination. 
August  27,  1883,  Mr.  Trainor  came  to  Chicago,  first 


opening  an  office  at  Kensington,  a  suburb  of  the  city 
adjoining  Pullman,  and  after  establishing  a  permanent 
practice,  he  removed  his  office  to  Chicago,  occupying 
suite  62  and  63  La  Fayette  building,  70  La  Salle  street, 
his  present  location,  his  residence  still  being  in  Ken- 
sington. 

On  Oct.  14,  18SO,  Mr.  Trainor  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Deette  M.  Cavanaugh,of  Watertown, 
N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Thomas  T.  and  Mary  E.  Cavanaugh, 
and  grand-daughter  of  Chandler  C.  Chase,of  Watertown. 
Mrs.  Trainer's  parents  owned  and  operated  a  large 
dairy  farm  of  between  300  and  '400  acres,  located  at 
the  junction  of  the  three  towns  Rodman,  Rutland  and 
Watertown,  in  Jefferson  county,  and  situated  about 
seven  miles  from  the  city  of  Watertown.  Her  grand, 
father,  Mr.  Chase,  was  a  well-to  do  farmer  in  the 
township,  and  died  in  April,  1893,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-three  3rears.  Mr.  Chase  had  been  assessor  of 
his  township  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  one  of  the 
best  known  and  mo'st  respected  men  in  Jefferson  county. 

Mr.  Trainor  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  promi- 
nent lawyers  of  Chicago,  a  position  he  has  attained  by 


-^ 

*«&• 


i'RCMtNENT  MEN  OP  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


his  own  unaided  efforts  and  by  virtue  of  his  sys- 
tematic industry  and  sterling  ability.  He  is  distinctly 
a  self-made  man,  and  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a 
large  practice  of  the  best  kind.  He  represents  several 
of  the  most  prominent  wholesale  and  retail  firms  of 
Chicago,  and  looks  after  their  interests  in  a  manner 
which  makes  him  valued  highly  by  all  of  them.  He  is 
a  hard  and  studious  worker,  and  his  law  library  is  said 
to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city. 

In  September,  1893,  Mr.  Trainor  experienced  the 
great  affliction  of  his  life  in  the  loss  of  his  esteemed 
wife,  who  died  of  pneumonia,  leaving  five  .small  chil- 
dren— three  girls  and  two  bojjs,  the  youngest  but  five 
weeks  old.  Mrs.  Trainor  was  a  beautiful  woman,  of 
rare  intellectual  endowment,  and  whose  life  was  very 
helpful  to  her  husband,  and  who  feels  her  loss  most 


357 

keenly.  We  are  glad  to  know  that  the  ability  displayed 
in,  and  his  close  application  to  his  profession,  above 
referred  to,  have  borno  to  Mr.  Trainor  gratifying 
results,  for  during  the  past  ten  years  he  has  acquired  a 
very  comfortable  competence,  which  has  found  judi- 
cious investment.  Among  the  evidences  of  prosperity 
may  be  noted  the  recent  erection,  at  Kensington,  by 
him.  of  a  fine  four-story,  stone-front  business  block, 
which  is  an  ornament  to  the  town. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Trainor  is  a' Republican,  whose 
activity  and  well  timed  zeal  are  of  recognized  value, 
and  much  appreciated  by  his  associates.  In  personal 
appearance  lie  is  of  medium  height,  fine  physique,  of 
pleasant  address  and  keen  perception,  a  loyal  friend 
and  in  all  places  a. gentleman.  We  bespeak  for  him  a 
bright  future. 


CHARLES  WARRINGTON  EARLE,  A.  M.,  M.  D.> 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  paternal  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  Ralph  Earle,  an  Englishman,  who,  with  his 
wife,  Joan,  came  from  Exeter  in  1634,  and  founded  a 
family  which  is  to-day  conspicuous  in  mercantile  and 
professional  life  in  all  parts  of  this  country.  Sprung 
from  this  stock,  and  of  it  a  worthy  branch,  was  Charles 
Warrington  Earle,  born  in  Westford,  Vermont,  April 
2nd,  1845.  When  he  was  nine  years  old  his  father, 
Moses  L.  Earle,  removed  from  Vermont  to  Lake  count}', 
111.  Mr.  Earle  was  an  ambitious  farmer,  and  his  son 
experienced  all  the  advantages,  as  well  as  the  disad- 
vantages of  being  a  "  farmer's  boy."  His  early  edu- 
cation was  much  retarded  and  interrupted  by  the 
demands  of  farm  work,  yet  the  strength  and  endurance 
gained  in  the  fields  more  than  made  up  for  it  in  after 
years.  For  seven  years  he  labored,  dividing  his  time 
between  the  farm  and  the  school  room.  When  the 
first  call  for  volunteers  came  in  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 
lion, though  but  sixteen  years  old,  Charles  persuaded 
his  father  to  allow  him  to  enlist,  which  he  did  in  the 
Fifteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was 
mustered  into  service  in  the  summer  of  1861.  This 
regiment  was  enlisted  for  "  three  months'  service,"  but 
when  the  recruits  reached  Freeport  they  were  informed 
that  enough  three  months'  men  had  already  been  sent 
on,  and  that  they  could  either  return  to  their  homes  or 
enlist  for  three  years.  It  did  not  take  them  long  to 
decide,  and  soon  the}'  were  attached  to  Gen.  Fremont's 
corps  then  operating  in  Missouri.  In  the  fall  of  1861 
young  Earle  was  disabled,  sent  home  and  entered  the 
academy  at  Burlington,  Wis. 

Iri  the  following  spring,  however,  unable  to  resist 
the  call  of  President  Lincoln  for  more  men,  he  enlisted 
in  the  Ninety-sixth  regiment  of  111.  Volunteer  Infantrv. 
This  regiment  was  in  the  command  of  Gen.  Gordon 
Granger,  and  began  active  service  in  Tennessee  under 


General  Rosecrans.  At  Franklin,  Tenn.,  Earle,  who 
was  orderly-sergeant,  was  promoted  to  second -lieutenant 
of  his  company,  and  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  he 
commanded  it.  In  that  battle  the  loss  of  the  company 
was  thirty-five  out  of  forty-five  men.  Lieutenant  Earle 
was  slightly  wounded,  and  in  the  report  of  his  regi- 
mental commander  was  especially  commended  for 
brave  conduct.  Years  afterward,  at  Kingston,  Jam- 
aica, Col.  George  Hicks,  in  an  address,  speaking  of  the 
services  of  the  Ninety-Sixth,  said :  "I  found  that  I 
had  now  but  a  very  few  men  with  me,  and  I  should 
have  .thought  that  I  had  wholly  strayed  from  my  regi- 
ment were  it  not  that  I  had  with  me  the  regimental 
colors,  together  with  the  commander  of  the  color  com- 
pany, the  intrepid  boy  lieutenant,  lion-hearted,  fearless, 
unflinching  Charles  Earle,  whose  name  must  be 
inscribed  high  among  the  highest  on  the  roll  of  Chick- 
amauga heroes."  On  the  day  following  the  battle, 
Lieutenant  Earle's  company  was  consigned  to  picket 
duty  on  Missionary  Ridge,  below  which  the  Union 
forces  were  gathering  for  the  battle  of  Chattanooga. 
Through  the  cowardice  of  a  staff-officer  they  were  left 
unrelieved,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of 'the  Confederates 
as  prisoners.  On  the  night  of  October  1,  1863,  Lieu- 
tenant Earle  was  consigned  to  Libby  Prison,  where  he 
remained  until  that  wonderful  escape  through  the  tun- 
nel February  9,  1864.  The  story  has  often  been  told 
of  the  six  awful  days  of  wading  through  swamps,  ter- 
rorized by' men  and  hunted  by  dogs,  until  with  inde- 
scribable emotions  the}-,  came  in  bight  of  Union  troops. 
Returning  soon  after  his  escape  to  his  regiment,  Lieu- 
tenant Earle  was  rapidly  advanced  through  the  grades 
to  the  rank  of  adjutant  and  finally  aid-de-camp  and 
acting  assistant  inspector-general  on  the  staff  of  Gen. 
W.  C.  Whittaker,  and'  at  the  close  of  the  war  was 
breveted  captain  of  the  United  States  volunteers  for 


358 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  at  the  battles  of 
Chickamauga,  Resaca,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Franklin 
and  Nashville. 

In  1865  he  recommenced  his  studies  at  Beloit  Col- 
lege, Wisconsin.  After  a  studious  sojourn  there  of 
three  years,  he  entered  the  Chicago  Medical  College, 
graduating  in  1870,  one  of  the  two  honor  men  of  his 
class,  and  soon  after  commenced  practice  in  the  office 
of  the  celebrated  Professor  William  H.  Byford,  of 
whose  advice  and  friendship  he  was  the  favored  recipi- 
ent. In  1870  the  Woman's  Medical  College  was  organ- 
ized, and  Dr.  Earle  was  made  professor  of  physiology 
and  diseases  of  children,  and  treasurer  in  the  same  insti- 
tution, and  upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Byford  became  its 
president.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  president  of  the  faculty  and  professor  of 
obstetrics.  He  was  also  professor  of  operative  obstet- 
rics in  the  Post-Uraduate  College  and  Hospital  of  this 
city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical 
Society  ;  of  the  American  Medical  Association  ;  of  the 
Pediatric  Society  ;  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society, 
of  the  British  Medical  Society.  He  was  also  an  hon- 
ored member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  Loyal  Legion  ;  also 
a  member  of  the  Irving  Club,  a  prominent  literary  club 
of  the  city. 

Notwithstanding  the  enormous  demands  of  his 
practice,  Dr.  Earle  has  been  the  author  of  manv  arti- 
cles of  wide  range  on  medical  subjects  which  have 
attracted  attention  in  this  country  and  Europe.  A 
course  of  study  in  the  hospitals  of  Florence,  Vienna, 
Berlin,  Paris  and  London,  resulted  in  a  valuable  series 
of  essays  on  obstetrical  subjects.  Owing  to  his  occu- 
pancy of  the  chair  of  diseases  of  children  in  the 
Woman's  Medical  College,  Professor  Earle  was  enabled 
to  publish  many  important  papers  on  pediatrics.  He 
contributed  to  the  Chicago  Medical  Society  a  paper 


entitled  "Diphtheria  and  its  Municipal  Control,"  after 
reading  which  he  offered  a  resolution, which  was  passed 
with  only  one  dissenting  vote,  recommending  that  the 
city  board  of  health  placard  all  houses  infected  with 
diphtheria. 

For  eighteen  years  Dr.  Earle  was  chief  physician 
in  the  Washingtonian  Home,  where  be  made  a  close 
study  of  inebriety,  and  arrived  at  important  con- 
clusions concerning  its  treatment,  which  he  has  em- 
bodied in  some  of  the  most  practical  publications  ever 
issued  on  that  subject. 

Politically,  Dr.  Earle  was  a  Republican  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lincoln  Club, .though  not  active  in  politics, 
being  thoroughly  devoted  to  his  profession.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  much  esteemed  member  of  the 
Union  Park  Congregational  Church.  He  died  on  No- 
vember 19,  1893,  universally  lamented. 

The  personal  characteristics  of  Professor  Earle  are 
thus  stated  by  an  eminent  brother  .physician  of  this 
city :  "  Great,  honest-hearted,  noble  man ;  his  bluff 
exterior  hides  one  of  the  tenderest  hearts  that  ever 
beat.  Gentle  as  a  child,  perfectly  honest  and  disinter- 
ested in  his  practice,  he  could  not  be  hired  to  do  a  dis- 
honest thing.  He  is  a  man  of  brains  and  ability,  and 
thinks  down  deep  into  his  cases.  The  doctor  is  held 
in  the  highest  regard  in  the  Chicago  Post-Graduate 
School,  of  which  he  was  to  a  large  extent  organizer, 
and  in  the  Woman's  Medical  College  of  this  city  his 
work  is  beyond  all  praise." 

In  187r  Dr.  Earle  was  married  to  Miss  Fanny 
Bundy,  a  sister  of  the  late  Major  J.  M.  Bundy,  who 
was  for  many  years  a  distinguished  member  of  the 
metropolitan  press.  An  accomplished  musician,  and  a 
woman  of  fine  literary  tastes,  Mrs.  Earle  always  took 
a  deep  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  her  hus- 
band's professional  life.  Two  children  were  born  to 
them,  viz.:  Carrie  and  William  Byford  Earle. 


ELMER   E.  BARRETT, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


PALMER  E.  BARRETT  was  born  at  Kalamazoo, 
C  Mich.,  June  2,  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  James 
Henry  and  Sarah  M.  (Hopkins)  Barrett.  On  his  father's 
side  he  is  of  Irish,  and  on  his  mother's  side  of  Welsh 
extraction.  The  early  ancestors  of  both  the  Barrett 
and  Hopkins  families  participated  in  the  struggle  for 
independence  at  the  time  of  the  American  Revolution. 
The  mother  was  directly  descended  from  Stephen 
Hopkins,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  the  first  ancestors  on  her  side  came  to 
America  about  1682,  and  settled  in  Connecticut.  The 
first  paternal  ancestor  came  to  this  country  and  settled 
in  Massachusetts  about  1630. 

Elmer  E.  Barrett  came   to  Chicago  and  settled  in 
1879.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Ottawa 


and  Peoria,  and  by  private  tutors.  He  entered  and 
graduated  from  the  Chicago  College  of  Law,  and  after 
admission  to  the  bar  began  practice  in  this  city.  He 
has  made  corporation  law  a  specialty  and  has  served  as 
counsel  for  a  number  of  large  corporations.  He  is  in 
partnership  with  Edward  J.  Hamel,  Esq.,  and  does  a 
general  law  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Barrett 
&  Hamel. 

Mr.  Barrett  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  coming,  as 
he  does,  from  a  family  who  were  staunch  supporters 
of  the  Union  during  the  Rebellion.  His  father  was 
captain  of  Company  H,  44th  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  was  afterwards  in  the  107th  United 
States  Infantry.  He  was  present  at  the  taking  of  Fort 
Fisher,  and  at  the  siege  and  capture  of  Richmond.  His 


-<^-~^-f-~£-<^ 


>* 


\\* 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  r  WEST. 


uncle,  W.  W.  Barrett,  was  colonel  of  the  44th  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  later  breveted  brigadier- 
general,  lie  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  and 
was  in  the  campaign  through  Tennessee  and  Kentucky, 
and  in  command  of  a  brigade  at  the  battles  of  Stone 
River  anil  Mission  Ridge. 

Mr.  Barrett  is  a  Congregationalist,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Club.     In  a  social  way,  he  holds 


361 

membership  in  the  Union  League,  Chicago  Athletic 
Association,  and  the  Lincoln  Clubs,  of  Chicago.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  College  of  Law, 
and  is  secretary  of  that  institution  at  this  writing. 

Mr.  Barrett  was  marned  on  October  3,  1883,  to 
Miss  Helen  Marie  Walters.  lie  resides  in  the  village 
of  Western  Springs,  a  suburb  of  Chicago,  and  where 
he  owns  a  pleasant  home. 


DR.  MONROE  S.  LEECH, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


M 


ONROE  S.  LEECH  was  born  October  14,  1845, 
at  Shelby,  Ohio.  His  parents  were  Robert  and 
Catherine  (Carr)  Leech,  old  residents  of  Ohio.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  academy  of  his 
native  town,  but  later',  in  accordance  with  his  natural 
inclination  for  the  study  of  medicine,  he  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  Western  Reserve  College  at 
Cleveland,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1806. 
Later,  in  the  same  year,  he  moved  to  Butler,  Mo.,  near 
Kansas  City,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, remaining  several  years.  Returning  to  Ohio 
he  entered  the  Eclectic  Medical  School,  at  Cincinnati, 
graduating  therefrom  in  1871.  Returning  to  Missouri, 
he  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  the  next  ten 
vears.  Owing,  however,  to  failing  health,  he  concluded 
to  change  his  location,  and  chose  Chicago  for  his  future 
home.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  1881,  Dr.  Leech  entered 
the  Rush  Medical  College,  graduating  the  following 
vear.  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 


practice  of  medicine  in  his  adopted  city,  where  he  has 
made  a  gratifying  record.  Among  other  societies,  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Medico-Historical  Society  of  Chi- 
cago. Dr.  Leech  enlisted  in  the  Union  arrnv  while  a 
young  man,  serving  in  the  163d  Ohio  Regiment  from 
May  1,  1864,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in 
several  hot  engagements,  among  which  were  the  bat- 
tles of  Wilson's  Lajuling  and  Harrison's  Landing  on 
the  James  River.  He  also  was  in  the  long  siege  of 
Petersburg  in  Virginia. 

In  politics  Dr.  Leech  is  a  Republican,  and  in  mat- 
ters of  religion  is  classed  among  the  Liberals. 

In  1S68  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  May  A. 
Braiden,  of  Butler,  Mo.  The  result  of  the  union  is  one 
daughter,  Anna  Belle  Leech. 

Dr.  Leech,  socially,  is  a  very  pleasant  gentleman, 
of  a  kindly  nature,  whose  friends  find  its  pleasant  to 
meet  and  who  are  glad  to  know  of  his  large  practice 
and  who  rejoice  in  his  future  bright  prospects. 


E.  W.  BLATCHFORD, 

CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch   is  the  son  of  John  and 
Frances  (Wickes)  Blatchford,  and    was  born   in 
'  ihe  town  of  Stillwater.  N.  Y.,  May  31,  1826.     He  is  a 
grandson   of  Rev.  Samuel    Blatchford,    who   came   to 
New  York  from  England  in  the  year  1795. 

His  early  studies  were  pursued  at  the  Lansingburg 
(N.  Y.)  Academv,  anil  he  completed  his  education, 
after  coming  West,  at  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville,  III., 
from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1845,  in  the 
same  class  with  the  late  W.  C.  Goudv.  After  graduat- 
ing he  returned  to  New  York  and  was  for  several 
years  employed,  in  the  capacity  of  confidential  clerk, 
in  the  offices  of  E.  II.  and  R.  M.  Blatchford,  who  were 
at  that  time  the  American  attorneys  for  the  Bank  of 
England. 

He  first  engaged  in  business  for  himself  in  the  city 
of  St.  Louis  in  185U,  the  firm  being  known  as  Blatch- 
ford &  Collins.  In  1854,  thev  established  a  branch 


plant  in  Chicago,  under  the  firm  name  of  Collins  & 
Blatchford.  Several  years  later  the  St.  Louis  plant 
wac  sold  and  Mi\  Blatchford  devoted  his  whole  atten- 
tion to  the  business  in  Chicago  continuing  therein  as 
E.  W.  Blatchford  &  Co.,  under  which  title  it  is  carried 
on  at  the  present  time. 

In  the  troublous  times  between  1861  and  1865,  Mr. 
Blatchford  was  prominently  connected  with  the  work 
of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  and  for 
several  years  devoted  almost  his  entire  time  to  his 
duties  as  treasurer  of  the  northwestern  branch  of  that 
organisation.  He  has  been  a  director  of  the  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary  almost  from  its  birth,  and  for 
thirty  years  president  of  its  board  of  trustees.  He  was 
the  executor  and  trustee  of  the  estate  of  Walter  L. 
New  berry  and  when  the  New  berry  Library  was  incor- 
porated, was  elected  president  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
He  is  also  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 


362 

Chicago  Manual  Training  School,and  was  for  many  years 
a  trustee  of  Illinois  College,  Rockford  Female  Seminary, 
and  is  still  a  member  of  the  boards  of  trustees  of  the 
Chicago  Academy  of  Science,  the  Historical  Society 
and  of  the  Chicago  Art  Institute.  Ever  since  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Chicago  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  New  England  Congregational  church,  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century  a  corporate  member  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  and  for  more 
than  ten  years  vice-president  of  that  body.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  originators  and  a  charter  member  of  the 
Chicago  City  Missionary  Society  and  the  Chicago  Con- 
gregational Club. 

After  the  great  fire  in  1871  he  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  issuing 
all  of  the  passes  that  were  given  to  those  who  were 
forced  to  leave  the  city  at  that  time.  He  was  a  mem- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


ber  of  the  first  grand  jury  that  met  in  Chicago  after 
the  Fire.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League,  the 
Commercial,  the  Chicago,  the  University,  and  the 
Literary  clubs,  and  politically,  is  an  advocate  of  Repub- 
licanism. 

In  October,  1858,  Mr.  Blatchford  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Emily  Williams,  daughter  of  John  C 
Williams  of  Chicago.  Seven  children,  four  sons  and 
three  daughters,  have  blessed  this  union,  the  eldest  son 
being  to-day  one  of  Chicago's  most  valued  and  pro- 
gressive business  men.  Mr.  Blatchford's  life  has  been 
one  of  ceaseless  and  successful  activity  in  business,  and 
to  him  Chicago  owes  much  of  its  prosperity.  In  the 
giving  of  time  and  money  for  Christian  and  benevolent 
enterprises  he  has  been  conspicuous  for  his  generosity 
and  noted  for  his  valuable  counsel  and  executive  ability 
in  carrying  these  enterprises  to  success. 


ELIJAH  B.  SHERMAN,  LL.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ELIJAH  B.  SHERMAN. son  of  Elias  H.  and  Clarissa 
(Willmarth)  Sherman  was  born  on  a  farm  at  Fair- 
field.Vt.,  on  the  18th  of  June,  1832.  On  his  father's  side 
he  is  a  descendant  of  Rev.  John  Sherman,  who  came 
from  England  with  Captain  John  Sherman,  and  who 
was  also  the  American  ancestor  of  the  illustrious  family 
of  whom  Senator  John  Sherman  and  the  late  General 
William  T.  Sherman  were  members,  and  was  a  cousin 
of  John  Sherman,  the  sea  captain  from  whom  Roger 
Sherman,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  was  descended.  His  mother  was  a 
grand-daughter  of  Rev.  Peter  Worden,  a  distinguished 
patriot  and  preacher  who  was  eminent  and  highly 
honored,  as  evidenced  by  the  early  history  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  Vermont. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  the  first  twenty -one 
years  of  his  life  on  a  farm,  and  succeeded  in  acquiring 
a  fair  common  school  education,  which  enabled  him  to 
commence  teaching  in  the  district  school  at  the  age  of 
nineteen.  This  part  of  his  life  is  best  described  by  his 
friend  Judge  Grosscup,  who  in  a  sketch  of  his  life, 
says:  "  His  boyhood  comprehended  the  almost  invaria- 
ble conditions  from  which  the  energy  of  our  large 
cities  is  each  year  recruited.  He  had  ambition  without 
apparent  opportunity,  a  taste  for  literature  without  the 
means  of  finding  it,  a  predisposition  to  thoughtfulness 
without  the  ordinary  scholastic  channels  to  turn  it 
into.  But  what  he  then  supposed  were  limitations 
upon  his  life,  were,  in  reality,  the  highest  opportunities. 
The  poetic  fancy,  shut  out  from  printed  pages,  turned 
for  revel  to  the  mountains,  whose  green  summits  were 
outlined  against  the  blue  sky;  to  the  clear  brooks  that 
leaped  down  their  sides;  to  the  broad  meadows  at 
their  base,  from  which  the  sounds  of  lowing  cattle 
came.  It  thus  developed  a  dream  world  and  pictur- 


esqueness  of  its  own,  which  has  often  since  given  to 
the  audience  and  the  printed  page  what  was  denied  to 
himself.     His  youthful  thoughtfulness  instead  of  being 
soaked  up  by  philosophic  books,  like  water  by  a  sponge, 
turned  in  its   isolation   upon   himself,  the   intellectual 
and  moral  activities  behind  him,  and  his  relation  to  his 
environments,  and  thus  developed  a  power  of  mental 
vision,  introspective  as  well  as  extrospective,  that  gave 
freshness  and  farsightedness  to  his  intellectual  products. 
With  nature  for  a  tutor,  and  himself  and  his  surround- 
ings for  his  studies,  he  found  a  school  from  which  the 
city-bred    boy    is    barred,  and    whence   issue,  year   by 
year,  the  men  who,  in  city  and  country,  make  events/' 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to  the  village  of 
Brandon,  where  he  worked  as  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store 
for  one  year  and  then  fitted  himself  for  college;  attend- 
ing Brandon  Seminary  for  a  year  and   Burr  Seminary 
at  Manchester  for  the  same  length  of  time.     He  entered 
Middlebury   College   in    1856   and   during   his   course 
there  sustained  himself  by  teaching  school  part  of  each 
year,  and  notwithstanding   this  extra  drain    up,  n    his 
time   and   energy  he   stood    high    among  his  fellow- 
students  and  received  a  fair  share  of  class  and   college 
honors.     He  graduated  with  honors  in  I860  and   has 
since  been  called  back  to  his  "Alma  Mater"  to  deliver 
the  address  of  honor  for  commencement  week,  and   in 
recognition  of  his  literary  ability  and  successful  career, 
he,  in  1883,  received  from  the  college  the  degree   of 
LL.  D.,  a  compliment  more  significant  by  the  fact  that 
Middlebury    College  has  conferred  that'  degree  upon 
scarcely  a  half  dozen   of  its  own  children   in   the  past 
forty  years.     He  taught  school   at  South  Woodstock 
for  a  year  after  graduation  and   became  principal  of 
Brandon  Seminary  in  1861. 

In   May,  1862,  he  enlisted  in   Company   C,  Ninth 


,A 

V  .-\     '  iVV 


,S*VN 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


365 


Regiment,  Vermont  Infantry,  and  upon  its  organiza- 
tion lie  was  elected  lieutenant.  The  regiment  was 
captured  by  the  Confederates  in  September  at  Harper's 
Ferry  and  shortly  afterwards  was  paroled  and  sent  to 
Camp  Dou»-las,  Chicago.  After  coming  to  Chicago  he 
determined  to  enter  the  legal  profession,  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 1863,  he  resigned  his  commission  and  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1864  and  immediately  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

He  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  in  1876, 
and  was  made  chairman  of  one  of  the  most  important 
committees  of  the  House— that  oa  judiciary.  In  this 
capacity  he  assisted  in  securing  the  passage  of  the 
act  establishing  appellate  courts,  the  wisdom  of  which 
experience  is  rendered  no  longer  debatable.  He  was 
re-elected  in  1878  and  during  his  second  term  he  was  a 
member  of  the  judiciary  committee  and  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  corporations.  During  this  term  he 
aided  in  promoting  the  re-organization  of  the  Illinois 
National  Guard  and  in  establishing  a  better  military 
code  for  the  State,  and  in  recognition  of  his  services  he 
was  appointed  judge-advocate  of  the  first  brigade,with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  in  which  position  he 
served  until  1884. 

In  the  year  1879,  Mr.  Sherman  was  appointed  mas- 
ter in  chancery  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United 
States,  by  Judges  Harlan,  Drummond  and  Blodgett, 
which  position  he  still  holds,  and  in  which  he  has  dis- 
played marked  ability.  His  most  prominent  trait,  per- 
haps, is  an  extraordinary  quickness  of  perception,  and 
a  lawyer  unfolding  before  him  a-lineof  thought  always 
sees  by  the  face  of  his  listener  that  the  line  is  taken  up 
and  mastered  as  soon  as  uttered.  To  this  perceptive 
faculty  are  linked  a  comprehensive  grasp  and  the  rare 
power  of  precise  utterance,  for  Mr.  Sherman  never 
fails  to  impart  the  pleasure  which  comes  from  being 
exactly  understood.  In  short,  he  is  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  duties  of  his  position,  and  has  from  the  first 
amply  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of  the  judges  to  whom 
he  owes  his  appointment. 

In  1884  he  was  appointed  by  Judge  Drummond 
chief  supervisor  of  elections  for  the  northern  district 
of  Illinois,  and  supervised  the  elections  held  in  Chi- 
cago in  1884/1888,  1890  and  1892,  and  so  ably  and 
fairly  were  the  delicate  duties  of  this  most  responsible 
position  performed  that  from  both  political  parties 
-  came  evidence  of  satisfaction  and  commendation  of  his 
fairness  and  judicial  impartiality. 

Mr.  Sherman  has  been  for  many  years  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  having  been  elected  grand  master  of 
the  grand  lodge  of  Illinois  in  1874,  and  a  representa- 
tive to  the  sovereign  grand  lodge  in  1875  and  1876.  He 
is  a  32nd  degree  Mason,  a  member  of  William  B.  War- 
ren lodge,  Chicago  Commandery,  and  Oriental  Consis- 
tory. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  the  Veteran  Club,  and  the  Illinois  Command- 
ery of  the  military  order  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Illinois  Bar  Association 
in  1877,  and  was  its  president  in  1882,  and  delivered  the 


annual  address  which  attracted  wide  attention  for  its 
literary  excellence  and  profound  erudition.  He  is  also 
a  prominent  member  of  the  American  Bar  Association, 
and  has  been  for  several  years  one  of  its  vice-presidents. 
He  has  been  president  of  the  Illinois  Association  of 
the  Sons  of  Vermont,  and  of  the  Oakland  and  Saracen 
Clubs'  and  is  now  president  of  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  the  Delta  Upsilon  Fraternity,  and  a  member  of 
the  Union  League  Club.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Philosophical  Society  and  many  other  literary 
and  scientific  associations. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  in  1871  Mr.  Sherman 
displayed  his  sagacity  and  executive  ability  in  a  marked 
manner.  While  the  fire  was  still  burning  he  saw  the 
necessity  of  immediate  relief,  and  promptly  called  upon 
the  Odd  Fellows  of  the  country  for  assistance,  and  to 
his  prompt  action  was  largely  due  the  generous  contri- 
butions that  came  to  Chicago  to  relieve  the  members 
of  that  order,  and  through  a  committee,  of  which  he 
was  secretary,  $125,000  was  distributed  to  the  victims 
of  the  fire. 

In  1866  Mr.  Sherman  was  married  to  Miss  Hattie 
G.  Lovering,  daughter  of  S.  M.  Lovering,  of  Iowa 
Falls,  an  educated  and  accomplished  lady  who  is 
deservedly  popular,  and  who,  with  her  husband,  has 
long  exerted  a  social  influence  that  is  widely  felt.  They 
have  one  son,  Bernis  W.,  who  entered  Middlebury 
College  in  1886,  graduated  in  1890,  studied  law  in  the 
Northwestern  University  College  of  Law  in  Chicago, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1892. 

Mr.  Sherman  is  a  Republican,  and  is  proud  of  the 
history  and  principles  of  the  party,  but  is  not  a  partisan 
in  politics.  In  his  religious  views  he  is  a  firm  believer 
in  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  Christianity,  but  believing 
that  character  is  essential  and  opinion  merely  incidental, 
he  has  but  little  respect  for  ancient,  crystallized  creeds, 
and  no  sympathy  for  those  attenuated  souls  who  would 
monopolize  for  themselves  and  a  few  co-religionists  the 
love  and  mercy  of  the  Infinite  Father. 

One  of  Mr.  Sherman's  professional  achievements 
was  his  successful  attack  upon  irresponsible  insurance 
companies.  As  the  representative  of  the  State  Audi- 
tor's office  he  brought  suit  against  several  of  these 
companies  and  prosecuted  them  so  vigorously  that  they 
were  compelled  to  abandon  their  business.  Some  of 
these  cases  were  taken  to  the  State  and  Federal  Su- 
preme Courts  and  the  decisions  therein  rendered  form 
a  part  of  the  recent  judicial  departure  which  has  so 
greatly  enlarged  legislative  control  over  powerful  cor- 
porations theretofore  firmly  entrenched  behind  pre- 
rogative and  vested  right. 

Mr.  Sherman  is  pre  eminently  literary  and  cultured. 
His  public  addresses  are  among  the  best  productions 
of  the  day.  His  style  is  original  and  unique.  He  has. 
as  much  as  any  writer  known,  the  faculty  of  catching 
the  present  thought,  and  by  the  aptist  word  or  phrase, 
transferring  it  to  the  printed  page.  He  has  a  fine 
sense  of  the  secondary,  as  well  as  the  primary  meaning 
of  words,  and  thus  gives  to  their  use  a  freshness  as 
well  as  a  precision,  that  arouses  thought.  In  this  re- 


MEN  OF  THE  CHEAT  WEST. 


spect,  his  style  much  resembles  that  of  Evarts.  How 
well  he  can  turn  into  language  what  is  in  his  own 
mind,  is  illustrated  in  the  following  sentences  taken 
from  his  Middlebury  address: 

'•The  processes  of  mind  are  essentially creative,not 
necessarily  in  the  sense  of  originating  ideas  which  did 
not  before  exist,  but  in  the  sense  of  a  constant  and 
ever  increasing  adaptation  of  existing  faculties  and 
powers  to  human  needs  and  human  happiness.  Through 
countless  ages,  by  successive  formative  processes,  and 
witli  infinite  patience,  nature  has  formed  the  habita- 
tion of  man,  and  has  given  into  his  hands  the  keys  of 
knowledge  and  the  scepter  of  dominion.  Yet  how 
slow  he  was  to  comprehend  himself  or  the  universe 
about  him;  how  tardy  in  exercising  his  legitimate 
powers  and  appreciating  the  destiny  that  awaits  him. 
True  he  has  subdued  and  conserved  some  of  the  forces 
of  nature  and  taught  them  to  do  his  bidding;  he  has 
simply  opened  the  door  and  crossed  the  threshold  of 
nature's  arena,  but  can  only  surmise  what  secrets  are 
just  beyond  his  limited  vision." 

In  a  cultured  audience  Mr.  Sherman  is  alwavs  a 
favorite.  He  has  the  courage,  too,  of  the  real  orator, 
else  he  could  not  have  stood  before  an  audience,  even 
on  the  occasion  of  the  burial  of  General  Grant,  and 
uttered  this  apostrophe : 

"Rise,  proud  monuments,  in  majestic  grandeur, 
till  your  summits  pierce  the  clouds  and  kiss  the 
over-arching  vault  of  heaven.  "With  mute  but  mov- 
ing eloquence  proclaim  to  coming  generations  the 
splendor  of  his  character  and  the  matchless  glory 
of  his  renown.  Declare  to  them  the  magnificent  ex- 
ample of  his  life,  the  impressive  lesson  of  his  death. 
Reveal  to  wondering  eyes  his  massive  .form  and  the 
striking  lineaments  of  the  great  commander's  face.'' 

In  all  his  public  addresses  there  shines  the  light  of 
an  aggressive  patriotism.  He  is  essentially  an  Ameri- 
can who  believes  in  his  country.  He  has  the  power  of 
muking  his  patriotism  contagious.  His  addresses  are 
Dervaded  with  that  fine  and  subtle  quality  which  stirs 


his  hearers  and  inspires  them  with  the  sentiments 
which  inflame  his  own  heart.  Mr.  Sherman  is  a  prac- 
tical analyst  of  human  thought  and  feeling.  He  knows 
what  is  at  the  basis  of  conduct,  and  possesses  the  diffi- 
cult art  of  photographing  it  for  others.  His  address 
on  "  Hawthorne's  Problem  of  Sin  ''  is  a  masterpiece  in 
this  field.  It  evolves  a  philosophy  of  its  own  respect- 
ing the  moral  sense  and  moral  responsibility  com- 
pactly expressed  in  the  following  paragraph  : 

"  Intellectual  powers  exist  at  birth  in  some  sense 
higher  than  as  mere  potentialities;  they  are  readv  to 
perform  their  normal  functions  as  soon  as  they  are 
stimulated  by  the  presence  of  proper  conditions.  Pre- 
cisely the  same  is  true  of  the  moral  powers.  The 
power  of  discrimination  between  good  and  evil  is 
present  in  a  quiescent  state,  and  as  soon  as  the  mind  is 
sufficiently  developed  the  power  of  moral  discrimina 
tion  begins  to  manifest  itself  and  the  moral  qualitv  of 
acts  is  perceived.  It  is  not  true  that  sin  is  at  once  a 
sine  qua  non  of  its  existence  and  the  aatsu  ntusans  of 
its  creation.  It  is  not  true  that  every  child  is  a  Don- 
atello." 

This  address  alone  would  establish  his  reputation  as 
a  literary  critic  and  a  mental  philosopher.  This  readv 
insight  into  human  nature,  aided  by  the  poetic  fancv 
he  could  not,  if  he  wished,  suppress,  has  made  his  many 
memorial  addresses  both  just  and  touching  No  lawyer 
at  the  Chicago  bar  is  heard  on  memorial  occasions  with 
greater  interest  or  expectation.  Mr.  Snerman  has 
been  equally  effective  on  lighter  and  more  festive  oc- 
casions. The  annual  banquet  of  the  Sons  of  Vermont 
has  always  been  brightened  by  his  wit,  and  set  to 
laughing  and  cheering  by  his  artful  admixture  of 
humor  and  State  pride.  A  Vermont  dinner  without 
Sherman  would  be  like  a  clan  dinner  without  Mc- 
Gregor. As  lawyer,  writer,  orator,  critic,  and  citizen, 
he  fills  a  conspicuous  place.  He  is  worthy  of  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  State  from  which  he  hails,  the  distinc- 
tion of  the  name  he  bears,  and  the  high  place  he  has 
made  for  himself,  and  continues  to  keep. 


ALBERT   L.  WARD, 

FAIRMONT,  MINNESOTA. 


ALBERT  L.  WARD,  son  of '  Leehe  and  Charlotte 
(Morgan)  Ward, was  born  in  Cattaraugus  county, 
X.  Y.,  in  January,  1842.  He  attended  the  public 
schoolsand  completed  a  thorough  and  practical  course 
of  study  at  the  well-known  Randolph  Academy  at 
Randolph.  N.  Y.  After  completing  this  course  he  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  entering  the  offices  of  Henderson 
\-  Wentworth  for  thai  purpose,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  18C4.  When  the  tocsin  of  war  was  first 
heard  in  the  land  he  dropped  his  books  and  hurried  to 
the  defense  of  the  Union.  As  a  soldier  he  served  his 
country  well  and  faithfully  until,  in  the  spring  of  1864-, 


he  was  forced  to  retire  on  account  of  physical  disa- 
bility. He  returned  home  with  impaired  health,  and 
in  order  to  improve  it  he  resolved  to  go  West  and 
develop  with  the  country.  He  located  at  Fairmont, 
Martin  county,  Minn.,  and  that  place  has  since  been 
his  home. 

His  career  in  Minnesota  has  been  a  singularly  suc- 
cessful one,  and  at  different  times  he  has  held  nearly 
every  office  within  the  gift  of  the  people  of  his  county 
among  whom  he  resides.  When  he  arrived  in  Martin 
county,  Minn.,  he  had  only  sSo  in  his  pocket  and  this 
he  has  made  the  nucleus  of  his  present  large  fortune. 


FROMIffENT  M£<\'  CF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


It  was  ho  who  built  tho  first  business  building  in 
Fairmont,  lie  is  president  of  three  banks,  the  Martin 
County  Bank,  at  Fairmont;  the  Jackson  county  State 
Bank,  at  L;ike field;  and  the  Bank  of  Sherburn,  at  Slier- 
burn,  all  in  Minnesota,  and  is  interested  inan  extensive 
agricultural  implement  house  doing  business  in  three 
towns,  lie  owns  the  majority  of  the  stock  of  each  of 
the  banks  of  which  he  is  president,  lias  a  clear  title  to 
not  less  than  10,000  acres  of  land,  having  one  hand- 
somely improved  farm  of  3.000  acres  adjoining  Fair- 
mont, and  being  owner  of  several  valuable  town  site 
additions,  and  is  the  owner  of  horses  and  cattle  without 
number.  He  has  served  as  postmaster  of  Fairmont  for 
three  terms,  was  three  times  elected  mayor  of  the 
town,  and  during  his  term  of  office  inaugurated  and 
carried  out  many  important  improvements  looking  to 
the  handsome  young  city's  future  welfare  and  greatness. 
Of  late  years  he  has  utterh7  refused  to  enter  politics 
although  urged  at  different  times  to  accept  a  nomina- 
tion to  Congress  and  other  high  offices  of  honor  and 
trust,  which  he  has  invariably  refused,  holding  that 
business  and  politics  do  not  go  well  together,  and  feel- 
ing that  his  time  ought  to  be  given  to  the  enormous 
business  interests  which  his  energies  have  built  up.  In 
1891  he  was  tendered  the  highly  honorable  position  of 
member  of  the  State  board  of  corrections  and  char- 


369 

ities  by  Gov.  Merriam,  but  was  obliged  to  refuse  for 
business  reasons:  but  later  at  Gov.  Merriam's  urgent 
and  personal  request  he  became  one  of  the  World's 
Fair  commissioners  from  Minnesota,  and  to  his  energv 
and  business  ability  in  a  large  measure  is  due  the  mag- 
nificent exhibit  made  by  the  ''North  Star  State''  in  the 
White  City. 

Mr.  Ward  has  traveled  all  over  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  visiting  the  principal  points  of  interest  of 
each  country.  He  holds  very  broad  religious  views, 
belonging  to  no  particular  church,  but  doing  his  share 
of  charitable  work  as  he  finds  it. 

He  was  married  August  1st,  1868,  to  Miss  Charlotte 
Jennings,  daughter  of  Samuel  Jennings  of  Martin 
county,  and  has  a  pleasant  home. 

Mr.  Ward  is  a  man  of  about  medium  height  and 
quick  and  energetic  in  his  movements.  He  is  a  grace- 
ful and  eloquent  public  speaker  and  is  exceedingly  gen- 
erous to  all  public  enterprises  and  charities,  and  is  very 
popular  with  all  classes  of  people.  Whether  he  directs 
his  energies  to  business  or  to  politics,  that  he  will  con- 
tinue to  be  a  prominent  figure  in  the  business  world 
seems  to  be  an  assured  fact,  though  it  seems  that  his 
many  friends  will  be  obliged  to  accept  his  declination 
of  political  perferments,  his  time  being  entirelv  occupied 
with  many  of  his  large  business  interests. 


HON.  WILLIAM   LAWRENCE,  A.  M.,  LL.  D., 

BELLEFONTAINE,  OHIO. 


THE  Lawrences  of  the  United  States  are  descendants 
of  Sir  Robert  Lawrence,  of  Ashton  Hall,  in  Lan- 
cashire, England.  His  grandson,  James  Lawrence,  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  III.,  married  Matilda  Washington, 
who  belonged  to  the  family  from  which  George  Wash- 
ington was  descended.  The  family  in  England  was 
distinguished  in  politics  and  otherwise.  One  of  them 
was  a  second  cousin  to  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  was  Lord 
President  of  the  Protector's  Council  and  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Lords. 

Joseph  Lawrence  was  born  in  what  is  now  Phila- 
delphia, near  the  Byberry  Friends'  Meeting  House, 
December  2.  1793.  He  was  a  soldier  in  Capt.  Benezet's 
company  of  Philadelphia  Guards  in  the  War  of  1812. 
About  1816  he  removed  to  Ohio,  settling  near  St. 
Clairsville,  but  soon  after  went  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Jeffer- 
son county,  where  he  was  married,  October  30,  1817, 
to  Temperance  Gilcrist,  a  native  of  Berkeley  county. 
Va.,  born  August  6,  1792. 

William  Lawrence  was  born  of  these  parents  at 
Mt.  Pleasant,  O..  June  26,  1819.  March  1,  1830.  the 
parents,  with  their  son  and  a  daughter,  Sarah,  removed 
to  a  farm  then  recently  purchased  by  the  father  near 
Richmond,  Jefferson  county,  where  they  resided  until 
the  spring  of  1836.  For  the  first  three  years  the  son. 
William,  worked  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and 


attended  a  common  school  during  the  winter,  where  he 
perfected  a  knowledge  of  the  common  branches  of 
education,  surveying  and  spherical  trigonometry,  and 
before  he  was  thirteen  wrote  out  in  book  form  a 
solution  of  Glimmer's  Surveying.  On  November  1, 
1833,  our  subject  became  a  student  in  Rev.  John  C. 
Tid ball's  academy  near  Knoxville,  which  was  after- 
ward removed  to  Richmond.  Here  he  continued  until 
the  spring  of  1830.  He  then  entered  the  store  of 
James Updegraff  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  remained  there  as 
clerk  until  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  when  he  became  a 
student  at  Franklin  College,  New  Athens,  O.  He  was 
graduated  from'that  institution  with  the  degree  of  A. 
B.  and  with  the  honors  of  his  class,  and  so  delivered 
the  valedictorv  address  in  the  fall  of  1838. 

His  parents  having  in  the  spring  of  1836  removed 
to  Pennsville.  Morgan  county,  young  Lawrence,  in 
November,  1838,  commenced,  the  study  of  law  with 
James  L.  Gage,  of  McConnellsville,  and  was  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  L.  B.  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  school 
in  March,  1840;  was  admitted  to  practice  law  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  at  Zanesville,  in  November, 
1840;  and  was  reporter  for  the  Oliin  Mute  Journal  in 
the  Ohio  House  of  Representatives  at  the  session  of 
J840-41  and  a  correspondent  for  the  Zanesville 
Republican  and  the  McConnellsville  Whig  Standard. 


370 


PROMINENT  MEN   OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


While  a  law  student  he  taught  a  common  school  three 
months  at  Pennsville,  and  a  like  period  at  JVlcConnells- 
ville,  and  had  a  somewhat  extensive  law  practice  before 
justices  of  the  peace,  by  which  means  he  more  than 
defrayed  his  expenses.  Later  in  life,  from  March, 
1845,  to  September,  1847,  he  was  also  proprietor  of  the 
Logan  Gazette  at  Bellefontaine. 

As  a  lawyer  the  name  of  William  Lawrence  appears 
in  many  volumes  of  the  Ohio  State  reports,  in  impor- 
tant land  and  other  cases,  in  the  reports  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Kansas,  and  of  the  United  States.  By  au- 
thorit}'  of  Attorney-General  Williams,  he  was  leading 
counsel  in  the  great  case  of  the  L.  L.  &  G.  Railroad 
Company  vs.  the  United  States,  in  which  nine  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand  acres  of  land  were  reclaimed  by  the 
Government  and  secured  to  settlers.  From  July  15. 
1841,  to  July  15,  1843,  he  was  a  law  partner  of  Benja- 
min Stanton,  afterward  member  of  Congress  and  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor  of  Ohio.  From  July,  1851,  to  Febru- 
ary, 1854,  he  was  a  law  partner  with  his  law  student, 
William  II.  West,  afterward  Attorney-General  of  Ohio, 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  court  and  candidate  for  Gover- 
nor in  1877.  From  April,  1866,  to  August,  1871,  he  was 
a  law  partner  of  Emanuel  J.  Howenstine,  and  following 
that  for  some  years  partner  with  his  son,  Joseph  H. 

Lawrence. 

Judge  Lawrence  has  filled  important  public  offices. 
In  1842  he  was  commissioner  of  bankrupts  for  Logan 
county.  In  1845-46,  he  was  prosecuting  attorney  for 
the  county,  but  resigned  in  1846,  and  was  elected  a 
representative  in  the  Legislature,  and  re-elected  in 
1847;  was  elected  to  the  Senate  in  1849,  and  again  in 
1854;  and  on  March  20,  1851,  he  was  elected  by  the 
Legislature  reporter  for  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio, 
and  reported  the  "  Twentieth  Volume  of  the  Ohio 
Reports."  In  1852  he  was  one  of  the  Whig  candidates 
on  the  Scott  electoral  ticket,  but  with  his  party  in  the 
State  was  defeated.  In  1856  he  was  elected  judge  of 
the  Common  Pleas  and  District  Court  in  the  third 
Ohio  district,  comprising  twenty  counties;  was  re- 
elected  in  1861,  and  served  until  September,  1864, 
when  he  resigned,  and  in  October  of  that  year  was 
elected  representative  in  Congress.  Under  that  and 
subsequent  elections,  five  in  all,  he  served  for  ten 
years,  from  March  4,  1865,  to  March  4,  1877,  not 
including  one  term  from  March  4,  1871,  to  March  4, 
1873. 

In  1862,  during  the  Rebellion,  he  was  colonel  of  the 
Eighty-fourth  Ohio  (three-months)  volunteers,  serving 
at  Cumberland  and  New  Creek,  and  for  a  month  of 
that  time  was  president  of  a  court-martial  which  tried 
many  important  cases.  He  has  delivered  many  Deco- 
ration Dajr  addresses  ;  also  speeches  at  reunion  of 
soldiers  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  Burnside  Post,  No.  8,  Department 
of  the  Potomac,  G.  A.  R.,  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  was 
its  first  commander,  and  always  an-  active  member 
while  in  that  city. 

In  1863,  Judge  Lawrence  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  district  judge  of  Florida,  but  declined  to 


accept.  In  July.  1880,  President  Hayes  tendered  him 
an  appointment  as  First  Comptroller  in  the  Treasury 
Department  of  the  United  States,  which  at  first. he 
declined,  but  finally  accepted  at  the  urgent  request  of 
the  President  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  John 
Sherman. 

In  1841-43,  Judge  Lawrence  studied  medicine  and 
surgery,  and  he  has  published  many  articles  on  these 
subjects.  He  has  always  been  especially  interested  in 
the  study  of  natural  philosophy  and  chemistry,  which, 
like  his  other  studies,  he  diligently  pursued  at  college 
and  in  after  life.  In  Congress,  Judge  Lawrence  was 
the  first  to  introduce  a  bill  to  convert  the  office  of 
Attorney-General  into  an  executive  department,  and 
many  of  the  provisions  of  his  bill  are  found  in  the  act 
finally  passed  creating  the  Department  of  Justice. 

Judge  Lawrence  was  a  lay  delegate  from  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference  to  the  General  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  at  its  sessions  in  1872, 
1876,  1880  and  1892,  in  which  he  made  sundry  reports, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1888,  he  published  in  the  Western 
Christian  Advocate  a  series  of  articles  on  the  much- 
mooted  question  of  the  status  of  William  Taylor,  D.D., 
missionary  bishop  to  Africa,  in  which  it  was  maintained 
that  he  was  a  bishop  equal  in  dignity  with  any  other, 
a  position  sustained  by  the  General  Conference  of 
1888.  The  Central  Ohio  Conference  elected  Judge 
Lawrence  a  trustee  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University 
at  Delaware  in  1878,  1883,  1888  and  1893,  and  he  is 
now  serving  in  that  capacity  in  his  fourth  term  of  five 
years  each. 

February  15,  1871,  he  organized  the  Bellefontaine 
National  Bank,  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  presi- 
dent and  a  principal  stockholder.  In  1891  he,  with 
others,  organized  the  Ohio  National  Bank  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  and  in  1893  the  Washington  National 
Building  and  Loan  association,  in  both  of  which  he  is 
a  director. 

By  appointment  of  Governor  Foraker  he  was  one 
of  the  delegates  at  large  from  Ohio  to  the  Farmers' 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  which  met  at  Chicago 
in  November,  1887,  and  in  which  he  delivered  an 
address  on  ''The  American  Wool  Interest,"  afterward 
stereotyped  and  reprinted  in  New  York  by  the  Ameri- 
can Protective  Tariff  League,  and  extensively  distrib- 
uted as  a  political  campaign  document  in  the  presi- 
dential election  of  1888,  and  as  one  of  the  standard 
publications  of  the  league  ever  since.  In  the  Octo- 
ber (1875)  number  of  The  Republic,  a  Washington 
monthly  magazine,  he  published  an  article,  "  The  Peo- 
ple a  Nation;  the  Union  Perpetual,"  which  was 
reprinted  as  a  Republican  campaign  document  in  the 
Presidential  election  of  1876. 

These  are  only  specimens  of  his  numerous  political 
works.  In  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1840,  before 
he  bad  reached  majority,  he  made  "  stump  speeches  " 
in  several  counties  of  Ohio,  and  in  every  campaign 
since,  national  and  state,  in  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, he  has  been  an  active  participant,  man}'  of  his 
peeches  having  been  published  as  campaign  documents . 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT 


Judge  Lawrence  has  rendered  great  service  to  the 
agricultural  and  wool-growing  industries  of  the  coun- 
try. He  was  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  of 
wool-growers,  wool-dealers  and  wool  manufacturers  at 
St.  Louis  in  May,  1887;  to  a  similar  convention  in 
Washington  January,  1888,  and  another  in  January, 
1889,  by  the  latter  of  which  he  was  made  chairman  of 
a  committee  to  present  to  the  finance  committee  of  the 
United  States  Senate  the  claims  of  wool-growers  to 
legislative  and  protective  duties.  His  work  in  these 
conventions  has  been  extensively  published,  and  his 
speeches  before  the  Senate  committee  are  found  in  the 
report  on  tariff  testimony  for  January,  1889,  part  3, 
pages  1953  to  1977,  published  by  Congress. 

In  December,  1889,  a  national  convention  of  wool- 
growers  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  appointed  him  chair- 
man of  a  committee  to  present  their  claims  to  the 
Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  of  the  lower  house. of 
.Congress,  and -his  arguments  are  published  in  the  vol- 
ume of  Hearings  on  Revision  of  Tariff,  pages  215  to 
280,  January,  1890.  On  February  15,  1890,  by  invita- 
tion of  the  Commercial  Club,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  he 
delivered  an  address  on  "  The  Protection  of  Wool 
from  the  Standpoint  of  the  Grower,"  afterward  pub- 
lished by  the  "  Home  Market  Club,"  of  Boston,  as  one 
of  its  standard  documents  for  general  distribution.  He 
wrote  the  memorial  of  the  committee  of  the  national 
convention  of  wool-growers,  held  in  Washington,  D. 
C.,  from  December  2  to  9,  1889,  published  as  United 
States  Senate  Miscellaneous  Document  No.  149,  Fifty- 
first  Congress,  first  session.  In  January,  1891,  he  was 
elected  president  of  the  Ohio  Wool-grower's  Associa- 
tion, re-elected  in  January,  1892,  and  again  in  January, 
1893.  His  annual  addresses  at  Columbus  January  12, 
1892,  and  January  12,  1893,  and  his  semi-annual 
addrasses  have  been  extensively  published  all  over  the 
United  States,  and  some  of  them  commented  on  by 
leading  newspapers  in  England  and  Australia.  The 
North  Pacific  Rural  Spirit  and  Williamette  Farmer 
of  February  11,  1892,  prefaced  its  publication  of  the 
first  of  these  by  saying:  "Without  any  question,  Mr. 
Lawrence's  address  is  the  ablest  document  ever  given 
to  the  public  upon  the  subject  of  wool-growing  and 
woolen  manufactures,  and  their  relation  to  the  present 
tariff  agitation." 

On  October  5,  1893,  at  a  meeting  of  the  National 
Wool-growers  Association  in  Chicago,  he  was  unani- 
mously elected  president  of  the  Association  to  succeed 
Hon.  Columbus  Delano,  resigned.  In  1884  Judge 
Lawrence  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Philosophical 
Society,  of  Washington,  D.  C.  In  the  month  of  Mav. 
1889,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Census  Analyti- 
cal Association  of  the  United  States,  and  made  vice- 
president  of  the  section  on  wool. 

The  office  of  first  comptroller  of  the  Treasury 
Department  is  second  in  importance  only  to  that  of 
the  secretary.  Hamilton  declared  that  "  the  comptroller 
is  a  check  upon  the  secretary."  From  his  decision 
there  is  no  appeal;  he  cannot  be  overruled  by  either 


the  secretary  or  the  president,  though  he  may  overrule 
the  secretary  in  the  allowance  of  claims.  By  authority 
of  the  secretary,  two  volumes  of  the  "  Decisions  of 
Comptroller  Lawrence"  were  published,  the  first  ever 
issued,  and  Congress  then  passed  the  joint  resolution 
of  August  3,  1882,  authorizing  one  volume  of  the 
decisions  to  be  printed  each  year  thereafter,  and  under 
this,  four  additional  volumes  were  printed.  They  for 
the  first  time  distinctly  enunciated  the  great  system  of 
"executive  national  common  law,"  and  furnished  a 
fund  of  legal  learning  found  in  no  other  works.  They 
have  been  highly  commended  by  jurists,  statesmen  and 
law-writers.  Burroughs,  in  his  "  Law  of  Public  Securi- 
ties," quotes  largely  from  these  decisions.  At  one 
time,  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia 
undertook  03-  mandamus  to  compel  the  treasurer  of 
the  United  States  to  pay  a  claim  disallowed  by  the 
comptroller,  but  his  decision  was  sustained  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  (4  Lawrence, 
261.) 

Judge  Lawrence  is  author  of  the  following  among 
other  works: — "  The  Law  of  Claims  Against  Govern- 
ments" (Washington,  Government  Print,  1875);  "The 
Law  of  Religious  Societies  "  (American  Law  Register, 
1873);  "  The  Organization  of  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment" (Washington,  Government  Print,  1881);  "  The 
Law  of  Impeachable  Crimes  "  (American  Law  Register, 
September,  1867);  "Introductory  and  Concluding 
Chapters  to  Lectures  of  J.  B.  Helwig,  D.  D."  (Dayton 
U.  B.  Publishing  House,  1876);  "Chapters in  American 
History  of  Champaign-  and  Logan  Counties,"  1872; 
"  The  Causes  of  the  Rebellion,"  being  the  introductory 
chapter  to  "  Reminiscences  of  the  War,"  by  Rev.  A.  R. 
Howbert,  D.  D..  1888  ;  "  Decisions  of  the  First  Comp- 
troller" (6  vols.,  Washington,  Government  Print, 
1880-85);  Five  "  Annual  Reports,"  as  First  Comptroller, 
1880-84 ;  "  The  Treaty  Question  ;"  "  Sketch  of  the  Life 
and  Public  Services  of  John  Sherman,"  1888;  "Nu- 
merous "  Reports  in  Congress ;"  "  Lives  of  the  First 
Comptrollers,"  now  ready  for  the  press. 

The  government  of  Japan,  through  a  London,  Eng- 
land, book  house,  in  1887  procured  copies  of  the  "  De- 
cisions of  the  First  Comptrollers"  for  use  in  organizing 
the  Treasury  Department  of  that  country.  The  Japanese 
Legation  at  Washington  in  June,  1874,  also  procured 
copies  of  "  The  Law  of  Claims"  to  be  used  as  authority 
on  questions  growing  out  of  the  rebellion  in  that  coun- 
try of  the  Tycoon  against  the  Mikado.  The  Secretary 
of  State,  Hamilton  Fish,  ordered  250  extra  copies 
printed  f^r  distribution  to  foreign  governments,  and 
they  have  been  quoted  in  arguments  before  every 
mixed  commission  since  organized  to  adjust  claims 
between  the  United  States  and  foreign  countries.  In 
1874,  Hon.  ElihuB.  Washburne,  United  States  Minister 
to  France,  procured  copies  for  distribution  to  publicists 
in  that  country,  and  he  said  of  it:  "It  is  wonderfully 
able  and  exhaustive.  It  has  gone  to  the  very  bottom 
of  the  whole  business.  It  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
contributions  of  the  times  to  naticnal  and  international 


372 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEAT  WEST. 


law.     It  renders  immense  service  to  the  country  by 
•laying  down  the  law'  on  these  subjects." 

His  work  on  the  "Law  of  Religious  Societies"  lias 
been  declared  to  be  "a  marvel  of  learning  upon  the 
subject"  by  Rev.  D.  D.  Chapin,  in  The  Churchman,  as 
quoted  in  "current  comment  and  legal  miscellany." 
(Vol.  I,  No.  5,  Philadelphia,  May  15,  1889). 

His  Alma  Mater  conferred  upon  Judge  Lawrence 
the  degree  of  A.M.,  in  cursu,  and  on  the  25th  of  June, 
1873,  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  LL.D.  Witten- 
berg College  subsequently  conferred  on  him  the  same 
degree.  His  life  has  shown  that  his  entire  career  has 
been  guided  by  a  sense  of  duty,  and  that  he  has  always 
subordinated  ambition  to  principle. 

Hon.  William  Lawrence  was  married  December  20, 
1843,  at  McConnelsville,  Ohio,'to  Cornelia,  daughter  of 
Hon.  William  Hawkins,  an  excellent  lady  of  rare 
intelligence,  who  had  been  associated  with  him  in 


teaching  school  at  that  place  in  1839.  She  died  Feb- 
ruary, 29.  1844.  He  was  married  again  March  20, 
1845,  to  Caroline  M.,  daughter  of  Henry  Miller,  a 
woman  whose  many  virtues  have  through  long  years 
blessed  his  home.  She  was  born  at  Port  Republic. 
Rockingham  county,  Ya.,  January  20,  1828,  was  bap- 
tized at  McGackeysville  Lutheran  church,  educated  at 
the  Granville  (Ohio)  Presbyterian  Female  Seminary, 
and  was  there  a  room-mate  of  Cecelia  Stewart,  since 
wife  of  Hon.  John  Sherman.  Three  sons,  Joseph  II.. 
William  II.  and  John  M..  and  three  daughters,  Cor- 
nelia, Frances  C.,  and  Mary  Temperance,  are  the 
children  of  this  union.  Joseph  II.,  a  lawyer,  died  May 
7,  1885.  And  now,  at  the  age  of  nearly  75  years,  Judge 
Lawrence,  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood,  intellectually 
and  physically,  still  pursues  his  profession,  and  super- 
intends his  large  landed  and  other  property  interests 
with  unabated  zeal,  industry  and  success. 


HENRY  M.  LYMAN,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


HENRY  M.  LYMAN,  M.  D.,  and  professor  of 
principles  and  practice  of  medicine  at  Rush 
Medical  College,  was  born  in  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
November  26,  1835.  He  was  educated  at  Williams 
College,  Massachusetts,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  1858.  He  then  took  a  medical  course  at 
the  college  of  Phvsicians  and  Surgeons  at  New  irorkand 
graduated  there  in  1861.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in 
the  general  practice  of  medicine  and  has  attained  great 
celebrity  not  only  in  Chicago,  where  he  has  resided  since 
1863,  but  throughout  the  whole  country  wherever  the 
reports  of  his  cases  have  been  published.  Dr.  Lyman, 
among  many  other  societies,  is  a  memberof  the  Chicago 


Pathological  Society,  of  the  Chicago  Medico-Legal 
Society  and  the  Association  of  American  Physicians. 
He  is  not  only  professor  of  the  principles  and  practice 
of  medicine  of  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago  but  is 
also  its  treasurer.  He  has,  in  his  long  practice  in  Chi- 
cago of  nearly  thirty  years,  won  for  himself  a  proud 
distinction  in  the  profession  and  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  the  public. 

In  appearance,  Dr.  Lyman  is  a  man  that  would 
attract  attention  in  any  gathering.  He  is  of  medium 
height,  of  courteous  and  refined  demeanor,  and  pos- 
sessed of  a  genial  and  kindly  disposition.  He  has 
hosts  of  friends  everywhere. 


JAMES  HENRY  ETHERIDGE,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


TAMES  HENRY  ETHERIDGE,  a  member  of  the 
\J  faculty  of  Rush  Medical  college,  was  born  in 
Johnsville,  N.  Y.,  March  20,  1844.  His  father,  Dr. 
Francis  B.  Etheridge,  was  a  practicing  physician  and 
surgeon  for  forty-seven  years.  His  mother  was  Fanny 
Easton,  of  Connecticut.  On  the  paternal  side,  as  also 
on  the  maternal,  the  ancestry  of  James  was  English, 
on  the  side  of  the  former  five,  and  of  the  latter  seven, 
generations  removed.  During  the  Civil  War,  the 
father  of  our  subject  served  as  surgeon  in  the  field  with 
one  of  the  Minnesota  volunteer  regiments.  He  died  at 
Hastings,  Minn.,  in  1871. 

Dr.  James  II.  Etheridge,  the  subject  of  our  sketch, 
received   his  early   education  in  New  York  State,  and 


has  been  completing  it  ever  since,  for  he  is,  and  always 
has  been,  a  close  student.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
he  was  prepared  to  enter  the  junior  class  at  Harvard, 
but  the  absence  of  his  father  in  the  army  at  the  front 
dissarranged  these  plans,  and  he  decided  to  devote  his 
attention  to  medicine.  He  read  four  years  with  his 
father,  attended  one  course  of  lectures  in  the  med- 
ical department  of  the  University  of  Michigan;  and 
two  full  courses  at  Rush  Medical  college,  at  Chicago, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1869,  receiving  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  After  graduation  from  Rush  Medical  col- 
lege, he  began  practicing  in  Evanston,  where  he  re- 
mained about  a  year  and  a  half.  Since  March,  1869, 
Dr.  Etheridge  has  been  a  lecturer  in  Rush  Medical 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


375 


College.     In  1869-70  he  spent  a  year  in  Europe,  walk- 
ing the  hospitals  of  some  of  the  largest  cities. 

.  On  returning  to  America  Dr.  Etheridge  settled  in 
Chicago  in  July,  1871,  and  for  two  years  was  lecturer 
on  materia  medica  and  therapeutics  in  Rush  Medical 
College,  when  he  was  called  to  a  regular  professorship, 
occupying  successively  the  chairs  of  "  materia  medica," 
"therapeutics,"  and  "medical  jurisprudence,"  "gynrccol- 
ogy"  and  "  obstetrics,  and  gynascology."  He  followed  a 
general  practice  until  1801,  since  which  time  he  has 
madea  specialty  of  gynaecology.  lie  is  one  of  the  gynae- 
cologists of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital,  and  of  the  Central 
Free  Dispensary  ;  also  of  the  Chicago  Polyclinic  Hos- 
pital. He  was  one  of  the  staff  t>f  the  Woman's  Hospi- 
tal of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  has  also  been  connected 
with  St.  Joseph's  and  St.  Luke's  hospitals.  He  is  an 
occasional  contributor  to  the  medical  journals,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the  Chicago 
Medico-Legal  Society,  the  Gynaecological  Society 


(being  president  in  1800),  Illinois  State  Medical  Soci- 
ety, American  Medical  Association,  American  Gvmv- 
cological  Society,  International  Medical  Congress,  and 
of  the  International  Congress  of  Obstetricians  and 
Gynaecologists.  He  was  president  of  the  Chicago 
Medical  Society  in  1887. 

Dr.  Etheridge  was  married  June  20,  1870.  to 
Harriet  Elizabeth  Powers,  of  Evanston.  daughter  of 
Ilanna  G.  Powers,  of  that  place,  long  identified  with 
Chicago's  commercial  and  banking  interests.  They 
have  two  daughters.  In  religion  Dr.  Etheridge  is  a 
Presbyterian,  and  in  politics  a  Republican,  but  on  all 
local  issues  votes  for  the  best  nvvn,  regardless  of 
party. 

In  personal  appearance  the  doctor  is  tall  and  com- 
manding, of  more  than  average  weight,  and  socially  is 
genial,  courteous  and  refined,  popular  alike  with  his 
casual  associates  and  intimate  friends,  and  stands  high 
in  the  regards  of  his  professional  brethren. 


LEVI  ZEIGLER  LEITER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


IN  the  town  of  Leiterburg,  Washington  county,  Md., 
founded  by  his  ancestors,  Levi  Zeigler  Leiter  was 
born  in  ISS-l.  Here  he  received  a  good  education,  and 
afterward  spent  several  years  in  a  country  store. 
When  eighteen  years  uf  age,  not  satisfied  with  his 
quiet,  uneventful  life,  he  determined  to  seek  a  wider 
field  for  the  exercise  of  his  energies.  Accordingly,  in 
1853,  he  turned  his  face  westward,  first  stopping  at 
Springfield,  Ohio,  where  he  entered  the  store  of  Peter 
Murray,  a  prominent  merchant,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained one  year.  He  then  pushed  on  to  Chicago, 
arriving  here  in  the  summer  of  1854. 

In  Chicago  he  entered  the  employment  of  Messrs. 
Downs  &  Van  Wyck,  where  he  remained  until 
January,  185G.  when  he  became  connected  with  the 
wholesale  house  of  Messrs.  Cooley,  Wadsworth  &  Co., 
in  which  he  continued,  through  its  various  changes, 
until  January  1.  1865,  when,  with  Marshall  Field,  who 
entered  the  above  house  at  the  same  time,  and  who, 
with  young  Leiter,  had  secured  an  interest  in  the 
business  in  consideration  of  their  valuable  services 
(they  having  on  January  1,  1865,  sold  their  interest  to 
John  V.  Farwell),  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in 
the  business  of  Potter  Palmer,  which  was  continued 
for  two  years  as  Field,  Palmer  &  Leiter,  and  then  as' 
Field,  Leiter  &  Co.,  un.til  January  1,  1881.  By  the 
exercise  of  rare  intelligence,  based  upon  the  soundest 
principles,  the  business  was  rapidly  increased  until  it 
occupied  the  leading  position  in  the  countrv. 

On  January  1,  1881.  Mr.  Leiter,  having  large  real 
estate  and  other  interests,  and  desiring  freedom  from 
the  daily  duties  of  an  exacting  business,  sold  his 
interest  to  his  partners  that  he  might  devote  more 


of  his  time  to  his  family,  to  travel  and  to  his  choice 
library,  which  was  and  is  one  of  the  best  private  collec- 
tions in  the  United  States.  During  the  past  few  years 
Mr.  Leiter,  with  his  family,  has  spent  considerable 
time  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  where  he  is  widely  known. 

In  the  rebuilding  of  Chicago,  since  the  fire  of  1871, 
Mr.  Leiter  has  been  one  of  the  most  progressive  and 
important  of  its  citizens.  He  has  erected  many  hand- 
some office  and  store  blocks  in  the  business  district. 

Of  temperate  habits  and  strong  physique,  with 
great  yower  of  application  and  endurance,  Mr.  Leiter, 
in  his  active  business  career,  confined  himself  so  closelv 
to  his  business  that  he  was  enabled  to  turn  off  a 
quantity  of  work  which  would  have  killed  an  ordinary 
man. 

Mr.  Leiter  has  never  sought  nor  held  a  public 
office,  but  from  boyhood  he  has  been  a  diligent  student 
of  politics  in  its  highest  sense,  and  no  one  has  a  wider 
range  of  intelligence  concerning  the  principles  of  our 
government  and  of  legislation  which  would  affect  the 
welfare  and  industries  of  our  country. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Leiter  was  a  director  of  the 
Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  and  gave  much  time 
and  patient  study  to  the  wise  distribution  of  charitv; 
and  not  only  in  this  enterprise,  but  in  all  intelligently 
directed  charities  he  has  been  an  honest  worker  and  a 
liberal  contributor,  when  he  could  be  convinced  that 
money  and  time  would  produce  more  good  than  harm. 
The  American  Sunday  School  Union  has  always  been 
one  of  his  favored  instrumentalities  of  good  to  his 
fellow  man.  With  a  keen  insight  into  the  springs 
which  lie  behind  human  action,  he  lias  never  courted 
popularity,  but  preferred  at  all  times,  in  speech  and 


376 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


action,  to   do   his  whole   duty  to   the  community   in 
which  he  lived. 

In  all  that  goes  to  advance  the  social  and  educa- 
tional as  well  as  business  interests  of  Chicago,  Mr. 
Leiter  has  been  a  moving  spirit.  His  great  means,  as 
well  as  his  keen  business  sagacity,  have  been  enlisted  in 
many  worthy  enterprises.  He  was  the  first  president 
of.  the  Commercial  Club,  and  is  now  a  leading  member 
of  the  Iroquois,  the  Chicago,  the  Calumet,  the  Union, 
the  "Washington  Park  and  the  Union  League  Clubs. 
Mr.  Leiter  took  an  active  interest  in  the  reorganization 
of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  after  the  great  fire, 
and  contributed  liberally  to  its  bu  Iding  fund  and  for 
the  purchase  of  books.  .The  debt  which  had  hampered 
the  society  was  also  lifted  by  the  co-operation  of  Mr. 
Leiter  with  Profs.  Mark  Skinner,  E.  H.  Sheldon,  D.  K. 
Pearson,  S.  M.  Nickerson,  Thos.  Hoyne  and  others, 


and  the  society  placed  upon  a  sound  basis.  Mr.  Leiter 
was  also  the  president  of  the  Chicago  Art  Institute  in 
1885,  succeeding  Mr.  George  Armour,  who  was  its  first 
executive.  For  many  years,  in  fact  ever  since  its 
organization,  Mr.  Leiter  has  been  a  heavy  stockholder 
in  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  directors  of  that  institution. 

Mr.  Leiter's  great  aim  has  been  to  be  a  model 
citizen,  and  not  simply  to  accumulate  great  wealth, 
believing  with  Goldsmith : 

"111  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates  and  men  decay." 

While  not  demonstrative  in  his  social  life,  he  is  a 
man  of  strong  attachments,  and  in  a  choice  circle  of 
friends  becomes  easily  companionable  and  is  appreciated 
for  his  genial  and  kindly  characteristics. 


ABRAHAM  F.  RISSER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


A  BRAHAM  F.  KISSER,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
t\  (Snyder)  Risser,  was  born  at  Betersheim,  Ger- 
many, on  the  9th  of  September,  1831.  On  his  father's 
side  Mr.  Risser  is  descended  from  a  Mennonite  preacher 
of  the  same  name,  who  was  compelled  to  leave  his 
native  land,  Switzerland,  on  account  of  religious  perse- 
cution and  flee  to  Germany,  where  he  bought  a  tract 
of  ground  containing  about  900  acres,  for  an  amount 
equal,  in  our  money,  to  $800.  This,  of  course,  as  we 
look  at  it,  to-day,  was  exceedingly  cheap,  but  in  those 
days  money  was  many  times  more  valuable  and  then, 
too,  absolute  ownership  by  an  individual  was  not  pos- 
sible, as  all  lands  were  held  under  the  crown  and  an 
annual  tribute  had  to  be  paid  to  the  representative  of 
the  State.  Abraham's  father,  when  but  a  boy,  was 
compelled  to  serve  in  the  armies  of  Napoleon,  and  as 
fora  time  the  province  in  which  he  resided  was  under 
French  control  he  studied  the  French  language,  and 
became,  later,  an  officer  by  appointment,  with  duties 
similar  to  those  of  a  justice  of  the  peace.  The  Risser 
family  first  came  to  America  ear'}7  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  when  the  eldest  son  of  Abraham  Risser's 
great-grandfather  came  over  and  in  or  about  1725 
became  the  owner  of  800  acres  of  land  near  where 
Lancaster.  Pa.,  now  stands,  paying  therefor  the  sum  of 
§15,  which  as  the  land  was  not  yet  surveyed  and  wild, 
was  quite  as  much  as  it  was  worth. 

Jacob  Risser,  the  father  of  our  subject,  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1833,  and  located  with  his  family  on 
a  farm  in  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  and  there  young 
Risser  passed  his  youth  and  boyhood.  During  the 
winter  months  he  attended  the  district  schools,  and  in 
the  spring,  summer  and  fall  he  aided  his  father  on  the 
farm.  Thus,  for  the  first  nineteen  years  of  his  life,  his 
lot  was  that  of  a  farmer's  son,  and  though  not  an 


exciting  life  it  was  one  that  has  fitted  many  of  our 
greatest  men  for  the  duties  of  life.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  young  Risser  was  apprenticed  to  Mr.  W.  W. 
Illger,  of  Ashland,  Ohio,  to  learn  the  saddlery  and 
harness  business,  and  after  serving  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  worked  as  a  journeyman  until  1854-.  He 
then  started  for  the  West,  and  during  the  next  two 
years  traveled  through  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Ne- 
braska and  Kansas,  working  at  his  trade. 

In  1856  Mr.  Risser  opened  a  harness  and  saddle 
shop  in  Mt.  Pnlaski,  Logan  county,  111.,  and  was  rap- 
idly building  up  a  big  business  when  the  war  broke 
out.  He  sold  his  business  in  order  to  offer  his  services 
to  his  country.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in 
the  organization  of  Company  B,  106th  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  was  elected  first  lieutenant  of  the 
company,  and  later  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  for 
meritorious  services.  He  was  finally  placed  on 
detached  duty  as  judge-advocate  in  Arkansas,  and 
serving  in  that  capacity  until  the  end  of  the  war  he 
passed  upon  127  cases.  So  well  had  he  discharged  the 
duties  of  the  position  that  in  all  his  cases  but  one  mis- 
take was  mentioned  by  his  superior  officers,  and  that 
mistake  consisted  of  designating  a  sergeant  as  an 
officer.  He  laid  down  his  duties  as  judge-advocate  on 
the  12th  of  July,  1865,  and  in  1866  he  again  embarked 
in  business  at  Mt.  Pulaski,  111.  lie  continued  this  bus- 
iness for  about  one  year  and  then  sold  out  and  went  to 
Bloomington.  111.,  where,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  M. 
X.  Chase,  he  established  a  wholesale  saddlery  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Chase  &  Risser.  After  four 
years  Mr.  Risser  purchased  the  interests  of  Mr.  Chase 
and  took  as  his  partner  Mr.  B.  K.  Reitz,  and  under  the 
title  of  Risser  &  Reitz  they  carried  on  the  business  in 
Bloomington  until  December,  1876,  when  they  moved 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


to  Chicago.  They  began  business  in  Chicago  early  in 
1877,  and  for  ten  years  the  partnership  and  firm  name 
continued.  Since  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Reitz  the  bus- 
iness has  been  carried  on  by  Mr.  Risser  as  A.  F.  Risser 
&  Co.,  and  is  to-day  the  largest  house  in  its  line  in 
America.  When  Mr.  Risser  started  in  business  for 
himself  his  entire  capital  was'less  than  $150,  and  most 
of  the  work  was  done  by  himself.  Later  he  employed 
from  three  to  five  men,  which  number  was  increased 
when  he  went  to  Bloomington,  and  has  steadily  con- 
tinued to  increase,  until  now  Mr.  Risser's  business  gives 
employment  to  about  five  hundred  men  and  is  repre- 
sented throughout  the  country  by  twenty  traveling 
salesmen.  Logan  county,  111.,  held  its  first  fair  before 
he  started  in  business  for  himself,  and  he  made  by 
hand  the  saddle  which  took  the  first  premium  at  that 
fair,  then  being  in  the  employ  of  0.  Haskell  &  Co. 

On  the  18th  of  February,  1871,  Mr.  Risser  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  F.  Holmer,  at  Bloom- 
ington, 111.  Four  children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter, 
have  blessed  the  union.  The  daughter,  Florence  M., 
is  a  graduate  of  Vassar  College.  Willis  C.  and  Lewis 
H.  are  attending  the  Orchard  Lake  Military  School, 
and  Abraham  F.,  Jr.,  is  at  home. 

In  1889  Mr.  Risser  was  one  of  the  originators  and 
organizers  of  the  Wholesale  Saddlery  Association  of 
the  United  States,  was  elected  its  first  president  and 
has  been  once  re-elected.  He  is  a  member  of  Grand 
Post  28,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Loyal 


379 

Legion,  the  Hamilton  Club  and  of  the  Washington 
Park  Driving  Club. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  though  he  once 
served  his  party  as  a  member  of  the  Bloomington  board 
of  aldermen,  he  has  never  desired  or  sought  political 
office,  preferring  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  details 
of  his  private  business. 

Mr.  Risser's  great  success  in  the  world  of  commerce 
has  been  due  to  no  one  but  himself.  He  started  in  life 
with  no  capital,  and  with  nothing  but  an  ability  and 
willingness  to  work  to  aid  him,  and  these  character- 
istics, coupled  with  fairness  and  justice  in  dealing  with 
his  fellow  men,  have  enabled  him  to  occupy  the  posi- 
tion that  he  holds  to-day  at  the  head  of  all  who  are  in 
the  same  line  of  business.  His  military  record  was  one 
alike  creditable  to  him  as  a  man  and  a  soldier,  and  as 
a  judge-advocate  the  justice  of  his  decisions  was  not 
questioned.  In  every  position  in  which  circumstances 
have  placed  him  he  has  acquitted  himself  creditably, 
and  each  incident  of  his  career  reflects  honor  on  him  as  a 
man  and  a  citizen.  In  disposition  he  is  genial  and 
friendly,  and  though  thoroughly  enjoying  social  inter- 
course he  finds  his  truest  enjoyment  at  his  beautiful 
home,  at  3251  South  Park  avenue,  surrounded  by  his 
family.  Thoroughly  an  American,  Mr.  Risser  enjoys 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  a  large  number  of  friends 
and  aquaintances,  and  this  is  no  more  than  his  just  due, 
for  Chicago  to-day  offers  no  better  example  of  the 
upright,  energetic  and  successful  business  man. 


JOHN   BARTON   PAYNE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  BARTON  PAYNE  was  born  on  January 
26,  1855,  at  Pruntytown,  Virginia.  His  ancestors 
may  be  traced  back  250  years,  to  the  reign  of  Charles 
II.  of  England.  About  the  year  1640  the  progenitor 
of  the  Payne  family  came  from  England  to  the  colony 
of  Virginia,  and  his  descendants  are  widely  scattered 
over  the  Old  Dominion  and  other  Southern  states. 
The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  Francis  Payne, 
was  a  valiant  American  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  His  grandson,  Amos  Payne,  the  father  of  John 
Barton,  was  a  graduate  of  Transylvania  University, 
and  was  a  practising  physician  of  considerable  celebrity. 
John  Barton's  youth  was  spent  in  Orleans,  Fauquier 
county,  Virginia,  where  he  received  a  thorough  English 
education,  and  he  afterwards  pursued  a  classical  course 
under  private  tutors.  In  1874  he  began  the  study  of 
the  law  while  he  was  acting  as  assistant  clerk  of  the 
courts  at  Pruntytown.  He  completed  his  law  studies 
early  in  1876,  and  in  August  of  that  year  passed  an 
examination  before  several  judges,  and  was  licensed, 
and  commenced  his  practice  at  once.  Even  at  that 
early  age  Mr.  Payne  had  attained  a  wide  reputation  as 
an  orator,  and  his  speeches  in  behalf  of  Tilden  and 


Hendricks   were   considered  among  the  best  made  in 
that  campaign.    He  was  then  made  acting  chairman  of 
the  Democratic  county  committee,  and  was  also  a  dele 
gate  to  the   senatorial  and  congressional  conventions 
from  Taylor  county. 

In  March,  1877,  he  removed  to  Kingwood,  Preston 
count}',  W.  Va.  His  business  was  soon  quite  extensive, 
and  he  was  retained  in  many  imponant  cases.  In  1878 
he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Democratic  executive 
committee  of  Preston  count}1,  which  position  he  held  for 
several  years.  He  took  a  leading  part  in  politics,  being 
temporary  chairman  of  the  Grafton  convention  of  1880; 
chairman  of  the  Preston  delegation  in  the  Fairmont 
congressional  convention;  a  member  of  the  congres- 
sional executive  committee  and  a  delegate  to  the  Mar- 
tinsburg  State  convention.  He  supported  the  Hon. 
Charles  J.  Faulkner  for  governor,  and  was  tendered 
the  position  of  presidential  elector,  which  he  declined. 
In  the  presidential  canvas  which  followed  the  eloquent 
voice  of  Mr.  Payne  was  again  heard  in  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania  as  the  champion  of  Gen.  Hancock. 

He  was  elected  by  the  bar,  special  judge  of  the  cir- 
cuit court  of  Tucker  county  in  May,  1881,  to  hear  and 


38o 


PkuMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


decide  a  chancery  cause,  to  which  the  regular  judge 
was  a  party.  Mr  Payne  has  had  the  management  of 
many  very  important  cases,  notably  among  which  was 
one  in  which  he  called  in  question  the  constitutionality 
of  the  law  giving  a  landlord's  lien  preference  over 
chattel  exemptions.  He  obtained  an  injunction  from 
the  circuit  court  on  that  ground,  which  was  affirmed 
by  the  supreme  court  of  appeal,  where  it  was  ablv 
argued  by  Mr.  Payne  in  June,  18SO.  He  was  elected 
mayor  of  Kingwood  in  January,  1882. 

After  retiring  from  that  office  he  moved  to  Chicago, 
where  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  ever  since.  Mr.  Payne  lias  steadily 
advanced  to  the  front,  and  the  numerous  important 
cases  in  which  he  has  figured  have  given  him  a  wide 
celebrity  as  an  astute  lawver  and  an  eloquent  advocate. 
On  June  26,  1890,  a  banquet  was  given  by  the  State 
Association,  of  which  Mr.  Payne  was  chairman,  at  the 
Palmer  House,  to  the  members  of  the  National  Com- 
mission of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  and  was 
a  notable  event.  The  banquet  was  preceded  by  an 
informal  reception  in  the  grand  parlor.  In  these 
beautiful  rooms  the  notables  of  many  States  represented 
in  the  commission  were  made  acquainted  with  the 
notables  of  Chicago.  Chief  Justice- Fuller,  surrounded 
by  well-known  public  men  and  greeted  heartily  by 
many  old  Chicago  friends  and  neighbors,  made  the 


center  of  an  interesting  group."  With  him  were  Judge 
Gresham,  Judge  Harris,  of  Kentucky;  ex-Senator 
Palmer,  of  Michigan;  ex-  Governor  Walker,  of  Connec 
ticut;  Judge  Thomas  Moran,  President  Lyman  J.  Gage, 
E.  G.  Keith,  Judges  Gary,  Anthony,  Driggs,  McDon- 
nell and  others  equally  prominent  in  professional  and 
social  circles,  including  many  ladies. 

The  success  of  this  brilliant  entertainment  was 
largely  due  to  the  energy,  activity  and  arduous  labors 
of  Mr.  Payne  and  his  associates.  After  paving  all  ex- 
penses, the  committee  were  able  to  declare  a  dividend, 
and  Mr.  Payne  enclosed  his  check  to  each  member  of 
the  association  for  the  amount  due  him. 

Mr.  Payne  is  prominent  in  social  circles,  where  he  is 
deservedly  popular.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Union  League  Club,  in  which  he  is  a  director  and  also 
of  the  Chicago  Law  Club  and  the  Law  Institute,  having 
been  president  of  the  latter.  In  religion,  he  is  a  Meth- 
odist, and,  as  above  indicated,  is  politically  a  Democrat 
of  the  staunchest  kind.  In  the  fall  of  1898  Mr. 
Payne  was  elected  judge  of  the  superior  court,  which 
position  he  now  occupies. 

In  October,  1878,  Judge  Payne  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Kate  Bunker,  daughter  of  the  late  Judge 
Edward  C.  Bunker,  of  West  Virginia.  He  is  a  man  of 
striking  personal  appearance,  of  engaging  manners, 
and  of  great  nervous  force  and  untiring  energy. 


PAUL   <D.  STENSLAND, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


TRADITION  informs  us,  and  learned  archaeologists 
seem  to  confirm  the  statement,  that  a  number  of 
bold  arid  experienced  Scandinavian  seamen,  led  by  Lief 
Ericlfson,  visited  this  country  in  the  tenth  century, 
four  hundred  years  before  Columbus  crossed  the 
broad  Atlantic,  and  proclaimed  to  the  inhabitants  of 
the  old  world  the  existence  of  a  new  continent.  These 
hardy  Norsemen  were  the  ancestors  of  the  race  that 
at  present  inhabit  the  rugged  soil  of  the  Scandinavian 
peninsula,  and  which  has  given  to  the  world  such 
men  as  Gustavus  Adolphus,  the  "  Lion  of  the  North," 
Karl  Linne,  better  known  by  his  Latinized  name,  Lin- 
naeus, and  in  our  own  day  the  celebrated  inventor  of  a 
new  class  of  battleships,  Ericsson.  No  race  has  done 
more,  in  proportion  to  its  numbers,  to  build  up  and  to 
defend  this  great  western  republic  than  the  intelligent 
and  industrious  sons  of  the  northern  peninsula. 

Prominent  among  our  public  men  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  Paul  O.  Stensland,  who  stands  forth  not 
only  as  a  representative  citizen,  but  as  a  type  of  the 
proud  and  ancient  nationality  from  which  he  came,  and 
as  the  embodiment  of  the  energetic,  resourceful  and 
earnest  character  of  his  Scandinavian  countrymen, 
lie  was  born  in  Sandied,  near  the  city  of  Stavanger, 
Norway,  on  the  ninth  day  of  May,  1847.  He  was  the 


fifth  son  in  a  famil}'  of  nine  children.  Young  Stensland 
grew  up  in  the  healthful  surroundings  of  farm  life  in 
his  native  land,  and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
schools  of  the  district.  He  must  have  made  good  use 
of  his  time  at  study,  and  have  had  a  great  faculty  for 
acquiring  knowledge,  as  well  as  endowed  with  great 
enterprise,  for  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen  years  we 
find  him  leaving  the  family  home  and  farm  and  travel- 
ing to  Hindostan  in  Peninsular  Asia. 

In  this  new  field  Mr.  Stensland  labored  with  his 
characteristic  energy  and  success.  He  immediately 
connected  himself  with  the  cotton  and  wool  industries 
of  India,  and  became  a  large  buyer.  For  almost  six 
years  he  traveled  extensively  in  that  country  in  the 
interests  of  his  business.  In  the  success  which  crowned 
his  efforts,  at  that  earlv  age,  in  a  land  so  exclusive  and 
peculiar  as  Hindostan,  we  have  a  proof  of  the  instincts 
and  foresight  which  have  marked  his  career.  His  res- 
idence in  the  East  gave  an  opportunity  not  only  to 
transact  business,  but  to  acquire  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience by  travel.  From  Cape  Comorin  to  the  Hima- 
lavas.  and  from  the  Indus  to  the  Bramapootra  he  trav- 
eled, gaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  customs  of 
the  people,  and  the  physical  features  of  the  country. 

After  a  residence  of  five  and  a  half  vears   amongst 


V 


.,,-«**Y 
V    ttl 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  r  WEST. 


the  Hindoos  lie  returned,  in  the  fall  of  1870,  to  his 
native  hind  on  a  visit  to  his  parents,  whom  he  found  in 
delicate  health,  and  \vho,  to  his  great  grief,  during  his 
short  stay  of  three  months,  both  died.  This  severe 
family  bereavement,  and  the  -natural  disposition  of 
venture  which  he  possessed,  prompted  Mr.  Stensland 
to  again  leave  his  home.  This  time  he  chose  Chicago 
as  the  field  of  his  future  operations,  arriving  here  in 
the  spring  of  1871,  wh'ere  lie  has  resided  uninterrupt- 
edly ever  since. 

His  first  venture  here  was  in  the  dry  goods  trade. 
His  efforts  were  successful,  and  for  fourteen  years  he 
carried  on  a  lucrative  business.  In  1885  he  entered  the 
real  estate  and  insurance  business;  but  four  years  later 
he  felt  sufficient  conlidence  in  himself  and  was  sutti- 
cientlv  known  in  the  northwestern  section  of  the  city 
to  guarantee  him  in  commencing  a  private  banking 
business.  He  was  not  disappointed  in  his  expectations, 
for  he  was  so  far  successful  that  it  warranted  him  in 
changing  his  private  bank  to  a  State  bank  in  1891. 
He  is  at  present  president  of  the  institution  known  as 
the  Milwaukee  Avenue  State  Bank,  and  which,  from 
the  efficient  and  business-like  manner  in  which  it  is 
conducted,  has  gained  the  confidence  and  support  of 
the  business  men  of  the  district. 

Mr.  Stensland  is  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
cemetery  of  Mount  Olive,  and  also  the  publisher  of 
the  Scandinavian  newspaper,  Norden.  He  is  also 
largely  interested  in  real  estate  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  city.  For  nine  years,  from  1879  to  1888, 
lie  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  board  of  education,  a 
position  to  which  he  brought  1iis  large  business  experi- 
ence and  varied  knowledge  with  good  effect,  and 
acquired  a  high  reputation  by  the  energy  and  execu- 
tive ability  which  he  displayed  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  as  a  member  and  chairman  of  the  most  impor- 
tant committees.  Another  honor  was  paid  to  Mr. 
Stensland  by  the  late  mayor  of  this  city,  Hon.  DeWitt 
C.  Cregier,  who  appointed  him  a  member  of  a  commit- 
tee in  connection  with  Ferd.  W.  Peck,  General  Fit/- 
simmons  and  Washington  Ilesing,  for  the  purpose  of 


383 

revising  the  charter  of  the  city.  On  the  occasion 
of  the  resignation  of  Mr.  James  Scott,  managing 
editor  and  part  owner  of  the  Chicago  Herald,  from 
the  position  of  director  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  the  vacancy  was  filled  by  the  election 
of  Mr.  Stensland  to  the  position,  and  he  was  also 
re-elected  in  April,  1892.  This  was  a  high  com- 
pliment paid  to  him  by  his  fellow-citizens, one  to  which 
he  was  justly  entitled  as  a  representative  man,  and  in 
recognition  of  the  superior  business  ability  which  he 
has  displayed.  Very  few  of  the  many  excellent  and  able 
men  who  have  d i reeled  the  work  of  this  great  national 
undertaking,  have  brought  more  experience  and  varied 
knowledge  to  the  discharge  of  their  duties  than  has 
Mr.  Stensland.  To  the  knowledge  of  the  people,  the 
language  and  the  geography  of  Asia,  he  adds  an 
extensive  knowledge  gained  by  travel  through  Africa 
and  Europe.  He  has  not,  however,  contented  himself 
with  travel  in  the  old  world — his  inquiring  mind  has 
sought  information,  not  only  by  careful  study,  but  by 
years  of  travel  throughout  the  new  world. 

Politically,  Mr.  Stensland  is  a  Democrat;  but  only 
takes  such  interest  in  politics  as  he  considers  it  the 
duty  of  every  good  citizen  to  take. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  while 
earnest  in  the  defense  of  its  doctrines  and  teaching,  he 
is  tolerant  and  liberal  to  all  others.  lie  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Iroquois  Club,  and  several  Scandinavian 
organizations. 

Mr.  Stensland  was  married  in  August,  1871,  to 
Karen  Querk,  daughter  of  Torris  Eide,  of  Sondhord- 
land,  Norway.  The  result  of  this  happy  union  has 
been  two  children,  one  boy  and  one  girl.  In  the 
companionship  of  his  devoted  wife,  and  in  the  affection 
of  his  children,  Mr.  Stensland  finds  his  greatest  happi- 
ness. Few  men  more  fully  enjoy  or  deserve  the  smiles 
and  sunshine  of  a  happy  home,  and  few  men  exert 
themselves  more  to  lurround  it  with  every  comfort  and 
luxury.  His  son,  Theodore,  is  attending  the  Phillips 
Exeter  Academy,  preparing  for  Harvard.  II  is  daughter 
is  married  to  Dr.  Karl  Sand  berg,  of  this  city. 


JOHN  J.  -P.  ODELL, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  J.  P.  ODELL,  president  of  the  Union  National 
Bank  of  Chicago,  was  born  in  Eastport,  Me.,  in 
1847.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  city  of  his 
birth,  finishing  his  education  in  the  high  school  of  that 
place.  During  the  summer  of  his  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth years  he  accompanied  the  expeditions  of  the 
coast  survey  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  thor- 
oughly studied  the  science  of  surveying. 

Upon  finishing  his  school  course  in  1805,  the 
"western  fever"  having  possessed  him,  he  followed  his 
inclinations  and  removtd  to  Chicago.  His  first  expe- 


rience in  business  life  in  this  city,  which  served  as  his 
introduction  to  the  banking  business,  was  in  a  minor 
position  in  the  Northwestern  National  Bank. 

In  July,  1866,  he  became  book-keeper  in  the  Union 
National  Bank,  and  he  has  devoted  his  entire  time 
since  then  to  the  interests  of  that  institution.  His 
connection  with  the  bank  covers  a  continuous  term  of 
twenty-seven  years,  during  which  time  he  has  advanced 
through  all  positions,  from  that  of  book-keeper  until 
he  is  now  president.  From  January,  1880,  to  January, 
1884,  he  acted  as  cashier.  In  188-i  he  became  vice- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


president,  and  in  1890  was  elected  to  the  position 
which  he  now  holds. 

During  the  twenty-seven  years  that  Mr.  Odell  has 
been  connected  with  the  Union  National  Bank  his 
record  is  unsullied,  and  his  success  is  another  instance 
of  what  integrity  and  honor,  combined  with  natural 
ability  and  a  firm  character  can  accomplish. 

In  private  life  he  is  quiet  and  domestic  in  his  habits. 
He  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Brown,  and 
as  the  result  of  the  union  has  one  daughter,  Mabel, 
living.  In  1873  Mr.  Odell  was  again  married,  to  Miss 
Emma  A.  Talbot,  of  Providence,  K.  I.  They  have  two 
children,  their  names  being  George  and  Irving. 

Starting  in  life  with  a  capital  consisting  of  nothing 
but  a  high  school  education,  a  strong  will  and  a  per- 
severing and  energetic  nature,  Mr.  Odell  has  passed 
through  the  various  stages  of  his  business  career  with 


credit,  until  now,  at  the  age  of  forty-six,  he  is  the  pre- 
siding officer  and  the  controlling  spirit  of  one  of  the 
leading  financial  institutions  in  this  country,  and  it  is 
acknowledged  by  those  acquainted  with  the  banking 
business,  that  as  a  financier  he  is  the  peer  of  any  man 
connected  with  any  financial  institution  in  the  city. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  board  of  directors  for 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  Mr.  Odell  was  one 
of  the  forty-five  gentlemen  who,  owing  to  their  high 
position  in  the  community,  were  chosen  to  comprise 
that  important  body. 

In  his  business  intercourse  he  is  a  pleasant,  courteous 
gentleman,  and  in  social  circles  genial  and  affable, 
while  with  his  intimate  friends  lie  is  exceedingly  com- 
panionable and  popular.  He  is  quite  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Bankers'  Club,  the  Union,  Chicago,  and 
Washington  clubs. 


PERCY  L.  SHUMAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS.- 


'T'HE  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  founder  and  general 
1  counsel  of  the  Co-operative  Electric  Light 
Company,  and  the  founder  of  the  Nothwestern 
Electric  Light  &  Power  Company,  and  one  of  the  best 
known  of  Chicago's  attorneys,  was  born  at  Milton, 
Wayne  county,  Ind.,  Dec.  2,  1851.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  limited  to  a  few  terms  in  the  district  school, 
which  he  attended  until  he  was  nine  years  old.  On 
October  8,  1861,  he  was, mustered  into  the  57th  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry  as  a  member  of  the  drum  corps  of 
that  regiment,  and  served  with  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  until  June  1863,  when  he  was  honorably 
discharged. 

In  1866,  E.  A.  Rollins,  the  first  commissioner  of 
internal  revenue,  appointed  him  chief  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  assessor  of  internal  revenue  for  the  fifth 
assessment  district  of  Indiana.  This  position  he  held 
until  June,  1868,  when  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
obtained  employment  in  the  office  of  the  Evening 
Journal  for  the  purpose  of  learning  the  printer's  trade. 
He  served  this  paper  successively  as  compositor,  proof- 
reader and  reporter  until  September  10,  1872,  at  which 
time  he  received  an  appointment  to  a  clerkship  in  the 
Chicago  custom  house.  He  remained  for  nearly  nine 
years  in  the  customs  service,  being  employed  as  private 
secretary  to  the  lions.  N.  B.  Judd.  J.  Russell  Jones,  and 
AVilliam  Henry  Smith,  during  tlieir  respective  terms 
as  collectors  of  the  port,  and  resigned  July  1,  1881. 

While  in  the  employment  of  the  government  he  had 
improved  his  spare  time  by  studying  law,  and  in  1878 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  licensed  to  practice 
in  the  State  courts  of  Illinois,  the  United  States 
circuit  and  district  courts,  and  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States.  In  1881  he  began  practice 


as  a  customs  lawyer,  engaged  in  cases  requiring 
a  special  knowledge  of  tariffs,  and  the  regulations 
of  the  treasury  department  governing  the  cus- 
toms service.  He  was  attorney  and  counsel  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  importers  at  Chicago,  in  what  are 
known  as  the  "carton  cases,"  which  involved  the  recov- 
ery from  the  treasury  of  over  $100,000  at  Chicago,  and 
several  hundred  thousand  dollars  at  New  York,  of 
excessive  duties  that  had  been  collected  from  the  im- 
porters under  the  tariff  act  of  1883.  He  was  also  at- 
torney for  the  Chicago  importers,  and  associated  with 
those  of  New  York  as  counsel  in  the  celebrated  "hat 
trimmings"  cases  which  were  contested  for  eight  years, 
and  finally  decided  in  favor  of  the  importers  against 
the  government,  involving  the  return  of  excessive 
duties,  amounting  to  over  $1,000,000.  In  addition  to 
this  special  practice  Mr.  Sliuman  has  carried  on  a  gen- 
eral practice  in  Chicago  with  a  full  measure  of  success. 
During  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  he  was 
counsel  for  a  number  of  the  foreign  concessionaires. 
His  success  is  all  the  more  creditable  from  the  fact  that 
he  is  entirely  a  self-educated  man.  As  a  boy  he 
possessed  none  of  the  ordinary  advantages,  but  by  hard 
study  during  his  spare  moments  he  not  only  acquired  a 
good  general  education,  but  became  a  proficient  stenog- 
rapher, and  learned  to  read  and  write  the  French  and 
Spanish  languages. 

He  was  married  on  October  20,  1875,  to  Caroline 
V.  Ingels,  daughter  of  Joseph  Ingels,  who  was 
the  orignal  inventor  of  the  grain  drill,  one  of  the  most 
successful  inventions  of  the  age.  Mr.  Shuman  is  an 
example  of  what  perserving  industry  and  hopeful 
courage,  joined  to  a  high  order  of  native  ability,  can  do 
in  this  country  of  unbounded  opportunities. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

CHARLES   B.  WILLIAMS, 

MARVIN,   SOUTH   DAKOTA. 


387 


/CHARLES  BILLINGS  WILLIAMS,  son  of  Wil- 
\^f  liam  M.  and  Catharine  Virginia  (Duffy)  Wil- 
liams, was  born  at  Hartstown,  Crawford  county,  Pa., 
on  the  25th  day  of  April,  1858.  His  father,  a  descen- 
dant of  Eoger  Williams,  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits  in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  His  mother 
was  of  Irish  descent,  her  father  being  a  doctor  of 
renown  in  the  old  country. 

Young  Williams  received  a  good  common  school 
education  in  the  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  and  then 
attended  an  academy  for  a  year.  After  engaging  in 
various  occupations  in  that  State,  young  Williams  went 
West  and  settled  at  Marvin,  Grant  county,  South 
Dakota,  in  the  spring  of  1880,  where,  with  a  very  small 
capital,  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business.  This  bus- 
iness he  still  continues,  and  to  it  he  has  found  it  neces- 
sary to  add  two  branch  stores  situated  at  different 
points  in  the  State.  He  is  also  a  buyer  and  shipper  of 
lumber  and  grain.  Mr.  Williams  has  held  several  offices 
within  the  gift  of  the  peopleof  his  county  and  town.  He 


has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  treasurer  of  the  town, 
county  commissioner,  and  in  1886  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Territorial  legislature. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  Merchants'  Bank  of 
Milbank,  August  1. 1891,  he  was  elected  a  director  and 
vice-president,  which  office  he  still  holds. 

On  December  25,  1884,  Mr.  Williams  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  B.  Hocum,  daughter  of  George 
.  Hocum,  of  Marvin.  S.  D.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams.  Recently,  on  account 
of  sickness,  he  purchased  a  residence  in  Minneapolis, 
Minn  ,  where  his  family  now  resides. 

Mr.  Wiljiams  is  a  good  type  of  the  men  who  early 
went  West  to  grow  up  with  the  country,  and  who 
have  been  largely  instrumental  in  building  up  its 
interests  and  developing  its  resources.  Careful,  ener- 
getic and  a  capable  business  man,  he  is  universally 
known  and  as  universally  respected.  To  him  and 
others  of  similar  character  the  new  West  owes  much 
of  its  present  prosperity. 


NATHANIEL  K.  FAIRBANK, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


1VT  ATHANIEL  K.  FAIRBANK  was  born  in  1829, 
IN  at  Sodus,  Wayne  count}',  New  York,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  by 
private  study  at  home.  He  is  descended  from  New 
England  stock. 

Apprenticed  to  a  bricklayer  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
he  completed  his  apprenticeship  at  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
Shortly  after  this  he  accepted  a  position  as  book-keeper 
in  a  flouring  mill,  and  at  the  end  of  six  months  became 
a  partner  in  the  business.  Attracted  by  the  advan- 
tages and  inducements  offered  to  energetic  young  men 
in  the  rapidly-growing  West,  he  resolved  to  go  thither, 
and  in  1855  removed  to  Chicago  and  established  him- 
self in  the  grain  commission  business,  becoming  the 
western  agent  of  David  Dows  &  Co.,  of  New  York, 
and  remained  such  some  ten  years.  During  this  time 
he  had  become  financially  interested  in  the  lard  and 
oil-refinery  of  Smedley,  Peck  &  Co.  The  business  was 
prosperous  for  about  four  years,  when  a  destructive  fire 
occurred,  entailing  a  loss  of  $50.000.  Nothing  daunted, 
in  the  following  year,  1870,  however,  the  firm  built  the 
present  refinery,  situated  at  tho  corner  of  Eighteenth 
and  Blackwell  streets,  at  a  cost  of  more  than  $80,000. 
Some  two  years  later  Mr.  Smedley  sold  his  interest,  and 
afterward  Mr.  Peck  withdrew  from  the  business,  their 
places  being  filled  by  Messrs.  W.  H.  Burnet  and  Joseph 
Sears,  the  firm  name  changing  to  N.  K.  Fairbank  & 
Co.,  under  which  name  its  immense  business  has  since 


been  conducted  and  which  has  become  known  throu°ih- 
out  the  world. 

Mr.  Fairbank  is  a  man  of  broad  sympathies  and 
generous  public-spiritedness,  and  intensely  practical  in 
his  ideas.  The  present  home  of  the  Chicago  Club,  on 
Monroe  street,  was  built  through  his  enterprise  in 
1874,  when  the  club  was  financially  and  numerically 
weak,  as  compared  with  its  condition  to-day.  Of  the 
$135,000  which  the  club-house  cost,  $80,000  was  sub- 
scribed by  the  members  before  the  building  was  com- 
pleted, and  the  balance  of  $50,000  was  paid  by  Mr. 
Fairbank.  As  a  mark  of  their  appreciation  of  his  gen- 
erosity and  executive  ability,  as  well  as  an  expression 
of  their  regard  for  him  personally,  the  members  elected 
him  president  of  the  club  upon  taking  possession  of  the 
new  house- in  1876,  and  he  continued  in  that  office  by 
re-election  for  thirteen  years.  Another  monument  to 
the  enterprise  and  public  spirit  of  Mr.  Fairbank  is  the 
Central  Music  Hall.  Chicago's  need  of  such  a  struc- 
ture was  first  suggested  by  the  late  George  B.  Carpen- 
ter, whose  zeal  and  enthusiasm  aroused  public  interest. 
But  money  was  needed.  The  enterprise  appealed  to 
the  practical  judgment  of  Mr.  Fairbank,  and  although 
Chicago  was  but  just  recovering  from  the  effects  of  the 
great  fire  of  1871,  he  placed  the  matter  before  the  cap- 
italists of  the  city,  and  such  was  his  influence  that  all 
the  stock  was  quickly  subscribed  for  and  the  building 
erected.  His  contributions  to  benevolent  and  charita- 


388 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


ble  objects  have  also  been  large  and  numerous.  The 
Newsboys'  Home,  which  some  years  ago  was  heavilv 
mortgaged,  lie  helped  to  release  from  its  burden  of 
indebtedness  by  getting  subscriptions  and  bv  interest- 
ing those  in  favored  circumstances  in  its  noble  work. 
St.  Luke's  Hospital  also  has  been  the  recipient  of  his 
beneficence.  Seeing  the  need  of  a  commodious  Ijuiid- 
ing,  he  headed  the  subscription  list  with  $25,000, 
thereby  stimulating  his  many  associates  to  the  exercise 
of  a  similar  zeal.  The  result  was  the  new  hospital 
building,  which  is  an  honor  to  Chicago.  -He  has  con- 
tinued to  be  its  true  friend  and  faithful  adviser.  His 
private  charities  have  been  many,  and  he  has  always 
responded  to  the  demands  upon  his  time  and  money 
made  by  the  accredited  societies  having  in  charge 
the  relief  of  distress.  In  religious  faith  Mr.  Fair- 
bank  has  long  been  a  Presbyterian.  •  For  manv 
vears  he  was  connected  with  the  South  church, 
of  which  Professor  Swing  was  formerly  pastor. 
When  the  connection  of  the  latter  with  the  Presby- 
terian church  ceased  and  he"  became  the  leader  of  an 
independent  church  movement,  Mr.  Fairbank  was  one 
of  his  most  faithful  adherents,  and  entered  heartily 
into  the  work  of  organizing  the  Central  church,  whose 
services  are  held  in  Central  Music  Hall  and  conducted 
bv  Professor  Swing.  He  was  one  of  fifty  persons  who 
pledged  themselves  to  make  good  any  deficit  of  money 
in  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  church,  for  a  period  of 
three  years.  He  has  from  the  first  been  one  of  its 
most  prominent  supporters  and  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees. 

He  has  for  several  years  been  greatly  interested  in 


pisciculture,  and  has  done  much  throughout  the  West, 
notably  in  Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  for  the  protection  and 
culture  of  the  finny  tribe. 

He  has  been  a  prominent  figure  in  political  affairs 
so  far  as  they  have  related  to  the  government  of  the 
citv,  and  has  ever  been  found  on  the  side  of  those  who 
labored  for  the  promotion  of  honest  principles  and 
clean-handed  practices.  In  literary  and  social  circles 
he  is  and  has  been  conspicuous.  lie  is  known  for  his 
domestic  tasted  and  love  of  home  life,  which  finds 
gratification  not  only  in  his  elegant  home  in  the  citv 
but  in  a  most  beautiful  summer  residence  at  Lake 
Geneva,  Wisconsin. 

In  18C6,  Mr.  Fairbank  married  Miss  Helen  L.  Gra- 
ham, of  New  York.  Mrs.  Fairbank  is;  like  her  husband, 
prominent  in  social  and  charitable  affairs,  is  a  woman 
of  superior  attainments,  and  withal  devoted  to  her 
family,  which  is  an  interesting  one,  consisting  of  four 
sons  and  three  daughters. 

In  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Fairbank  is  above  the 
average  height,  well  proportioned  and  of  distinguished 
appearance.  His  features  betoken  firmness,  rare  intel- 
lect and  great  energy,  while  in  manner  he  is  courteous, 
affable  and  of  a  genial  nature,  gifted  as  a  conversa- 
tionalist and  is  an  excellent  host: 

That  Chicago  osves  much  to  Nathaniel  K.  Fairbank 
is  universally  conceded.  Ills  success  lias  been  close! v 
allied  with  its  prosperity.  That  success,  of  which  he 
may  well  be  proud,  has  not  come  by  accident,  but  as  a 
result  of  that  sagacity,  energy  and  forethought,  asso- 
ciated with  integrity,  which  usually  marks  the  career 
of  the  self-made  man. 


FRANCIS  LOUIS  BURTON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


FRANCIS  LOUIS  BURTON  was  born  at  Marmorey, 
Hastings  county,  Ont.,  Ma}'  23,  1857,  the  son  of 
Arthur  and  Fannv  Burton,  who  were  of  Scotch  and 
Irish  '  descent.  The  earliest  member  of  the  family 
coming  to  this  continent  was  Colonel  James  Burton, 
who  located  in  York,  Canada,  now  known  as  Toronto, 
in  1790.  The  great-grandfather  of  Mr.  Burton  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Canadian  colony.  The. 
family  is  noted  for  the  long  line  of  well-known  lawyers 
and  jurists  it  has  produced.  The  present  chief-justice 
of  Canada,  and  the  late  Hall  McAlister  of  California, 
both  members  of  this  family,  are  men  of  national 
reputation.  On  the  arrival  of  young  Burton  in  the 
I'liited  States  in  1876,  he  went  directly  West,  living 
in  a  number  of  the  territories,  mainly  Montana,  lie 
came  to  Chicago  July  1C>,  ISStf.  lie  had  received  a 
common  school  education,  and  while  in  Montana  began 
the  study  of  law  in  the  olticeof  Judge  McBride.  Prior 
to  this,  however,  he  had  been  engaged  with  his  father 
in  the  lumber  business,  and  later  in  real  estate.  He 


was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1882.  He  was  prosecuting 
attorney  of  Montana  for  two  years,  and  served  two 
years  on  the  bench.  One  of  his  most  important  cases 
was  as  attorney  for  the  Montana  strikers  in  1886, 
against  the  big  mining  companies,  in  which  case  Mr. 
Burton  .won  all  the  points  he  made,  lie  was  the 
attorney  for  the  Montana  Copper  Company  in  an 
important  case  against  the  great  Anaconda  Mining 
Company,  and  also  attorney  for  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company. 

Since  settling  in  Chicago  he  has  made  a  specialty  of 
corporation  law,  and  has  been  engaged  in  most  of  the 
large  corporation  suits  in  this  city.  lie  goes  anywhere 
throughout  the  country  to  try  cases  of  this  kind,  and, 
although  he  has  had  man}* opportunities,  hasabsolutely 
refused  to  be  retained  at  a  salary  by  any  person  or 
corporation  in  the  world,  lie  prefers  to  be  indepen- 
dent and  count  on  the  common  people  for  his  clients. 
While  Mr.  l.urton  was  engaged  in  the  importing  and 
exporting  of  lumber  with  his  father  he  visited  the  old 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


39' 


world  frequently,  and  has  circumnavigated   the  globe. 
He  has  visited  especially  the  Oriental  countries. 

He  was  reared  in  the  Presbyterian  faith,  and  in 
politics  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Iroquois  and  Washington  Clubs,  and  of  the  Cook 
county  Democracy;  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a 
member  of  the  Oakland  and  Saracen  Clubs. 


Mr.  Burton  was  married  Sept.  5,  1891,  to  Miss 
Nellie  B.  Gwin,  of  Chicago,  daughter  of  an  old  soldier 
and  a  well-known  citizen  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  is 
a  lady  of  education  and  accomplishments.  Their  home 
is  an  ideal  one.  Since  coming  to  Chicago  Mr.  Burton 
has  spent  seven  months  in  traveling  through  continen- 
tal countries. 


WILLIAM  A.  HAMILTON, 


EVANSTON,    ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  A.  HAMILTON  was  bom  in  McDon- 
ougii  county,  111.,  on  March  14, 1856.  He  was  the 
son  of  George  W.  and  Hannah  H.  Hamilton,  both 
natives  of  this  country  but  of  Scotch  and  Scotch- 
Irish  extraction.  The  first  paternal  ancestor  who 
came  to  this  country  was  Robert  Hamilton,  in  about 
1780.  He  came  from  Edinburg  and  located  in 
Philadelphia. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  common 
school  education  in  his  native  county,  but  came  to 
Chicago  in  1873,  and  in  order  to  prepare  himself  for* 
the  practice  of  law  he  entered  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity at  Evanston,  from  which  institution  he  gradu- 
ated in  1879.  He  later  studied  law  with  Lyman  & 
Jackson,  in  this  city,  and  while  a  student  in  their  office 
he  was  acting  at  the  same  time  as  reporter  for  the 
Tribune  and  Inter  Ocean,  earning  in  this  way  sufficient 
money  to  support  himself  while  he  was  preparing  for 
his  profession.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  J881 
and  practiced  law  until  1883,  when,  on  account  of 
trouble  with  his  eyes,  he  was  advised  to  give  up  further 
study  and  take  a  rest.  In  accordance  with  this  advice 
Mr.  Hamilton  went  to  Wisconsin,  to  the  then  small 
town  of  Superior.  What  time  he  was  able  to  devote 


to  work  was  taken  up  by  his  duties  as  attorney  for  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company.  A  little  later, 
having  recovered  the  use  of  his  eyes,  he  was  employed 
by  the  Land  and  River  Improvement  Company,  the 
corporation  which  founded  the  town  of  West  Superior. 
Part  of  his  work  for  this  company  was  to  examine  all 
the  titles  to  the  land  on  which  the  town  was  laid  out 
and  supervise  its  proper  platting. 

In  1886  Mr.  Hamilton  returned  to  Chicago,  where 
he  took  up  the  general  practice  of  law.  A  Republican 
in  politics,  Mr.  Hamilton  is  staunch  in  the  support  of 
his  part\7,  but  he  takes  no  further  part  in  politics  than 
the  casting  of  his  ballot.  He  is  a  resident  of  Evans- 
ton,  Chicago's  most  select  and  beautiful  suburb,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Evanston  Club,  the  Country  Club 
and  the  Boat  Club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Uni- 
versity Club,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Hamilton  confines  his  practice  of  law  to  civil 
cases  almost  entirely.  His  linn  was  the  one  which 
represented  Warren  Leland  in  the  suit  against  the  city 
of  Chicago  to  clear  the  lake  front  of  obstructions,  and 
to  compel  the  removal  of  the  old  Exposition  building. 
Though  a  hard  fight,  it  was  gallantly  won  by  Mr. 
Hamilton's  client. 


JOHN   E.  McKEE, 


KANSAS  CITY,  MISSOURI. 


JOHN  E.  McKEE,  son  of  Addison  and  Louisa  Mc- 
Kee,  was  born  on  a  farm,  in  Sullivan  county,  Ind. 
May  27.  1851.  He  had  the  ordinary  experience  of  farm- 
ers' sons,  attending  the  public  schools  and  during  vaca- 
tion helping  with  the  farm  work.  When  his  education 
was  completed  he  wont  into  a  dry  goods  store  as  a 
clerk,  at  Macon,  Missouri,  and  later  was  employed  in 
an  abstract  office,  being  afterward  employed  in  a  simi- 
lar office  at  Kirksville,  in  the  same  State. 

In  the  spring  of  1876,  he  went  to  Edina,  Missouri, 
and  there  had  his  first  experience  in  a  bank,  being 
employed  by  the  Knox  County  Savings  Bank.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  he  returned  to  Kirksville,  where 
he  remained  two  years  -with  the  Kirksville  Savings 


Bank.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  United  States  Express  Co.,  and  in  1S79  came  to 
Kansas  City,  in  the  employ  of  that  company,  with 
which  he  remained  until  1880,  when  he  resigned  to  go 
with  the  McCord  Nave  Mercantile  Company,  whole- 
sale grocers,  with  whom  he  remained  for  over  seven 
years. 

At  the  close  of  his  services  with  the  above  com- 
pany, Mr.  McKee  entered  a  branch  of  the  American 
National  Bank,  where  he  was  soon  promoted  to  the 
position  of  teller,  and  a  very  little  later  was  made 
assistant  manager.  In  February,  18SS,  he  became 
manager,  which  position  he  held  until  October,  1890, 
when  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  bank.  In 


392 


PROMINENT  AfEJV  OF   THE  GKEAT  WEST. 


March,  1891,  the  bank  was  reorganized,  at  which  time 
Mr.  McKee  was  elected  cashier,  and  has  continued  in 
that  position  ever  since. 

He  has  never  aspired  to  political  office,  believing 
that  politics  and  business  cannot  be  successfully  com- 
bined in  one  man.  He,  however,  affiliates  with  and 
casts  his  ballot  for  and  gives  his  influence  to  the  candi- 
dates of  the  Republican  party. 


Mr.  McKee  was  married  on  November  5th,  1890, 
to  Miss  Laura  M.  Stein,  of  Chicago. 

A  shrewd,  capable  business  man,  he  started  in  at 
the  bottom  of  the  ladder  and  has  steadily  climbed  up 
to  his  present  position.  He  has  hosts  of  warm  personal 
friends,  and  is  making  more  each  year,  by  the  urbanity 
of  his  kindly  nature  and  the  strict  fairness  and  honesty 
of  his  business  methods. 


WILLIAM  J.  SUTHERLAND, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  November  3, 
1863,  on  a  farm  near  Logansport.  Ind.,  being  the 
only  son  of  George  C.  and  Esther  Gearhart  Sutherland. 
His  ancestors  were  of  Scotch  descent  and  his  grand- 
father, William  J.  Sutherland,  was  an  early  resident  of 
the  city  of  New  York,  where  his  father  was  born,  but 
at  an  earl}7  day  in  the  30's  the  father  and  son  came 
west  and  settled  in  Indiana,  engaging  in  the  flour 
milling  and  grocery  business.  Mr.  George  C.  Suther- 
land, the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  few  ' 
years  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1875,  lived 
on  his  farm  near  Logansport.  The  mother  of  young 
Sutherland  died  when  he  was  but  a  year  old,  and  his 
father  subsequent!}7  married  Miss  Lucinda  Lay,  of 
Wabash,  Ind.  Young  Sutherland  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  in  the  summer  and  in  the  winter  attended 
the  Co'ncord  schools,  completing  his  common  school 
education  in  Logansport  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 

Upon  leaving  school  Mr.  Sutherland  became  clerk 
in  a  grocer}7  store  at  Logansport,  where  he  remained 
four  years,  when  he  came  to  Chicago  and  entered  the 
service  of  the  Mooney  &  Boland  Detective  Agency, a 
New  York  agency  at  that  time  a  quarter  of  a  century 
old,  with  a  western  branch  then  about  to  be  established 
in  Chicago.  For  a  time  he  did  clerical  work  in  the 
office,  but  soon  became  an  active  outside  worker,  and 
was  in  due  time  advanced  to  the  position  of  assistant 
superintendent.  In  1886  Messrs.  Mooney  &  Boland 
opened  a  branch  office  in  Kansas  City,  and  the  Chicago 
superintendent  was  sent  there  to  take  charge,  upon 
which  Mr.  Sutherland  was  made  superintendent  at 
Chicago.  In  1890  the  agency  was  incorporated  and 
Mr.  Sutherland  was  made  secretary  and  manager  of 
the  Western  division,  and  in  1891,  upon  the  death  of 
the  senior  member  of  the -firm,  Mr.  James  Mooney,  he 
purchased  that  gentleman's  interest  in  the  business, 
and  has  since  had  entire  charge  of  the  Western  division 
as  general  manager. 

Mr.  Sutherland  is  a  Mason,  having  advanced  to  the 
Royal  Arch  degree.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  the  Chicago 
Athletic,  and  several  other  clubs.  During  his  career 
as  an  operative  in  the  business  in  which  he  is  engaged, 
he  has  visited  nearly  every  city,  town  and  county  seat 


of  importance  in  this  country,  and  traveled  extensively 
abroad.  In  his  religious  affiliations  he  is  a  Presby- 
terian; in  political  matters  neutral. 

On  Decoration  Day,  May  30,  1888,  Mr.  Sutherland 
was  married  to  Miss  D)lly  Minnick,  of  Arlington 
Heights,  111.,  daughter  of  Dr.  E.  G.  Minnick,  a  retired 
physician.  He  resides  with  his  family  on  Ellis  avenue, 
in  a  handsome  residence  erected  last  year,  surrounded 
by  all  the  comforts  of  life.  Mr.  Sutherland  is  a  great 
lover  of  good  horses  and  fine  dogs,  and  keeps  in  his 
well-appointed  stables  some  specimens  of  the  finest 
pacing  and  saddle  horses  to  be  found  in  Chicago  and 
vicinity,  while  he  is  the  owner  of  several  dogs  of  the 
most  valuable  breeds. 

Mr.  Sutherland  lias  long  been  an  important  factor 
in  the  making  of  the  Mooney  and  Boland  agency  one 
of  the  most  successful  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the 
entire  country.  The  testimonial  letters  from  promi- 
nent parties  who  have  employed  the  agency  in  difficult 
cases,  and  which  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
Western  office,  are  numerous,  and  many  most  compli- 
mentary things  have  been  said  by  the  daily  press  of 
Chicago  and  elsewhere  in  speaking  of  its  work. 
Among  notable  cases  handled  by  the  agency  may 
be  mentioned  the  capture,  in  1881,  after  a  long  chase, 
of  the  famous  Italian  brigand,  Esposita,  alias  Rendozza, 
in  New  Orleans,  and  his  extradition  and  conviction  by 
the  Italian  government.  Also  the  clever  capture  and 
conviction,  about  the  same  time,  of  Charles  Becker, 
who  counterfeited  successfully  the  1000-franc  notes  of 
the  Bank  of  France.  His  plates  and  entire  outfit  were 
also  captured.  It  was  also  due,  to  a  great  extent,  to 
the  excellent  work  of  this  agency  that  the  notorious 
ballot-box  frauds  of  Mackin  and  Gallagher,  in  this  city 
in  1885,  were  exposed,  and  Mackin  landed  in  the  peni- 
tentiary. In  the  tracing  out  of  the  intricate  election 
frauds  in  Indiana  in  1887,  perpetrated  by  Sim  Coy  and 
his  gang,  the  Mooney  &  Boland  agency  did  the  work 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Sutherland.  Sim  Coy,  as  is 
well  known,  was  convicted  and  punished.  In  election 
frauds,  this  agency  has  made  a  notable  record  of 
running  to  ground  the  guilty;  and  also  in  many 
boodle  cases,  among  which  may  be  quoted  the  instance 
when  this  agency  was  employed  by  the  citizens'  com- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEAT  WEST. 


395 


in  if.  tee  to  expose  and  locate  the  fraudulent  practices  of 
the  county  officials  of  Chicago  in  1SS6.  The  trial  of 
these  cases  is  well  remembered  in  this  city, and  resulted 
in  the  sending  to  the  penitentiary  of  several  county 
commissioners  and  officials. 

The  agency  \vas  presented,  in  recognition  of  this 
valuable  service,  with  a  letter  of  commendation  for 
their  able  and  energetic  work  in  this  particular  case 
by  ex-Judge  Julius  S.  Grinnell,  at  that  time  State's 
attorney. 

A  multitude  of  cases  might  be  cited  illustrative  of 
the  excellent  service  and  work  accomplished   by  this 
great  agency.     A  notable  case  of  more  recent  date  was 
the  running  down  and  capture  of  Grimshaw,  the  train 
wrecker,   who  early  in    1393   wrecked    the   passenger 


train  on  the  Grand  Rapids  &  Indiana  railroad,  and 
who  was  sent  to  the  Michigan  penitentiary  for  fifteen 
years.  Mr.  Sutherland  has  ol'ten  been  commended,  for 
his  successful  work  by  judges  of  the  Federal  and  State 
courts,  law  officials  and  business  men  throughout  this 
and  foreign  countries.  In  personal  appearance  Mr. 
Sutherland  is  a  man  who  would  attract  attention 
among  a  multitude.  Over  six  feet  in  height,  well- 
proportioned,  of  magnificent  physique,  with  dark  hair 
and  beard,  a  penetrating,  yet  kind  eye,  looks  out  upon 
one  with  commanding,  yet  winning  force.  That  he  is 
very  popular  among  his  friends,  and  that  he  enjoys  the 
esteem  of  all  his  acqua  ntances  is  the  natural  outcome 
of  such  characteristics  as  Mr  Sutherland  is  known  to 
possess. 


CHANDLER  S.  REDFIELD, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


CHANDLER  S.  REDFIELD,  son  of  Beriah  and 
Cornelia  N.  (Parkinson)  Redfield,  was  born  at 
Clvde,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  2nd  of  April, 
1842.  His  father  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
at  Clyde  until  1845,  when  he  removed  to  Homer;  Michi- 
gan, where  he  engaged  in  the  same  business  and  also 
was  a  miller  and  farmer.  lie  was  still  engaged  in  these 
lines  of  business  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  took 
place  in  1857,  the  year  of  the  panic.  Young  Redfield 
had  graduated  from  the  public  schools  and  at  the  time 
of  his  father's  death  was  attending  Homer  Academy, 
but  being  then  the  oldest  son  at  home  was  compelled 
to  leave  school  and  take  charge  of  the  farm  in  order  to 
support  the  family,  the  panic  having  swept  all  of  his 
father's  other  possessions  away.  He  continued  to  do 
this  until  September  7,  1861,  when  he  left  the  farm 
and  hastened  to  his  country's  defence,  enlisting  as  a 
private  in  Company  "M"  2nd  Regiment,  Michigan 
Cavalry.  He  served  with  this  regiment  until  he  was 
sent  to  the  hospital  at  New  Albany,  Ind.,  in  1862.  In 
1863  he  was  promoted,  being  made  hospital  steward  IT. 
S.  A.  and  assigned  to  duty  with  Surgeon  Thomas  W 
I'Yv,  superintendent  of  general  hospitals  at  New  Albany 
and  Jeffersonville,  Ind  ,  and  at  Louisville,  Kentucky  .as 
chief  clerk.  He  retained  this  position  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  and  was  then  assigned  to  duty  as  chief 
clerk  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Louis  Humphrey,  medical 
inspector,  but  resigned  December  20,  1865,  and  went 
home. 

In  the  spring  of  1866,  he  came  to  Chicago,  remain- 
ing about  two  months,  when  he  started  out  for  Omaha. 
Nebraska,  going  across  Iowa  by  stage.  On  arrival  at 
Omaha,  he  secured  employment  on  the  grading  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad,  holding  a  scraper,  but  worked 
at  it  only  about  two  months,  when  he  applied  for  and 
received  a  clerkship  with  the  quarter-master  at  Fort 
Kearney.  This  he  retained  until  the  latter  part  of 


November,  when  he  resigned  and  returned  to  Omaha, 
there  securing  a  position  as  book-keeper  and  cashier 
with  the  wholesale  dry  goods  house  of  S.  and  A.  B. 
Saunders.  In  1868,  he  "was  appointed  State  agent  of 
the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company  for  Nebraska, 
and  about  the  same  time,  though  not  a  candidate  and 
not  wanting  the  office,  he,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
the  managers  of  the  Republican  party,  accepted  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace. 

During  the  years  1871  and  1872,  he  was  the  special 
agent  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company,  and 
traveled  over  the  Western  States  in  that  capacity  until 
1873,  when  he'  resigned  and  came  to  Chicago,  opening 
a  real-estate  and  insurance  office  at  Englewood  in 
September  of  that  year,  where  he  still  carries  on  the 
business,  though  it  has  long  since  outgrown  Engle 
wood,  now  covering  almost  the  entire  city. 

In  1888,  he  formed  a  syndicate  and  purchased  the 
property  at  79ih  and  Wallace  streets,  known  as  Auburn 
Park,  laid  out  the  streets  and  improved,  the  property  5 
managing  it  until  the  last  foot  was  sold.  He  also 
organized  syndicates  which  have  bought  and  improved 
several  large  tracts  of  land  at  Evanston  and  has  him- 
self built  a  large  number  of  houses.  He  held  the 
office  of  assessor  of  the  town  of  Lake  (now  a  part  of 
Chicago) 'for  the  four  years  including  1878  and  1881, 
and  during  the  years  1880  and  1881  he  was  president 
of  that  town's  board  of  trustees. 

Mr.  Redfield  is  a  life  member  of  Auburn  Park 
Lodge,  789,  A.  F.  <fc  A.  M.;  of  Englewood  Chapter 
R.  A-  M.;  of  Englewood  Commandery  K.  T.;  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  of  the  Loyal  League  of  Englewood, 
and  of  George  C.  Mead  Post  G.  A.  R.  His  travels 
have  been  confined  to  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
in  which  countries  he  has  been  in  every  State  and 
Territory. 

He  was  married  on  the  22d  day  of  May,  1875,  to 


396 

Miss  Maria  J.  Quigley  of  A'ew  Albany,  Ind.  They 
have  three  children,  t\vo  daughters  and  one  son. 

Chandler  S.  Redfield  is  not  only  a  self-made  man, 
but  has  made  his  way  through  singularly  difficult 
circumstances,  having  at  the  outset  had  to  think 
of  the  welfare  of  others  before  taking  any  heed  of 
his  own. 

Removed  from  school  by  untoward circumstances,at 
the  early  age  of  fifteen,  we  find  him  hard  at  work  for 
the  support  of  his  widowed  mother  and  of  his  younger 
brothers  and  sisters.  This  duty  he  performed  nobly,  and 
when  he  was  no  longer  so  much  needed,  he  responded 
at  once  to  his  countrv's  call  to  arms  and  went  to  her 
defense  on  the  field  of  battle.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  found  himself  but  little  better  off  than  when  he  left 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


home,  and  then  began  the  battle  from  which  he  has 
emerged  so  victoriously.  That  lie  is  made  of  the  right 
kind  of  material  is  manifest  by  his  first  experience  at 
Omaha,  where,  not  finding  suitable  employment  he, 
instead  of  remaining  idle,  took  work  not  in  the  least 
congenial,  and  earned  his  bread  literally  by  the  sweat 
of  his  brow,  until  he  had  an  opportunity  to  find  em- 
ployment better  suited  to  his  ability.  Since  then  his 
advancement  has  been  rapid  and  steady,  and  his  present 
position  is  due  alone  to  his  industrious  habits  and 
strict  business  integrity.  Of  broad  and  liberal  opinions 
on  all  subjects,  he  has  hosts  of  friends  who  delight  to  do 
him  honor,  and  his  kindly  nature  and  his  strict  fairness 
in  all  business  transactions  are  constantly  making 
additions  to  the  list. 


THOMAS   JEFFERSON    STONE, 


SIOWX  CITY,   IOWA. 


THOMAS   J.   STONE,  one  of  Sioux  City's   most 
prominent  citizens,  banker,  capitalist  and  finan- 
cier, was  born  at  Royalton,  Niagara  county,  N.   Y., 
August   13,    1825,   his    parents    being   Isaiah    P.   and 
Mercy  (Sawyer)  Stone. 

Young  Stone  worked  upon  his  father's  farm  until 
he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  attending  the  district 
school  three  or  four  months  each  year.  He  then  went 
to  Oberlin  College  with  the  intention  of  taking  a  full 
course,  but  while  in  the  freshman  year  his  health 
failed  and  he  abandoned  his  intention  of  prosecuting 
his  studies  further,  except  at  the  high  school  at  Mt. 
Vernon,  O.  He  then  came  farther  west  and  spent 
some  time  in  surveying  in  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  pur- 
suing this  business  at  times  until  1856.  During  this 
period  he  spent  four  years  in  the  office  of  the  treasurer 
of  Linn  county,  la.,  going  into  the  field  occasionally 
with  chain  and  compass  and  doing  considerable  gov- 
ernment surveying.  .  For  a  short  time  before  leaving 
Marion,  the  county  seat  of  Linn  county,  he  was  in  the 
banking  business  with  other  parties,  the  firm  being 
Smyth,  Stone  «fe  Co.  In  May,  1856,  Mr.  Stone  removed 
to  Sioux  City  and  engaged  largely  in  the  real  estate 
business,  continuing  it  up  to  1874.  For  many  years  he 
paid  taxes  for  over  one  thousand  persons,  and  did 
more,  as  land  agent  and  otherwise,  in  entering  up  the 
government  lands  in  northwestern  Iowa  than  any 
other  man.  During  the  earl\T  part  of  his  residence 
there  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  county  treasurer's  office, 
and  was  very  careful  and  efficient  in  this  work,  as  in 
everything  else  to  which  he  has  put  his  hands.  In 
1867,  Mr.  Stone  opened  a  private  bank  in  connection 
with  his  land  operations,  and  continued  it  for  three 
years;  then,  in  1870,  he  organized  the  First  National 
Bank,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  its  cashier. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Stone  has  paid  little  at- 
tention to  real  estate,  giving  his  undivided  attention 


and  energies  to  the  bank,  which  is  a  very  popular  in- 
stitution, and  to  his  various  other  interests,  he  being 
the  owner  of  inside  real  estate  in  every  part  of  the  city, 
including  a  number  of  the  best  business  buildings.  In 
1861  Mr.  Stone  was  elected  treasurer  and  recorder  of 
Woodbury  county,  holding  that  double  office  for  three 
years,  and  then  the  office  of  treasurer  alone  for  some 
length  of  time.  Mr.  Stone,  besides  being  the  president 
and  a  heavy  stockholder  in  the  First  National  bank,  is 
also  president  of  the  Sioux  City  Savings  bank,  and  a 
director  in  the  Merchants  National  bank. 

On  May  12,  1852,  he  married  Miss  Alice  A.  Heath- 
cote,  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio.  She  died  in  1882.  In 
1886  he  married  Mrs.  Frances  A.  Flint,  a  lady  of  dis- 
tinguished devotion  to  charitable  work,  and  remem- 
bered in  connection  with  the  establishment  and  main- 
tenance of  the  Samaritan  Home,  of  Sioux  City.  After 
a  brief  and  felicitous  life  together,  Mrs.  Stone  died 
on  June  29,  1891. 

Recently  Mr.  Thomas  J.  Stone  was  again  married, 
to  Mrs.  Emma  Hedges  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  the\f 
now  reside  in  their  beautiful  home  in  Sioux  City.  Mrs. 
Hedges  was  for  a  time  a  resident  of  Sioux  City,  where 
she  was  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  for  several  years, 
and  to  her  is  due  much  of  the  credit  for  the  high  repu- 
tation of  the  schools  there.  She  is  a  noble  Christian 
woman,  active  in  church  and  all  charitable  work,  and 
deservedly  enjoys  the  love  and  respect  of  a  large  circle 
of  friends. 

Mr.  Stone  is  emphatically  a  business  man.  lie  has 
done  clean,  thorough  and  honest  work  all  his  life,  and 
his  friends  accumulate  with  years.  He  has  taken  the 
best  of  care  of  himself,  and  the  burdens  and  troubles  of 
life  have  not  left  their  mark  upon  his  tall  and  sym- 
metrical figure. 

Mr.  Stone  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  He  has  held  no  political  office  for  many 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CSEA  T  WEST. 


399 


years,  and  has  not  been  identified  with  any  of  the 
political  movements  in  an  active  way,  but  uniformly 
votes  with  the  Republican  party.  His  business  policy 
is  extremely  conservative.  He  has  devoted  himself 
systematically  to  the  administration  of  his  ever- 
increasing  business  affairs.  His  wealth  is  all  invested 
in  absolutely  safe  property,  bank  stock  and  inside  real 
estate.  In  the  accumulation  of  his  extensive  real  estate 
holdings,  he  seems  to  have  followed  the  Astor  principle 
of  obtaining  control  of  as  much  ground  as  possible,  and 
never  permitting  a  property  once  acquired  to  go  outside 


of  thp.  family.  He  is  remarkably  hale  and  active,  and 
is  at  his  office  every  day,  transacting  business,  as  he  has 
done  for  years.  Edgar  H.  Stone,  his  son,  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  brightest  of  the  younger  business  men  of 
Sioux  City.  He  is  a  Yale  graduate,  and  now  fills  the 
position  of  cashier  in  the  First  National  bank  of  Sioux 
City,  and  great  things  are  predicted  for  him  in  the 
future.  His  wife  is  a  very  accomplished  woman,  and 
and  is  quite  prominent  in  society.  Mr.  Stone's  daughter 
is  now  the  wife  of  Geo.  P.  Day,  cashier  of  the  Merch- 
ants' National  Bank  at  Sioux  City.- 


EMANUEL  ROTHSCHILD, 


CHICAGO.  ILLINOIS. 


EMANUEL  EOTHSCHILD,  son  of  Moses  and 
Augusta  Rothschild,  was  born  in  Nordsletten, 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Wurtemburg,  in  1838.  His 
father,  Moses  Rothschild,  was  a  country  merchant  in 
this  village  for  over  forty  years,  with  a  clean  business 
record.  His  mother,  Augusta  Rothschild,  was  from 
Eppingen,  Baden,  from  a  wealthy  family  of  .high 
standing.  Young  Rothschild's  early  education  was  in 
the  village  of  Nordstetten. 

He  came  to  this  country  alone  in  the  '60's  and 
clerked  in  Dixon,  III.,  for  six  months  at  first,  and 
from  there  went  to  Memphis,  Tenn.  He  was  there 
until  the  war  broke  out,  and  was  compelled  to  leave  or 
go  into  the  rebel  army.  From  Memphis  he  came  back 
to  Rock  Island,  111.,  and  served  as  clerk  there  for  six 
months;  from  there  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  was  a 
clerk  in  one  house  there  until  he  started  in  business  for 
himself,  in  1865.  He  was  afterward  joined  by  his 
brothers  in  Davenport,  and  they  carried  on  a  very  suc- 
cessful retail  business  for  many  years.  In  1872,  right 
after  the  fire,  they  started  a  branch  retail  store  in 
Chicago,  and  continued  it  until  1875,  when  they  turned 
it  into  a  wholesale  business  exclusively,  and  in  which 
they  are  now  engaged,  having  gained  much  prominence. 


As  a  young  man  Mr.  Rothschild  was  brought  up 
very  religiously  in  the  Jewish  faith.  Since  leaving 
home,  however,  his  ideas  have  broadened,  and  he  has 
become  quite  liberal  in  his  religious  views,  believing 
that  to  be  an  upright,  honorable  and  honest  man  is  the 
all-important  and  most  necessary  view  to  take  of  life. 
He  has  never  taken  any  active  part  in  politics,  but 
votes  for  an  honest  government,  at  all  times  opposing 
the  party  in  whose  ranks  corruption  has  insinuated 
itself.  His  political  sympathies,  however,  are  with  tlm 
Republican  party.  He  has  always  been  an  active, 
strong,  healthy  man,  never  having  been  sick  a  month 
in  his  life.  This  is  doubtless  due,  in  a  great  measure, 
to  horse-back  riding,  his  favorite  means  of  recreation. 

Mr.  Rothschild  is  a  member  of  the  Standard  Club 
of  this  city.  He  was  married  in  1873,  to  Miss  Flora 
Hackee,  of  New  York  city,  In  1885  they  spent  some 
time  in  Europe,  traveling  through  England,  France, 
Germany  and  Holland,  and  visited  many  points  of 
interest.  He  has  since  been  to  Europe  again.  In 
appearance  Mr.  Rothschild  is  of  medium  height,  and 
of  pleasing  and  agreeable  manners.  He  has  many 
friends  and  is  rated  as  one  of  Chicago's  best  business 
men. 


PATRICK  HENRY  WELCH, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DATRICK  IT.  WELCH,  son  of  Martin  and  Hannah 
(Hinnegan)  Welch,  both  natives  of  Sligo,  Ireland, 
was  born  July  22,  1858,  at  Waupun,  Wis.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, but 
his  mind  earlv  turned  to  the  desire  for  higher  educa- 
tion, and.  in  order  to  prepare  himself  and  find  the 
means  to  del'iay  the  expenses  of  a  course  in  college,  he 
left  his  native  college  and  made  his  way  to  the  large 
and'growing  city  of  Chicago,  while  yet  in  his  teens,  in 
1872.  Here  he  obtained  employment  in  a  dental  office, 


and  it  was  while  here  that  he  conceived  a  liking  for  the 
profession  and  formed  the  determination  to  fit  himself 
for  practice  of  its  principles  in  the  city  of  his  adoption. 
He  accordingly  entered  the  Chicago  Dental  College 
in  1888,  and  after  a  three  years'  course  graduated  in 
1891,  after  which  he  opened  an  office  for  practice  in  the 
Haymarket  Theatre  building,  where  he  has  attained  a 
marked  degree  of  success  in  the  dental  world.  He  is  an 
active  and  influential  member  of  the  Odontographic 
and  the  Chicago  Dental  Societies,  the  largest  societies 


4OO 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


of  their  character  in  the  West,  and  also  of  the  -Sigma 
Delta  Fraternitv.  the  Knights  of  Pvthias  and  the  Roval 

*.    '  «-  *. 

Arcanum. 

Dr.  Welch  has  traveled  extensively  in  this  countrv 
and  in  Mexico,  having  spent  many  months  in  that  coun- 
try and  "the  State  of  California.  He  has  profited  much 
by  his  journeyings,  is  a  man  well-versed  in  the  beauties 
and  resources  of  this  country,  and  is  of  the  opinion  that 
a  man  cannot  become  a  thorough  American  until  his 
spirit  of  patriotism  has  been  aroused  by  the  knowledge 
and  insight  which  travel  and  study  into  the  vast  extent 
and  resources  of  his  own  country  bring. 

In  religious  belief  Dr.  Welch  is  a  Roman  Catholic. 
Although  he  never  actively  takes  part  in  political 
affairs,  further  than  the  casting  of  his  ballot,  he  is  a 
Demociat  who  firmly  believes  in  democracy,  and  one 
who  has  always  had  the  furtherance  of  its  principles  in 
view. 


A  man  slightly  above  medium  height,  with  a  well 
developed  physique,  and  of  fine  personal  appearance; 
lie  is  one  who  makes  friends  of  all  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact,  whether  it  be  socially  or  otherwise.  Dr. 
Welch  has  from  youth  been  extremely  fond  of  ath- 
letic sports  of  all  kinds,  and  especially  of  the  national 
game  of  base  ball.  He  is  notably  of  a  genial  and 
kindly  temperament,  and  one  who  unconsciously 
impresses  those  whom  he  meets  with  the  extent  and 
worth  of  his  knowledge  upon  subjects  to  which  he  has 
devoted  thought  or  study.  It  is  tins  quality,  perhaps, 
more  than  any  other,  which  places  this  gentleman,  both 
young  in  years  and  in  his  profession,  in  the  position 
which  he  so  ably  fills  in  the  dental  practice  of  Chicago. 
Not  yet  having  reached  that  stage  of  life  termed 
"  prime,"  his  many  friends  look  forward  to  his  future 
career  as  one  of  continued  success  and  well  merited 
prosperity. 


JOHN   F.  EBERHART. 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  FREDERICK  EBERHART,  son  of  Abra- 
ham and  Esther  (Amand)  Eberhart,  was  born  in 
Hickory  township.  Mercer  country,  Penn.,  on  the  21st  of 
January,  1829.  His  father  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Mercer  county,  locating  there  in  1821,  and  was 
the  builder  of  the  first  saw  mill  in  the  county.  The 
first  eight  years  of  his  life  were  spent  on  his  father's 
farm  in  his  native  county,  and  afterwards  at  Big  Bend, 
in  Venango  count}'.  Here  young  Eberhart  attended 
the  district  school  in  the  winter  and  aided  his  father 
on  the  farm  during  the  summer  until' his  sixteenth 
vear,  when  he  commenced  teaching  school.  His  first 
school  was  at  the  mouth  of  Oil  Creek,  where  Oil  City 
now  stands,  and  Ins  salary  for  his  term  was  $8.50  per 
month  with  the  privileire  of  "  boarding  around  "  at  the 
homes  of  his  pupils.  During  the  following  summer  he 
took  lessons  in  writing,  drawing  and  pen  and  ink 
flourishing,  and  as  soon  as  his  course  was  finished 
taught  these  branches  in  the  neighboring  towns  and 
villages.  He  then  attended  Cottage  Hill  Academy 
at  Ellsworth,  Ohio,  for  two  -terms,  after  which 
he  entered  Alleghany  College  in  the  spring  of 
1849,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  on  the 
2d  of  July,  1852,  having  paid  his  way  by  teaching 
in  the  spring  and  fall,  and  working  in  the  harvest 
fields  during  the  summer.  Thus  he  developed  both 
his  physical  and  his  mental  powers,  and  though  most 
attention  -was  paid  to  the  latter,  it  is  related  that  at 
one  time  he  was  able  to  lift  the  900-pound  brass 
cannon"  at  the  Meadville  (Penn.)  arsenal,  which  was 
presented  to  the  State  by  General  La  Fa-yette. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  1852,  Mr.  Eberhart 
entered  upon  his  duties  as  principal  of  the  Albright 
Seminary  at  Berlin,  Somerset  county,  Penn.,  which 


was  the  first  educational  institution  founded  in  Penn- 
sylvania by  the  Evangelical  Association.  At  this  time 
Mr.  Eberhart,  fully  intended  to  make  teaching  his  life 
wor-k,  and  in  his  chosen  calling  he  zealously  worked 
both  night  and  day  for  two  years;  when  rapidly  fail- 
ing health  forced  him  to  give  up  his  position,  and  as 
his  physicians  gave  him  only  about  six  months  longer 
to  live,  he  abandoned  all  his  long  cherished  plans,  and 
cameAVest,  not  knowing  whether  life  or  death  awaited 
him. 

He  arrived  in  Chicago  on  the  loth  of  April,  1855, 
and  after  a  short  stay  went  to  Dixon,  111.,  hoping  to 
recuperate.  Here  the  change  of  climate  and  his 
mental  rest  soon  gave  renewed  hopes  of  life,  and 
during  part  of  the  time  he  edited  and  published  the 
Dixon  Transcript.  Not  liking  the  local  political  tenor 
of  the  paper  he  soon  disposed  of  it,  and  during  the 
winter  of  1855-6,  he  having  gained  much  better 
health,  delivered  courses  of  scientific  lectures  before 
various  institutions  of  learning.  These  lectures,  in 
which  Mr.  Eberhart  made  use  of  illustrating  appa- 
ratus, soon  became  very  popular,  and  drew  large 
audiences. 

After  finishing  his  lecturing  tour,  Mr.  Eberhart 
spent  a  year  traveling  in  the  interests  of  Ivison  & 
Phinney  and  of  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  two  New  York 
publishing  houses,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he 
resigned  his  position  to  establish  the  JVo>1/< i('i>#t<-m 
Home  and  School  Journal,  of  Chicago,  which,  during 
the  succeeding  three  years  he  edited  and  published, 
besides  spending  much  of  his  time  in  establishing  and 
conducting  teachers' institutes  and  lecturing  on  the  sub- 
ject of  education  throughout  the  States  of  Iowa,  Wis- 
consin and  Illinois.  He  thoroughly  enjoyed  this  work, 


rKOMI\'F.KT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


403 


as  it  gave  him,  besides  a  valuable  experience,  a  much 
larger  acquaintance  with  men  engaged  in  educational 
work. and  assisted  him  materially  in  forming  and  perfect- 
ing his  views  on  educational  topics.  In  the  fall  of  1859  he 
was  elected  school  commissioner  of  Cook  county,  which 
was  at  that  time  only  a  business  and  commission  office, 
new  to  the  people, -little  understood,  and  its  labors  but 
little  appreciated  by  the  people  of  the  county.  Through 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Eberhart.  efficiently  aided  by  Hon. 
Newton  Bateman,  State  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  the  office  was  changed  to  that  of  county 
superintendent  of  public  schools,  and  for  the  succeeding 
ten  years  he  performed  the  duties  of  that  office.  He 
found  the  scliouls  in  an  absolutely  neglected  condition, 
but  bringing  to  bear  his  energy  and  ability  he  wrought 
a  great  change  boih  in  the  condition  of  the  schools  and 
in  public  opinion.  At  stated  intervals  he  visited  every 
school  in  the  county,  and  conferred  personally  with 
teachers  and  directors.  He  organized  the  Cook  County 
Teachers'  Institute,  which  is  still  in  existence  and  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  and  exerted  himself  in  many 
_ other  ways  to  inspire  and  encourage  teachers  and  school 
boards  to  greater  efforts.  Finding  that  qualified 
teachers  were  scarce  and  hard  to  get  in  the  county, 
Mr.  Eberhart  set  about  establishing  a  school  for  the" 
purpose  of  qualifying  teachers,  and  commenced  advo 
eating  a  county  normal  school.  In  this  for  along  time 
he  experienced  nothing  but  opposition,  but  the  persistent 
agitation  kept  up  year  alter  year  at  last  was  successful 
and  the  county  board  of  supervisors  made  the  neces- 
sary appropriation,  and  opened  a  school  at  Blue  Island 
in  September,  1867.  It  commenced  with  an  enrollment 
of  thirty-two  pupilsand  under  the  able  management  of 
its  principal,  the  late  D.  S.  Wentworth,  made  marked 
progress  and  from  the  first  its  success  was  assured.  Mr. 
Eberhart  has  always  taken  great  pride  in  this  school, 
which  owed  its  birth  to  his  zeal  and  able  work,  and 
during  his  term  of  office  he  devoted  much  of  his  time 
to  it.  The  school  was  later  removed  to  Normal  Park 
and  has  to-day  many  pupils  from  outside  counties  and 
from  other  States. 

Since  his  boyhood  days,  when  he  first  attempted 
teaching  in  Pennsylvania,  the  cause  of  public  education 
has  had  a  warm  friend  and  devoted  worker  in  Mr.  Eber- 
hart, and  it  was  indeed  fortunate  that  Cook  countv 
secured  the  services  of  a  man  who  to  such  an  extent 
and  at  such  a  time  had  the  welfare  of  this  important 
work  at  heart.  His  zeal  in  his  younger  days  to  serve 
the  world  as  an  educator  was  such  that,  when  sickness 
unfitted  him  for  work  in  the  school  room  proper,  as  a 
teacher,  he  turned  his  efforts  into  the  broader  channels 
of  teaching  the  teachers  through  his  educational  pub- 
lications and  the  lecture  platform,  finally  takinf  the 

f  O 

position  of  superintendent  of  schools  and  giving  it  his 
personal  attention  for  many  vears.  The  work  he  has 
done  in  the  State  of  Illinois  in  the  way  of  organizing 
teachers'  institutes,  establishing  district  school  libra- 
ries, introducing  the  union  grade  system  of  schools  into 
many  of  the  towns  and  cities  of  the  State,  and  secur- 


ing   needed    amendments   to  the   school  law,  can  not 
easily  be  estimated. 

Thirty  years  ago  there  were  but  few  teachers  in  the 
State  that  did  not  know  Mr.  Eberhart.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation,assisted  in  founding  the  State  Normal  University 
at  Bfoomington,  and  to  his  special  efforts  may  be 
attributed  the  passage  by  the  State  Legislature  of  the 
act  authorizing  counties  to  establish  normal  schools. 
He  was  the  principal  mover  in  the  formation  of  the 
State  association  of  county  superintendents,  and  was 
its  first  president.  He  was  also  an  early  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Instruction,  and  one  of  the  first 
life  members  of  the  National  Teachers'  Association, 
As  president  of  the  Cook  county  board  of  education 
he  was  the  means  of  introducing  the  kindergarten  sys- 
tem into  the  Cook  County  Normal  School;  and  also 
aided  in  establishing  the  "free  kindergarten"  schools  in 
the  citv.  At  various  times  in  his  life  he  has  declined 
important  professorships,  and  to  fill  the  president's 
chair  in  prominent  institutions  of  learning,  believing 
his  health  not  suited  for  that  line  of  educational 
work 

After  twenty  years  of  educational  labor  he  turned 
his  attention  to  business,  employing  the  same  executive 
ability  and  forecast  which  characterized  his  profes- 
sional career,  and  in  this  he  has  also  been  exceptionally 
successful,  having  acquired  a  large  amount  of  realty, 
and  to-day  is  one  of  Chicago's  wealthy  men.  His  first 
venture  in  real  estate  was  in  1860,  when  he  bought  one 
and  a  quarter  acres  on  Larrabee  street,  near  Ftillerton 
avenue,  where  the  Lincoln  school  now  stands.  For 
this  he  paid  $1.600,  and  sold  it  two  years  later  for 
$6,500.  His  transactions  have  been  many  and  varied, 
and  he  has  held  the  ownership  of  nearly  two  thousand 
acres  of  lots  and  lands  within  the  present  city  limits, 
some  of  it  among  the  most  valuable  of  Chicago  busi- 
ness and  residence  property. 

His  charity  and  sympathy  can  always  be  enlisted 
in  every  worthy  effort  looking  toward  the  ameliora- 
tion of  the  woes  and  burdens  of  humanity  and  the 
dissipation  of  ignorance  and  misery. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Eberhart  was  an  early  Republican 
and  hater  of  human  slavery,  and  has  ever  taken  an 
active  interest  in  clean  politics,  with  no  personal  desire 
for  political  honors. 

In  religions  belief  he  was  bred  a  Methodist,  but  has 
always  been  a  man  of  broad  humanitarian  views,  and 
is  now  a  prominent  member  of  the  People's  Church, 
whose  pastor,  Rev.  II.  \V.  Thomas,  was  formerly  his 
pupil,  and  was  by  him  first  induced  to  take  work  in 
this  city.  Very  naturally,  they  are  close  personal 
friends. 

He  was  married  on  'Christmas  evening,  1S64-,  to 
Miss  Matilda  Charity  Miller,  daughter  of  the  late  Jo- 
seph C.  Miller,  of  Chicago,  who  came  to  this  country 
from  Toronto,  Canada,  when  she  was  a  year  old.  She 
is  a  lady  of  refinement  and  intelligence,  who  worthily 
assists  her  husband  in  his  charitable  work.  They  have 


404 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


four  children  living,  the  eldest  of  whom,  John  J.  Eber- 
hart,  is  his  father's  partner  in  business. 

Mr.  Eberhart  is  a  man  of  fine  general  culture,  has  a 
well  selected  library,  is  a  great  student,  a  good  public 
speaker,  an  acute  metaphysician  and  a  strong  debater, 
and  there  are  few  philosophies,  theories  or  activities  in 
life  that  he  has  not  studied  and  has  not  formed  ma- 
tured views  upon.  He  is  withal  an  extensive  home 
traveler,  hunter  and  fisherman,  and  there  are  few 
places  in  North  America,  either  wild  or  inhabited,  that 
he  has  not  visited  and  explored. 


In  his  business  and  social  intercourse  he  is  genial 
and  cordial  in  his  inanners;  and  liis  sincerity,  kindness 
and  uniform  courtesy  have  endeared  him  to  his  friends, 
who  often  seek  him  for  advice;  and  he  easily  receives 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him.  He 
well  deserves  the  title  that  has  been  applied  to  him,, 
viz:  li  The  father  of  Cook  County  Public  Schools." 
For  many  years  he  devoted  almost  all  of  his  time  to 
the  interests  of  the  schools  of  Cook  county,  and  their 
prosperous  and  flourishing  condition  to-day  is  largely 
due  to  his  early  efforts. 


JAMES  MONROE  FLOWER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


1  AMES  MONEOE  FLOWER  was  born  in  Hannibal, 
J  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  March  10th,  1835.  On  his 
father's  side  he  is  a  direct  descendant  from  Lamrock 
Flower,  who  was  a  grandson  of  Sir  William  Flower,  of 
Whitwell,  England,  and  who  settled  at  Hartford, 
Conn.,  about  1680.  Major  Lamrock  Flower,  a  grand- 
son of  Lamrock  Flower,  of  Hartford,  and  the  great- 
great-grandfather  of  James  M.  Flower,  removed  to 
Ashfield,  Mass.,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
that  place.  The  present  Flower  family  of  the  United 
States  are  mostly  descendants  of  Lamrock  Flower,  of 
Hartford  ;  Governor  Roswell  P.  Flower,  of  New  York 
being  among  the  most  notable.  On  his  mother's  side, 
James  Monroe  Flower  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Deacon 
Nicholas  Phillips,  of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  who  settled  in 
this  country  about  1635,  and  also  of  Richard  Ellis  and 
Thomas  Phillips,  who  were  the  first  two  settlers  of 
Ashfield.  John  Ellis,  a  son  of  Richard,  and  a  great- 
great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
lieutenant  in  the  Continental  Army,  and  served  during 
the  entire  war  of  the  Revolution. 

Calvin  Flower  and  Hannah  Phillips  Flower,  the 
father  and  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
were  born  and  married  at  Ashfield,  Mass.,  but  when 
James,  the  eldest  son,  was  nine  years  old  they 
removed  to  Sun  Prairie.  Dane  county,  Wis.,  where  the 
father  still  resides  upon  the  tract  of -land  purchased  by 
him  of  the  government  in  1844. 

James  M.  Flower  was  fitted  for  college  in  the  pre- 
paratory school  of  the  Wisconsin  University,  entering 
on  the  day  it  opened,  February  5th,  1849,  and  gradu- 
ating in  its  second  class  in  July,  1852.  He  entered 
the  University  the  next  fall  and  was  graduated  with 
high  honors  in  1856,  having  taught  school  two  winters 
during  that  time  to  assist  in  defraying  the  expenses  of 
his  college  course. 

Soon  after  graduating  he  was  appointed  deputy  clerk 
of  the  Wisconsin  Supreme  Court,  and  afterwards  chief 
clerk  of  the  commission  to  revise  the  Wisconsin 
statutes.  What  he  earned  in  these  two  positions 
enabled  him  to  enterthe  Albany,  N.  Y.,Law  School  from 


which  he  graduated  in  1859.  Within  a  year  after 
leaving  the  law  school  he  became  a  member  of  the  law 
firm  of  A bboit.  Gregory  &  Pinney,  then  the  leading 
one  in  Madison,  the  firm  being  afterwards  known  as 
Abbott.  Gregory,  Pinney  &  Flower.  The  Mr.  Pinney 
of  that  firm  \vas  afterwards  elected  judge  of  the  Wis- 
consin Supreme  Court,  and  his  masterl-v  opinion  in  the 
the  first  gerrymander  case  brought  him  into  national 
prominence.  Mr.  Flower  left  the  firm  to  become  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Stevens,  Lewis  & 
Flower,  afterwards  Stevens,  Flower  &  Morris,  but 
in  1873  he  was  urged  to  remove  to  Chicago  and  form  a 
connection  with  H.  W.  and  D.  K.  Tenney,  which  he 
did,  the  firm  being  known  as  Tenne\T,  Flower  &  Aber. 
crombie.  This  firm  very  soon  became  the  leading 
commercial  law  firm  in  the  city,  and  continued  with 
more  or  less  variation  in  its  personnel  until  July  1, 
1889,  when  the  present  firm  of  Flower,  Smith  &  Mus- 
grave  was  formed.  This  firm  has  likewise  achieved 
great  success,  and  though  commercial  law  is  its  spec- 
ialty, the  number  and  differing  characteristics  of  its 
members  enable  it  to  handle  business  of  almost  any  des- 
cription that  may  be  intrusted  to  it.  Among  Mr. 
Flower's  partners  have  been  some  of  the  leading 
lawyers  of  the  cit}',  one  of  these  being  S.  S.  Gregory, 
the  son  of  one  of  Mr.  Flower's  old  partners  in 
Wisconsin. 

Since  removing  to  Chicago  Mr.  Flower  has  been 
connected  with  some  of  the  most  important  cases  that 
have  been  before  the  courts.  In  1878  he  was  appointed 
receiver  for  the  German  National  Bank,  handling  its 
affairs  so  well  as  to  be  enabled  to  pay  its  creditors  one 
hundred  cents  on  the  dollar.  His  firm  was  also  counsel 
for  the  assignee  of  the  Republic  Fire  Insurance  com- 
pany, whose  liabilities  of  over  a  million  were  paid  in 
full  by  assessments  collected  from  over  twenty-five 
hundred  stockholders,  living  in  seventeen  different 
States.  In  connection  with  Judge  Beckwith  he  suc- 
cessfully represented  a  large  number  of  stockholders  of 
the  Republic  Life  Insurance  company,  against  whom 
the  receiver  sought  to  establish  an  alleged  liability  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


407 


over  $1,500,000  upon  unpaid  subscriptions  to  its  capital 
stock.  He  also  took  an  active  part  as  counsel  for  some 
of  the  large  stockholders  of  the  Northwestern  Manu- 
facturing and  Car  company,  of  Still  water,  Minn.,  in 
suits  involving  the  assets  and  liabilities  of  that  cor- 
poration, and  to  a  considerable  extent  the  good  faith  of 


its  management. 


Mr.  Flower  is  not  a  specialist  in  any  department  of 
law.  lie  is  essentially  a  court  lawyer  and  enjoys 
arguing  a  case  before  a  court  rather  than  the  trial  of  a 
jury  case,  but,  like  the  best  of  lawyers  everywhere,  he 
believes  that  in  many  cases  it  is  far  better  to  harmonize 
opposing  interests  than  to  enter  upon  a  long  and 
doubtful  legal  contest,  and  he  can  always  be  depended 
upon  to  advise  such  a  course  when  desirable,  even 
though  the  legal  contest  would  be  productive  of  much 
greater  pecuniar}'  advantage  to  himself.  He  is  a  most 
successful  negotiator,  and  when  lie  decides  that  com- 
promise is  best,  rarely  fails  to  accomplish  his  end  and 
to  obtain  satisfactory  results. 

Personally,  Mr.  Flower  possesses  as  many  of  the 
qualities  which  inspire  confidence  and  command  respect 
as  any  one  whom  the  writer  has  ever  known.  He  is  a 
quiet,  reserved  man,  cares  very  little  for  social  life,  is 
devoted  to  his  profession  and  spends  his  leisure  time 
chiefly  in  general  reading  at  his  own  home.  He  is  very 
kindly  in  his  disposition  and  never  fails  to  respond,  if 
possible,  to  calls  for  assistance,  either  pecuniary  or 
professional.  Since  living  in  Chicago  he  has  done  as 


much  legal  work  without  compensation,  probablv,  as 
any  man  in  the  city,  and  many  women  in  trouble  about 
their  financial  affairs  have  depended  on  him  for  the  care 
and  protection  of  their  interests  for  years.  This  help  of 
both  time  and  money  has  always  been  rendered  freelv 
and  ungrudgingly.  Mr.  Flower  is  a  member 'of  the 
Chicago,  State,  and  American  Bar  Associations  and  was 
for  two  years  the  Illinois  representative  in  the  general 
council  of  the  latter.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Union  League,  of  Chicago,  and  of  the  Union  and  Wash- 
ington Park  Clubs,  though  he  rarely  attends  any  ex- 
cept for  the  purpose  of  entertaining  guests  from  out  of 
the  city. 

Mr.  Flower  was  married  on  September  4,  1862,  to 
Lucy  L.  Coues,  daughter  of  S.  E.  Coues,  the  well- 
known  anti-slavery  and  temperance  advocate  of  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.  They  have  three  children,  two  of  whom 
are  married,  and  the  youngest  of  whom  graduated 
from  the  Harvard  University  in  June  1893,  and  is 
now  studying  law,  hoping  to  follow  in  his  father's 
footsteps. 

Mrs.  Flower,  since  her  children  have  ceased  to  re- 
quire her  care,  lias  been  an  active  worker  in  educational 
and  philanthropic  movements.  She  has  been  president 
of  the  Chicago  Woman's  Club;  president  for  many 
years  of  the  Illinois  Training  School  for  Nurses,  which 
she  helped  to  establish;  a  member  of  the  board  of  man- 
agers of  the  Home  for  the  Friendless,  and  was  the  third 
woman  appointed  to  the  Chicago  board  of  education. 


FERNAND  HENROTIN,  M.  D.( 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography,  a  native  of  Brussels,. 
Belgium,  was  born  in  1848,  and  is  one  of  a  family 
of  nine  children.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  F.  and 
Adele  Henrotin  (nee  Kinson)  both  of  whom  were  Bel- 
gians. The  father  was  a  promiment  and  successful 
physician.  He  immigrated  to  the  United  States  with  his 
family  in  1848,  and  settled  in  Chicago,  where  he  was 
known  as  the  "  French  Doctor."  He  was  a  familiar 
figure  and  rendered  most  valuable  service  during  the 
cholera  epidemic,  and  continued  in  practice  until  his 
death  in  1875. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  lived  to 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety -six  years,  and  for  seventy- 
five  years  was  a  practicing  physician.  Harry  Henrotin, 
the  oldest  brother  of  our  subject,  belonged  to  Taylor's 
battery,  and  was  killed  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Charles  Henrotin,  an- 
other brother,  is  one  of  the  leading  and  successful  men 
of  Chicago.  He  is  Belgian  consul,  also  Turkish  consul, 
and  is  one  of  the  three  men  in  Chicago  who  have  been 
honored  with  decorations  from  foreign  sovereigns  in 
recognition  of  valuable  reports.  A  third  brother, 
Victor  Henrotin,  is  a  coffee  merchant  at  Havre,  France. 


Adolph  Henrotin,  the  fourth  brother,  resides  in  Chi- 
cago as  do  also  the  four  sisters,  three  of  whom  are 
married. 

His  father  having  settled  in  Chicago  the  same  year 
that  Fernand  was  born,  he  has  grown  up  with  the  city 
and  is,  in  every  sense,  a  Chicago  man.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Chicago,  and 
having  decided  to  enter  the  medical  profession,  pur- 
sued a  thorough  course  of  study  in  Rush  Medical  Col- 
•  lege,  graduating  in  February,  1869,  being  then  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  He  at  once  established  himself  in 
his  profession,  and  for  twenty-five  years  has  been  con- 
tinuously in  practice.  Dr.  Henrotin  has  been  known 
as  a  man  of  distinctive  ideas,  touching  all  matters  per- 
taining to  his  profession,  skillful,  energetic  and  con- 
scientious. He  soon  came  into  prominence,  and  in 
1872  and  '73  held  the  office  of  county  physician,  which 
was  but  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  public  professional 
positions  he  has  held  and  filled  with  eminent  success  in 
connection  with  his  constantly  growing  practice.  He 
was  for  some  eight  years  on  the  staff  of  attending 
physicians  at  the  Cook  county  hospital,  for  eight  years 
surgeon  of  the  Alexian  Brothers'  hospital,  surgeon  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  (VEST. 


the  Chicago  police  department  for  twelve  years  and  for 
the  last  seventeen  years  surgeon  of  the  Chicago  (ire  de- 
parlment.  Dr.  Ilenrotin  is  professor  of  diseases  of 
women  in  the  Chicago  Polyclinic,  is  fl,  member  of  the 
Chicago  Medical  Society,  president  of  the  Chicago 
Gynaecological  Society  and  secretary-general  for 
America  of  the  International  Congress  of  Obstetrics 
and  Gynaecology. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  Club,  but  owing  to  the 
urgent  demands  of  his  extensive  practice,  which  ranks 
among  the  largest  as  well  as  the  most  lucrative  of  any 
physician  in  Chicago,  he  finds  little  time  for  club  life 
or  social  enjoyment  outside  of  his  own  family. 

In  political  sentiment.  Dr.  Henrotin,  though  a 
Democrat,  is  non-partisan,  and  in  casting  his  ballot 
votes  in  favor  of  what  he  believes  to  be  right  princi- 
ples and  the  men  whom  he  believes  will  support  them, 
regardless  of  party  affiliations. 

The  doctor  was  married  in  the  spring  of  1873  to 
Miss  Emily  B  Trussing,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Charles  G. 


Trussing,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Chicago.  Mrs. 
Ilenrotin  is  a  woman  of  artistic  tastes,  and  is  known 
among  her  acquaintances  as  an  amateur  painter  of 
extraordinary  ability.  She  is  a  woman  of  many  per- 
sonal charms,  hospitable  to  her  friends,  and  in  nothing 
takes  greater  delight  than  jn  making- it  beautiful  and 
full  of  good  cheer. 

Personally,  Dr.  Ilenrotin  is  a  man  of  most  estima- 
ble qualities.  Added  to  his  fine  physical  proportions 
and  rugged  constitution  are  qualities  of  heart  anil  mind 
of  a  high  order.  Warmhearted,  generous  to  a  fault, 
high-minded,  conscientious  and  genial,  lie  is  the  center 
of  a  large  circle  of  close  friends  and  acquaintances,, 
who  honor  and  esteem  him  for  his  many  manly  virtues 
and  genuine  worth.  In  spite  of  his  arduous  labors  he 
lias  found  lime  to  write  a  number  of  monographs  on 
intestinal  and  uterine  surgery,  which  have  attracted 
attention  and  gained  him  a  more  than  local  repute.  In 
New  York,  Philadelphia  and  other  medical  centers  his 
name  is  familiar  and  his  friends  numerous. 


FRANKLIN  WOODBURY  FISK. 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


FRANKLIN  WOODBURY  FISK.  son  of  Ebenezer 
and  Hannah  Cogswell  (Proctor)  Fisk,  was  born  in 
Plopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  February  1C,  1820.  On 
his  father's  side  his  lineage  is  traceable  to  Symond 
Fisk,  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Stradhaugh,  Parish  of  Lax 
field,  county  of  Suffolk.  England,  who  lived  in  the 
reigns  of  Henry  IV  and  V  (from  A.  D.  1399  to  1422). 
His  mother  was  descended  from  an  excellent  family. 
Her  father  was  John  Proctor,  Esquire,  of  Henniker, 
N.  II.  Her  grandfather  purchased  in  an  early  day  a 
large  estate  in  land  that  projected  into  the  ocean, 
opposite  the  village  of  Manchester,  Mass.,  of  which  a 
large  part  is  still  in  possession  of  the  family. 

In  the  autumn  of  1835  young  Fisk  entered  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover,  Mass.  Having  no  pecuniary  re- 
sources with  which  to  acquire  a  liberal  education,  he 
engaged  alternately  in  teaching  and  study,  until  he 
entered  Yale  College,  in  1845.  At  his. graduation,  in 
1849,  he  was  the  valedictorian  of  his  class.  lie  was 
graduated- at  the  Yale  Divinity-  School  in  1852;  was 
tutor  in  Yale  College  from  1851  to  1853;  attended 
lectures  in  Andover  Theological  Seminary  from  January 
to  May,  1853  and  traveled  in  Europe  from  May  until 
November  of  that  year. 

Compelled" by  disease  of  his  eyes  to  give  up  for  a 
time  the  hope  of  entering  upon  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  he  declined  several  invitations  to  important 
pastorates,  and  accepted  the  professorship  of  rhetoric 
and  English  literature  in  Beloit  College.  Wisconsin,  to 
which  he  had  been  invited  while  abroad,  entering 
upon  its  duties  in  April,  1854,  and  continuing  in  the 
position  until  July,  1859.  He  was  elected  in  1856  to 


the  chair  of  sacred  rhetoric  in  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary,  and  was  inaugurated  on  April  2S,  1859. 
He  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  divinity  from 
Olivet  College  in  1865.  and  from  Yale  University  in 
1886  ;  also  the  degree  of  doctor  of  laws  from  Beloit 
College  in  1888.  In  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1871-72, 
he  attended  lectures  in  the  University  of  Berlin,  and 
in  1872,  traveled  in  Arabia,  Egypt,  Greece  and  Pales- 
tine. 

In  1887  he  became  president  of  Chicago  Theological 
Seminar}',  with  which  he  has  been  connected  as  pro- 
fessor and  president  for  thirty-five  years.  His  lectures 
on  homiletics  have  been  published  in  a  work  entitled 
u  Manual  of  Preaching,"  which  is  used  as  a  text- book 
in  several  institutions.  lie  has  been  conspicuous  also 
in  aiding  to  secure  large  sums  for  the  better  equipment 
of  the  seminary. 

The  institution  over  which  he  presides  has  a  stand- 
ing not  inferior  to  that  of  any  theological  seminary  in 
this  country.  It  was  organized  in  1854,  by  a  convention 
of  the  Congregational  churches  of  the  West  and  North- 
west. It  opened  its  doors  to  students  in  1858,  and  has 
since  had  remarkable  growth  and  prosperity.  The 
youngest  but  one  of  the  seven  Congregational  theo- 
logical seminaries  in  the  United  States,  it  has  now 
nearly  twice  the  number  of  students  of  any  one  of  the 
others.  This  seminary  includes  four  departments — the 
English,  German,  Dan o- Norwegian  and  Swedish — with 
seventeen  professors  and  instructors.  It  has  graduated 
nearly  600  students,  and  more  than  1,000 students  have 
been  connected  with  iis  classes  fora  longer  or  a  shorter 
period.  The  graduates  of  the  institution  are  now 


t-RCMtNENT  MEN  OP  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


laboring  successfully  in  nearly  every  State  and  Territory 
of  the  Union,  and  in  many  foreign  lands.  Its  buildings 
— Keyes  Hall,  Carpenter  Hall  and  Fisk  Hall — beauti- 
fully situated  opposite  Union  Park,  in  the  West 
division  of  the  city,  furnish  ample  study  and  dormitory 
rooms  for  the  accommodation  of  210  students,  besides 
chapel,  lecture  and  reception  rooms,  professors'  studies, 
treasurer's  office,  gymnasium,  etc. 

Hammond  Library,  with  its  more  than  13,000 
volumes,  and  its  reading  rooms,  well  supplied  with  a 
large  variety  of  the  best  newspapers  and  periodicals, 
has  room  for  50,000  volumes. 

The  board  of  directors  of  the  Chicago  Theological 
Seminarv,  twentv-four  in  number,  represent  the  Con- 
gregational churches  in  Michigan.  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Missouri.  Minnesota,  Kansas,  Ne- 
braska, North  and  South  Dakota,  Colorado  and  W}'om- 
ing.  Its  board  of  examiners  is  appointed  by  the  several 
State  associations,  and  through  its  triennial  conven- 
tions, which  elect  the  directors,  the  seminary  is  kept 
in  vital  connection  with  the  churches.  The  officers  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  are:  E.  W.  Blatchford,  Esq., 
president ;  Messrs.  W.  E.  Hale  and  David  Fales,  vice- 


presidents;  Rev.  G.  S.  F.  Savage,  D.D.,  secretary,  and 
Mr.  II.  W.  Chester,  treasurer. 

At  the  date  of  this  publication  (1894)  the  various 
productive  funds  of  the  seminary  amount  to  $800,000, 
while  the  estimated  value  of  its  unproductive  property 
of  all  kinds,  including  seminary  buildings,  grounds, 
etc..  is  $515.000,  making  in  all  $1,315,000. 

Its  faculty  comprises  Franklin  W.  Fisk,  president; 
professors,  George  N.  Boardrnan,  Samuel  I.  Curtiss, 
Giles  B.  Willcox,  Hugh  M.  Scott,  George  II.  Gilbert, 
Graham  Taylor,  Edward  T.  Harper  and  Fridolf  Ris- 
berg;  and  instructors,  John  E.  Hermann,  Moiitz  E. 
Eversz,  Carl  A.  Paeth,  Reinert  A.  Jernberg,  Otto  C. 
Grauer,  and  Magnus  E.  Peterson. 

In  1854,  President  Fisk  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Amelia  Austin,  daughter  of  the  late  George  Bowen, 
Esq.,  of  Woodstock,  Conn.  Mrs.  Fisk  died  in  May,  1881, 
and  in  December,  1885,  he  married  Mrs.  S.  Jennette 
Hitchcock,  daughter  of  Deacon  Elijah  Gardner,  of  Lake 
Geneva,  Wis.  Three  children  were  born  to  him  by  his 
first  marriage — Franklin  Proctor,  Amelia  Maria  (now 
Mrs.  Walter  M.  Fitch,  M.  D/),and  Edward  Henry  Fisk, 
all  of  whom  are  married  and  living  in  Chicago. 


WILLIAM  J.  CHALMERS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  representative  Chi- 
cago man,  a  native  of  the  city,  and  justly  ranked 
with  that  younger  class  whose  progressive  ideas  and 
intense  business  enterprise  and  activity  have  contrib- 
uted so  largely  to  its  material  prosperity  and  growth. 

He  was  born  in  Chicago,  July  10,  1852,  his  father 
being  Thomas  and  his  mother  Janet  (Telfer)  Chalmers. 
His  parents  are  both  natives  of  Scotland.  The  father 
was  born  at  Dronley,  near  Dundee,  in  1815,  and  emi- 
grated to  Chicago,  where  he  has  been  prominent  for 
many  years  in  machinery  manufacturing  w,:rks.  The 
mother  was  born  in  1818,  in  Edinburgh.  Both  parents 
are  living,  as  are  also  the  two  sons  and  three  daughters 
that  have  been  born  to  them. 

Young  Chalmers  received  his  education  in  the  pub 
lie  and  high  schools  of  Chicago,  and  after  closing  his 
studies  went  to  work  to  learn  a  trade  in  the  shops  of 
the  Eagle  Works  Manufacturing  Company,  of  which 
his  father. was  at  that  time  general  superintendent.  In 
1872,  being  then  twenty  years  of  age,  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  then  firm  of  Frazer&  Chal- 
mers, just  starting,  employing  a  working  force  of  sixty 
men.  From  that  beginning  the  business  has  gradually  de- 
veloped and  been  extended,  until,  in  the  eighteenth  year 
of  its  existence— 1892-93— it  employed  1,050  men, with  a 
weekly  pay-roll  of  $14,000,  the  name  of  Frazer  & 
Chalmers,  manufacturers  of  mining  machinery,  having 
attained  a  world-wide  reputation.  The  products  of 
their  immense  establishment,  the  largest  of  its  character 


in  the  world,  are  shipped  to  every  quarter  of  the 
civilized  globe.  Besides  its  main  plant  and  office, 
located  at  the  corner  of  Union  and  Fulton  streets,  Chi- 
cago, new  shops,  covering  about  ten  acres  of  ground, 
fronting  on  Twelfth  and  Rockwell  streets,  have  been 
built.  The  company  has'  also  recently  established  a 
branch  plant  on  the  Thames,  near  London,  England,' 
where  a  plant  designed  to  employ  a  large  number  of 
men  is  in  operation.  In  1889,  the  business  was  changed 
from  a  partnership  to  a  corporation,  Mr.  W.  J. 
Chalmers  becoming  its  vice-pres;dent  and  treasurer, 
and  in  January,  1891,  was  elected  president. 

From  the  first  he  has  had  entire  control  of  the 
management  and  finances  of  the  company.  In  re- 
cognition of  his  superior  qualities  as  an  organizer 
and  successful  financier,  Mr.  Chalmers  has  been 
called  to  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust,  and 
has  uniformly  acquitted  himself  in  a  way  that 
evidenced  his  eminent  fitness  for  the  places.  He 
is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Chicago  Athenajum, 
also  a  director  of  the  Women  and  Children's  Hospital. 
He  was  early  chosen  by  the  stockholders  as  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  and 
was  re-elected  in  April,  1891. 

Mr.  Chalmers  is  a  man  of  superior  social  qualities, 
genial,  generous  and  hospitable,  anil  is  prominently 
connected  with  numerous  organizations.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Illinois  Club  during  the  year  1893,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Union  League,  Washington 


412 

Driving   Park,   Electric   and     Athletic  Clubs,    all    of 
Chicago,  and  of  the  Engineers'  Club  of  New  York. 

He  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Chicago  school 
board  by  Mayor  Washburne  for  a  three  year  term.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  Presbyterian  in 
religious  faith,  being  a  member  of  the  Third  Presby- 
terian church. 


PROMINENT  MKN  Of  THE  GREAT  WEST, 


Mr.  Chalmers  was  united  in  marriage  in  1877  to 
Miss  Joan  Pinkerton,  only  daughter  of  Allan  Pinker- 
ton,  Esq.,  now  deceased.  »Mrs.  Chalmers  is  aladvof 
womanly  qualities  and  attainments  of  a  high  order,  a 
devoted  wife  and  mother,  and'a  most  charming  hostess. 
They  have  two  children — Joan  Pinkerton  and  Thomas 
Stuart  Pinkerton. 


JOHN   D.  SHUGART,  D.  D.  S., 

CHICAGO.  ILLINOIS. 


DR.  J.  D.  SHUGART, son  of  Joseph  Shugart, M. D., 
a  well  known  old  settler  of  Chicago,  was  born  at 
Princeton,  Bureau  county,  111.,  December  3,  1851.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  gradu- 
ating from  Mt.  Morris  Academy.  Desiring  to  study 
a  profession,  he  came  to  Chicago,  while  still  young, 
and  studied  dentistiy.  His  natural  ability,  great  love 
for  and  adaptability  to  his  chosen  profession,  combined 
with  his  energy  and  determination  to  succeed,  soon 
placed  him  in  the  front  rank  as  a  skilled  dentist.  It 
requires  a  large  amount  of  confidence  in  one's  self  for 
a  young  man  to  begin  the  practice  of  any  skilled  pro- 
fession in  a  city  like  Chicago,  where  competition  with 
the  most  learned  from  all  parts  of  the  world  is  certain. 
Thiit  young  Shugart  did  not  over-estimate  his  abilitv 
is  evidenced  by  his  success,  for  he  has  won  a  high 
reputation,  one  that  is  cheerfully  accorded  him  by  the 
medical  and  dental  profession,  alike,  as  well  as  by  the 
general  public.  A  close  and  earnest  student,  he  is 
constant!}"  abreast  of  the  times  ana  of  all  real  improve- 


ments and  scientific  advancement,  and  this,  added  to 
his  long  experience  and  practice,  has  placed  him  in  the 
professional  position  he  now  occupies.  His  practice  is 
not  confined  to  Chicago,  nor  Illinois  alone.  His 
patrons  are  to  be  found  nearly  everywhere.  His 
success  in  bridge  and  crown  work,  of  teeth  without 
plates,  has  brought  him  patrons  from  all  sections  of  the 
United  States,  and  ever,  from  Europe.  Dr.  Shugart  is 
president  of  the  Colombia  Dental  College. 

Dr.  Shugart  was  united  in  marriage  at  Waukegan, 
111.,  in  1885,  to  Miss  Chloe  Hingston,  daughter  of 
Lorenzo  Hingston,  of  that  place. 

In  appearance  the 'doctor  is  of  more  than  medium 
height,  and  is  an  urbane  and  courteous  gentleman.  He 
is  one  who  always  makes  friends,  whether  it  be  with 
those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact  in  social  circles 
or  in  professional  work,  and  he  well  knows  how  to 
retain  the  friendships  thus  formed.  Judging  from  the 
past,  his  future  eminent  success  seems  to  be  well 
assured. 


HENRY  J.  WILLING, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


HENRY  J.  WILLING  was  born  in  Westfield, 
Cliautauqua  county,  N.  Y..  July  10,  1836.  He 
is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Jane  (Mayborne) 
Willing,  whose  home  was  near  Jamestown,  N.  Y.  The 
Mayborne  family  is  of  Huguenot  origin,  and  was 
established  in  England  by  those  who  Hed  from  ¥  ranee 
in  the  hitter  part  of  the  17th  century  to  escape  the 
persecutions  by  the  Catholics.  In  1843,  Henry's 
father  died,  and  three  years  later  the  family  removed 
to  Chicago,  making  the  journey  from  Buffalo  by 
steamer.  The  boy  was  then  but  ten  years  old:  a  few 
years  later  he  began  his  struggle  for  recognition  in  the 
business  world  by  obtaining  employment  with  U.  P. 
Harris.  After  a  number  of  changes  during  the 
succeeding  three  years  he  settled  down  in  1851  to  a  per- 
manent position  in  the  dry  goods  house  of  Thomas  B. 
Carter  and  Company,  with  whom  he  remained  eight 
years.  In  1859,  Mr.  Willing  joined  the  force  of  Messrs. 


Cooley,  Earwell  and  Co.,  where  he  occupied  a  good 
position  until  1865,  when  he  became  connected  with 
Field,  Leiter  and  Co.,  and  was  soon  afterward  ad- 
mitted to  the  firm.  In  1883,  Mr.  Willing  sold  out  his 
interest  in  the  firm,  then  Marshall  Field  and  Co.,  and 
retired  from  business. 

In  many  -ways  tending  to  secure  good  govern- 
ment for  Chicago,  and  to  uphold  the  cause  of  law, 
order,  humanity  and  religion,  Mr.  Willing  has  been 
a  foremost  worker.  Although  having  large  and 
varied  financial  interests  to  look  after,  he  has  never- 
theless found  time  to  foster  and  encourage  public 
enterprises  which  have  tended  to  advance  the  material 
and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people. 

In  religious  faith,  Mr.  Willing  is  a  Presbyterian  and 
he  has  served  as  an  elder  in  that  church  since  1868. 
His  first  service  was  in  the  Second  Church  under  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  Dr.  R.  W.  Patterson,  and  since  the 


< 


{RCMiNENT  MEN  Of-  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


415 


latter's  retirement  he  has  served  in  the  Fourth  Church, 
Rev.  Thomas  Hall,  pastor.     He  has  been  vice-president 


a  task  of  such    magnitude  at  a  time  when,  worn   by 
business   cares,  he  needed   rest  and  recreation.     Once 


of  the   Young   Men's   Christian    Association  ;    was   a     enlisted  in  the  enterprise,  however,  Mr. Willing  became 


trustee  of  the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  (when 
it  was  known  as  the  Northwestern  Theological  Semi- 
nary), and  has  in  many  ways  shown  an  active  interest 
in  religious  work.  One  of  Chicago's  leading  merchants, 
who  has  known  Mr.  Willing  from  boyhood,  says: 

'•He  is  an  energetic,  outspoken  man  of  high  moral 
principle  and  deep  religious  conviction,  always  ranking 
his  church  close  after  his  family.  He  has  been  gener- 
ous in  his  gifts  to  religious,  moral  and  civil  enterprises, 
and  is  in  every  wav  a  model  citizen.  His  advice  is 
often  sought,  not  alone  because  he-has  been  a  successful 
business  man,  but  as  that  of  a  sympathizer  with  young 
men  who  are  trying  to  work  thoir  way  upward,  and  it 
is  always  given  in  a  manner  which  shows  that  he  is 
keenly  alive  to  all  that  concerns  the  welfare  and 
advancement  of  his  .fellow  men." 

In  politics,  Mr.  Willing  is  a  Republican,  but,  while 
he  takes  an  active  part  in  political  affairs  as  a  citizen 
whose  duty  it  is  to  secure  good  government,  he  has 
always  refused  to  accept  office- — the  sole  exception 
being  his  non-partisan  election  as  a  member  of  the 
drainage  board.  In  the  hard  work  of  organizing  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  sanitary  drainage  district  of 
Chicago,  none  of  the  nine  gentlemen  chosen  took  a 
more  active  part  than  did  Mr.  Willing.  He  accepted  a 
trusteeship,  under  pressure  from  his  friends,  without 
reference  to  political  ties,  feeling  reluctant  to  enter  upon 


enthusiastic  in  his  efforts  to  secure  the  consummation 
of  the  great  project,  and  he  was  an  intelligent  and 
energetic  member  of  the  board.  He  served  for  two 
years,  and  was  finally  compelled  to  retire,  on  account 
of  ill  health. 

While  not  what  is  termed  a  club  man,  Mr.  Willing 
is  a  member  of  the  Chicago,  the  Union  and  the  Union 
League  Clubs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  the  Chicago  Home  for  Incurables.  The  work 
of  the  Citizens'  League  has  always  commanded  his 
moral,  as  well  as  financial  support,  and  many  of  the 
reforms  secured  by  that  body  owe  much  to  him.  Mr. 
Willing  is  also  interested  in  the  encouragement  of  art 
and  served  for  some  years  as  a  director  of  the  Art 
Institute.  In  all  historical  matters,  and  those  especially 
referring  to  Chicago  and  the  United  States,  he  is  well 
versed.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  the  American  Historical  Society,  and  of  the 
Chicago  branch  of  the  Archaaological  society  of  Amer- 
ica. He  is  also  a  trustee  of  theNewberry  Library. 

.In  1870,  Mr.  Willing  married  Francis  Skinner,  the 
second  daughterof  the  late  Judge  Mark  Skinner.  They 
have  two  children,  Evelyn  Pierrepont  and  MaVk  Skin- 
ner Willing.  The  health  of  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. Willing 
has  been  impaired  for  some  years,  and  largely  on  this 
account  he  has  withdrawn  practically  from  business 
and  has  passed  much  of  his  time  traveling  in  Europe. 


DR.  JOHN    B.  MURPHY, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DR.  JOHN  B.  MUItPHY,  the  eminent  Chicago 
surgeon,  president  of  the  medical  department 
of  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  is  a  son  of  M.  P.  and 
Ann  Murphy,  and  was  born  in  Appleton,  Wis.,  Dec. 
21, 1857.  lie  received  his  early  education  at  Appleton's 
public  schools,  passing  through  the  grammar  to  the 
high  school,  and  graduating  therefrom  with  high 
honors  in  1876.  He  then  entered  Rush  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1879. 

On  February  1,  1879,  Dr.  Murphy  entered  the  Cook 
County  Hospital,  and  continued  there  until  Oct.  1, 
1880,  when  he  commenced  the  general  practice  of 
medicine  in  Chicago.  He  continued  practicing  until 
September,  1882,  when  he  decided  to  further  perfect 
himself  in  his  chosen  profession.  In  accordance  with 
this  determination  he  made  a  trip  abroad,  visiting 
Vienna,  Munich,  Berlin  and  Heidelberg,  consecutively, 
studying  in  the  universities  and  practicing  at  the 
hospitals  in  the  different  places  until  April,  1884-,  when 
he  returned  to  the  United  States  and  to  Chicago,  and 
resumed  his  general  practice,  which  he  has  continued 


ever  since,  rapidly  gaining  the  reputation  which  places 
him  second  to  none  in  his  profession  in  the  cit}'. 

He  is  now  professor  of  surgery  and  clinical  surgery 
in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  also 
professor  of  surgery  in  the  Post-Graduate  Medical 
School  of  Chicago.  He  is  now,  and  has  been  for  the 
past  ten  years,  attending  surgeon  to  the  Cook  County 
Hospital.  He  is  also  attending  surgeon  at  the  Alexian 
Brothers  Hospital,  and  president  of  the  medical  staff 
of  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  vice:president  of  the 
National  Association  of  Railway  Surgeons,  and  chief 
surgeon  of  the  Chicago  &  Northern  Pacific  Railway 
Company. 

Dr.  Murphy's  principal  professional  writings  have 
been  "  Gunshot  Wounds  of  Abdomen,"  "Actinomycosis 
liomiis,"  (his  case  was  the  first  of  'that  disease  ever 
recognized  in  this  country);  "Early  Operation  in  Peri- 
typhlitis,"  March  2,  1889;  "  Echinococcus  of  Liver," 
"Original  Experimental  and  Clinical  Research,  in  the 
surgery  of  the  gall-bladder,  liver  and  intestinal  tract," 
illustrating  utility  and  application  of  his  Anastomosis 


416 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


Bulton  ;  "  Surgery  and  Application  of  the  Gall  Tracts," 
"  Intestinal  Surgery,"  ami  others,  which  show  wonder- 
ful research  anil  a  great  mind;  One  of  his  intimate 
professional  friends  aptly  put  it,  when  he  remarked,  in 
speaking  of  Dr.  Murphy:  "There  are  many  Doctors 
Murphy  in  this  country,  but- when  you  see  the  name 
with  J.  B.  before  it,  quoted  as  an  authority,  you  may 
at  once  conclude  that  it  means  something." 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association, 
the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  Chicago  Medical 
Society,  the  New  York  Medico- Legal  Society,  Pan- 
American  Medical  Association,  and  the  Chicago  Path- 
ological Society.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
bel.eves  and  votes  with  his  party. 

Dr.  Murphy  was  united  in  marriage  November  25, 


1885,  to  Miss  Nettie  Plomondon,  of  Chicago.  They 
have  two  children.  Mrs.  Murphy  is  a  woman  of 
many  accomplishments,  being  gifted  witli  no  small 
amount  of  literary  ability  and  artistic  genius,  to  both 
of  which  subjects  she  devotes  much  time  and  in  which 
she  finds  great  pleasure.  Dr.  Murphy  is  of  good 
height,  and  of  line  personal  appearance,  possess- 
ing a  manner  at  once  hearty  and  genial,  always  having 
a  pleasant  smile  for  his  many  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. A  great  favorite  in  society,  in  which  he  and 
his  charming  wife  are  not  only  prominent  but  central 
figures,  they  add  much  by  their  social  charms  to  such 
gatherings.  He  has  many  friends,  not  only  in  Chicago 
and  the  United  States,  but  abroad,  who  delight  to  do  him 
honor  and  who  fully  appreciate  his  great  talents. 


DR.  JOHN    CAMPBELL  SPRAY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  CAMPBELL  SPEAY  was  born  in  Bridge- 
port, Ind.,  September  21,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Elizabeth  (Owen)  Spray,  both  members  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  He  comes  of  old  Revolutionary 
stock,  and  his  ancestors  were  from  Scotland,  where  a 
great  grandfather  of  the  name  of  Campbell  was  a  noted 
buccaneer,  on  whose  head  a  price  was  placed.  His 
great-grandfather,  Col.  John  Campbell,  was  a  colonel 
in  the  American  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
His  father,  James  Spray,  was  a  merchant  in  Bridge- 
port. Ind.,  who  died  of  cholera  in  1854.  Dr.  Spray 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Indiana  and  at 
Earl  ham  College,  a  Quaker  institution  near  Richmond, 
Ind.  After  leaving  college  he  entered  the  office  of  Drs. 
L.  &  C.  H.  Abbott,  of  Indianapolis,  and  studied  medicine 
for  three  years.  In  1869  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
studied  general  medicine  and  surgery  in  the  Bennett 
Medical  College,  graduating  therefrom  in  the  class  of 
1870.  He  sought  a  wider  range  of  knowledge,  how- 
ever, than  was  imparted  by  the  eclectic  school  of 
medicine,  and  although  he  had  commenced  the  practice 
•  of  his  profession,  he  afterward  entered  the  medical 
department  of  the  Northwestern  University  and  con- 
tinued his  studies.  In  the  great  fire  of  1871  his  office 
and  library  were  destroyed,  and  the  following  year  he 
spent  in  New  .York  city  engaged  in  hospital  practice. 

Returning  to  Chicago,  he  again  entered  the  medical 
department  of  the  Northwestern  University,  and 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1873.  He  pursued  a 
general  practice  from  that  time  until  January  1,  1878, 
when  he  assumed  the  duties  of  medical  director  of  the 
Cook  County  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  the  Cook  County 
Almshouse  and  the  obstetrical  and  venereal  hospitals, 
his  appointment  having  been  confirmed  by  the  entire 
board  of  county  commissioners  in  the  fall  of  1877.  He 
served  in  that  capacity  until  September  1,  1882,  when 
he  was  made  medical  superintendent  of  the  insane  asy- 
lum. In  1884,  owing  to  the  changes  in  the  political 


complexion  of  the  board,  he  was  not  reappointed,  but 
in  the  following  year  he  was  again  installed  as  chief 
officer  of  the  institution  and  continued  to  serve  until 
1889.  He  passed  unscathed  through  the  rigid  investi- 
gations that  led  to  the  famous  '-boodle"  trials,  which 
resulted  in  the  conviction  and  punishment  of  a  num- 
ber of  county  officials,  but  which  only  served  to  prove 
that  Dr.  Spray's  course  had  at  all  times  been  marked 
by  the  strictest  honesty  and  fidelity  to  the  interests  of 
the  county. 

After  ten  years  of  faithful  service  he  retired,  and 
has  since  given  his  whole  time  and  attention  to  his 
private  practice.  He  is  a  man  of  advanced  ideas,  and  is 
especially  skillful  in  insanity  cases.  Almost  every 
species  of  insanity  came  under  his  observation  while  in 
charge  of  the  insane  asylum,  and  while  he  does  not 
make  a  specialty  of  this  branch  of  his  profession  his 
work  in  that  field  has  given  him  such  unusual  advan- 
tages in  acquiring  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subject 
that  he  is  frequently  called  upon  for  expert  testimony 
in  the  courts,  where  questions  of  mental  responsibility 
arise. 

Dr.  Spray  is  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of  Blair 
Lodge,  Washington  Chapter,  and  Oriental  Consistory, 
A.  A.  S.  R.,  thirty-second  degree.  lie  is  a  member  of 
Medinah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  but  the  only 
club  that  carries  his  name  on  its  roll  is  the  White- 
chapel.  He  is,  however,  a  member  of  the  various  Chi- 
cago and  Cook  county  medical  societies.  In  his  politi- 
cal affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat. 

He  was  married  in  New  York,  August  28,  1872,  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Gunn,  daughter  of  Dr.  Robert  A.  Gunn, 
an  eminent  physician  who  came  from  Scotland.  Eight 
children  were  born  to  them,  five  of  whom  are  living. 
Dr.  Spray  is  a  man  of  varied  ability,  great  persistence 
and  untiring  activity,  who  commands  success  where 
others  might  fail.  His  circle  of  friends  is  large  and  his 
future  promising. 


v»«* 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CKEA  T  WEST. 

THEODORE  G.  CASE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


419 


CONSPICUOUS  in  the  long  roll  of  eminent  names 
that  have  conferred  honor  upon  the  legal  pro- 
fc  ssion  in  the  West  is  that  of  the  subject  of  this 
biography.  He  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  ivost 
eloquent  and  powerful  advocates  of  the  Chicago  bar. 
lie  has  great  versatility  of  talents,  and  exactness  and 
thoroughness  characterize  all  of  his  attainments. 
Vigilant,  zealous  and  industrious,  with  a  perfect  com- 
mand of  the  English  language,  combined  with  histrionic 
ability  of  a  high  order,  Theodore  G.  Case  ranks  among 
the  finest  American  orators.  In  illustration  he  is 
peculiarly  happy,  and  vision,  personification,  hyperbole, 
simile,  contrast  and  antithesis  succeed  each  other  in 
rich  and  varied  profusion.  His  manner  and  action  are 
energetic,  without  becoming  extravagant. 

Mr.  Case  was  born  in  Castleton.  Rensselaer  county, 
N.  Y.,  July  13,  1853.  lie  was  prepared  for  college  at 
the  Collegiate  Institute,  Newton,  N.  J..  after  which  he 
entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  took  a  special 
course  and  graduated  in  July,  1870,  having  at  the  time 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  pharmaceutical 
chemist.  Upon  his  graduation  he  became  interested 
with  several  New  York  capitalists,  and  was  sent  by 
them, -with  others,  to  construct  the  Houston  &  Great 
Northern  railroad,  of  Texas,  in  which  employment  he 
was  engaged  until  1873,  when  he  returned  to  New 
York  city.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  commenced 
the  study  of  law,  with  Messrs.  Linn  &  Babbitt,  at 
Jersey  City,  N.  J.  Remaining  with  this  firm  two 
years,  he  entered  the  law  school  of  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  meanwhile  attending  as  a 
student  the  law  office  of  the  Hon.  William  M.  Evarts. 

Immediately  after  graduating  he  engaged  in  practice 
in  New  York  city,  making  a  specialty  of  corporation 
business,  and  remained  in  that  city  until  April,  1878, 
at  which  time  he  went  to  Green  Bay,  Wis. 

As  one  of  the  solicitors  for  the  Farmers'  Loan  and 
Trust  Company,  he  was  engaged  to  foreclose  the  first 
and  second  mortgages  upon  the  railroad  and  other 
appurtenances  of  the  Green  Bay  <k  Minnesota  Railway 
Co.  In  that  foreclosure  suit  he  obtained  a 'decree  for 
his  client  against  the  company  for  over  six  millions 
of  dollars.  The  finest  legal  talent  of  the  State  of 
Wisconsin  was  arrayed  against  him  in  this  suit  and 
in  various  other  suits  which  sprung  out  of  the  same. 

Upon  the  re-organization  ot  this  railroad  company 
into  the  Green  Bay,  Winona  &  St.  Paul  Railroad,  he 
was  elected,  on  June  7,  1881,  its  general  solicitor.  In 
April,  1884,  he  was  retained  by  the  bondholders  of  the  St. 
Louis,  Hannibal  &  Keokulc  Railroad  Company,  to 
foreclose  a  mortgage  on  the  railroad  of  that  company 
in  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  at  St.  Louis.  Owing 
to  the  onerous  duties  involved  in  the  foreclosure  suit, 
Mr.  Chase  resigned  his  position  as  general  attorney  of 
the  Green  Bay,  Winona  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company, 
in  March,  1885,  and  moved  to  St.  Louis,  engaged  in  the 


general  practice  of  his  profession  in  that  citv,  and 
attended  to  the  foreclosure  suit  against  the  above 
company,  which,  after  a  great  legal  fight,  in  which 
were  arrayed  against  him  many  of  the  legal  celebrities 
of  the  South  and  West,  resulted  in  his  obtaining  a 
judgment  against  that  company  for  more  than  one 
million  dollars.  During  his  residence  in  Missouri  he 
was  associated  in  the  trial  of  several  cases  with  the 
late  Hon.  B.  Gratz  Brown,  ex-United  States  senator 
from  Missouri. 

In  May,  1886,  Mr.  Case  removed  to  Chicago,  where 
he  has  continued  to  reside  eversince.  Since  his  advent 
in  Chicago  he  has  been  counsel  for  the  complainant  in 
the  celebrated  Bowman  divorce  case,  based  on  a  com- 
mon law  marriage,  which  attracted  at  the  time  so 
much  attention  among  the  legal  fraternity  throughout 
the  United  States.  In  the  defense  of  Peter  Madden, 
who  was  indicted  upon  what  is  known  in  Illinois  as  the 
"  habitual  criminal  act,"  he  raised  legal  points  in  his 
defense  which  completely  revolutionized  the  practice 
in  the  criminal  courts  of  Chicago,  by  compelling  the 
prosecution  to  try  prisoners  at  or  before  their  second 
term  after  their  commitment  to  the  county  jail.  The 
Chicago  Times,  the  following  day,  in  mentioning  the 
case,  said:  "The  State's  attorney  was  surprised,  and  a 
jail  delivery  almost  took  place,  so  many  prisoners  were 
released  under  Mr.  Case's  legal  points." 

His  defense  in  the  celebrated  case  of  Henry 
Schwartz,  who  was  charged,  in  connection  with  New- 
ton Watt,  with  the  murder  of  Kellogg  Nichols,  the 
express  messenger  on  the  Chicago.  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  for  the  robbery  of  the  safe  of  the 
United  States  Express  Company,  containing  $22.000, 
was  a  master-piece.  The  trial,  which  took  place  in 
Morris,  the  county  seat  of  Grundy  county,  in  March 
and  April,  1887,  lasted  for  six  weeks,  and  has  passed 
into  history  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  trials  on 
circumstantial  evidence  on  record.  The  prosecution 
was  conducted  with  a  spirit  and  energy  seldom 
witnessed  in  such  a  case.  Mr.  Case  was  the  leading 
counsel  for  the  defense.  His  cross  examination  of  the 
witnesses  for  the  prosecution  was  most  searching  and 
effectual,  and  during  the  -progress  of  the  trial  he  dis- 
played the  greatest  legal  acumen;  his  resources  were 
most  fertile;  he  grasped  all  the  difficulties  of  the  situ- 
ation with  facility  and  boldness,  and  pushed  every 
argument  to  the  uttermost.  His  closing  address,  which 
was  of  four  hours'  duration,  was  brilliant,  eloquent  and 
fervid.  At  the  time  of  the  opening  the  excitement 
was  tremendous;  hundreds  of  people  were  turned  away 
from  the  court  room  for  lack  of  space;  the  aisles, benches, 
chairs  and  windows  being  packed  almost  to  suffocation. 
He  spoke  with  keen  and  cutting  satire  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  witnesses  for  the  prosecution,  and  the  great 
danger  of  convicting  on  circumstantial  evidence.  The 
tenacity  of  memory,  the  acuteness  and  accuracy  of  hear- 


420 


PROMINENT  MK.N  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


ing  and  observation  of  the  witnesses  was  commented 
on  with  the  most  sagacious  skill.  He  showed  himself 
to  be  an  advocate  uniting  the  rare  gift  of  oratory  with 
the  most  convincing  logic  and  a  mind  informed  with 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  human  affairs.  He  aroused 
the  emotions  of  all  present  and  held  the  court,  jurvand 
auditors  spell-bound,  hour  after  hour.  The  peroration 
drew  tears  from  the  eyes  of  more  than  half  the  vast 
audience  in  the  court  room.  It  was  a  very  able,  touch- 
ing and  pathetic  appeal  for  mercy.  It  is  conceded  that 
Mr.  Case's  brilliant,  skillful  and  powerful  defense  saved 
his  client  from  the  gallows. 

The  fact  that  Mr.  Case  has  been  identified  with 
criminal  cases  must  not  be  supposed  to  mean  that  he 
has  no  abilities  as  a  civil  lawyer;  on  the  contrary,  as 
we  have  already  shown,  some  of  the  most  difficult 
cases,  involving  the  most  important  and  intricate-  legal 
questions  ever  tried  in  Wisconsin  and  Missouri,  were 
conducted  by  him,  as  were  many  of  the  reported  cases 
adjudicated  in  the  federal  courts.  Mr.  Case  is  not 
merely  a  brilliant  advocate,  learned  in  the  law  and 
deeply  skilled  in  its  dialectics,  but  in  the  less  showy 
walks  of  his  profession  he  is  uncommonly  powerful. 
Whether  drudging  at  the  business  of  his  office  as  a 
common  law  attorney  and  equity  pleader,  or  shining 


as  a  leader  in  a  great  nisi  jtrhts  cause,  he  is  equally 
admirable,  ever  ready  and  perfectly  suited  to  the  place 
he  is  filling.  He  has  but  one  rule,  a  thorough  prepara- 
tion of  the  evidence  and  law  of  every  case,  diligence  in 
applying  both,  with  the  tone,  manner  and  conduct  of  a 
gentleman.  He  has  shown  himself  amply  equipped 
to  meet  every  emergency.  His  knowledge  of  the  law 
is  both  extensive  and  profound,  and  to  this  must  be 
added  the  advantages  of  a  fine  presence  and  a  well 
modulated  persuasive  voice,  no  mean  consideration 
when  pleading  before  a  jury,  though  when  examining 
a  hostile  .and  shifty  witness  his  voice  can  ring  out  as 
sharp  as  the  crack  of  a  pistol.  Great  as  a  criminal 
lawyer,  he  is  equally  great  on  the  civil  side,  for  his 
mind  is  naturally  analytical.  With  him  law  is  a  passion, 
but  he  believes  in  having  it  pure  and  accessible.  It 
was  with  this  view  that  he  inspired  the  short  causecal- 
endar  law,  of  which  he  was  the  author,  which  has  now 
been  some  three  years  in  operation  and  under  which 
over  thirty  thousand  cases  have  been  disposed  of.. 
With  Mr.  Case  "the  delay  of  justice  is  injustice."  A 
lawyer  holding  such  views  and  fighting  for  them  must 
be  regarded  as  a  general  benefactor.  He  is  at  present 
the  senior  member  of  the  well-known  law  firm  of  Case. 
Hogan  &  Case,  who  occupy  offices  in  the  Quinlan  Block. 


JOHN  S.  MILLER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  at  Louis- 
ville, St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y.,  on  May  24, 
1847.  His  father  was  John  Miller,  of  Puritan  descent, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and,  after  removal  to  New 
York  State,  a  member  of  the  bar,  and  for  some  years 
county  clerk  of  St.  Lawrence  county.  His  mother,  Jane 
E.  (McLeod)  Miller,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction. 

Young  Miller  finished  his  education  at  St.  Lawrence 
University,  graduating  as  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1869. 
Following  graduation  he  became  professor  of  mathe- 
matics in  that  institution  for  a  year,  during  1871-72, 
and  for  two  years,  1872-74,  was  professor  of  Latin  and 
Greek.  In  the  meantime  he  read  law  and  was  duly 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1870.  In  the  s'pring  of  1874,  Mr.  Miller  resigned 
his  position  in  the  St.  Lawrence  University  and  came 
to  Chicago,  where  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law 
and  has  since  been  actively  engaged  in  his  profession 
here.  Among  the  important  cases  with  which  he  has 
been  connected  may  be  mentioned  the  "  Flaglor  litiga- 
tion,'' involving  the  estate  of  Augustus  Garrett,  which 
he  argued  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  in  1882;  the  "Riverside  litigation,"  involving 
the  greater  part  of  the  suburb  of  Riverside,  near  the 
city,  carried  to  and  successfully  handled  in  the  Illinoi: 
Supreme  Court,  from  1881  to  1885,  and  the  "  Phillips 


and  South  Park  litigation,"  involving  the  title  to  a  con- 
siderable part  of  Jackson  Park,  1885-88. 

In  the  spring  of  1891  Mr.  Miller  was  appointed  by 
Mayor  Washburne  as  corporation  counsel  for  Chicago, 
and  remained  at  the  head  of  the  law  department  of  the 
city  for  two  years.  During  this  period  Mr.  Miller  took 
the  position,  and  sustained  it  with  an  opinion  to  the 
city  council,  contrary  to  the  opinions  of  leading  lawyers 
representing  the  railroad  companies,  that  the  city  had 
the  power  to  compel  those  companies  to  elevate  their 
tracks,  and  thus  do  away  with  the  grade  crossings. 
This  opinion,  we  believe,  is  now  generally  conceded  by 
the  attorneys  for  the  railroads  to  be  sound.  He  also 
presented  and  argued  before  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Illinois,  several  cases  against  railroad  companies  involv- 
ing the  extension  of  city  streets  over  their  tracks,  and 
obtained  a  judgment  by  the  court  giving  the  city  the 
power  to  extend  the  streets  without  more  than  a 
nominal  compensation  therefor.  This  action  settled 
the  question  as  to  the  power  of  the  public  authorities 
to  compel  railroad  corporations  as  agencies  or  servants 
of  the  public  to  perform  public  duties,  and  has  done 
much  to  expedite  the  abolition  of  grade  crossings. 

Mr.  Miller  also  argued  the  celebrated  "  Lake  Front 
Case"  in  behalf  of  the  city  of  Chicago  against  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  in  the  United 


7 


uv 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T   WEST. 


423 


States  Supreme  Court,  involving  the  validity  of  the 
grant  of  the  lake  front  by  the  legislature  of  Illinois  to 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  The  result,  as  is  well 
known,  was  a  victory  for  the  city,  the  decision  holding 
that  the  grant  of  the  water  front  to  the  railroad  com- 
pany was  revocable,  the  revocation  being  based  upon 
the  great  principle,  which  the  court  laid  down,  that 
the  bed  of  navigable  water  is  the  sovereign  right  of 
the  people  of  the  State,  and  held  by  the  State  in  trust  for 
their  common  use;  and  that  it  is  beyond  the  power  of 
the  legislature  to  give  away  or  dispose  of  the  same  in 
violation  of  that  trust.  This  victory  was  not  only  of 
very  great  importance  to  Chicago,  but  reflected  great 
credit  on  Mr.  Miller's  legal  abilities. 

Since  retiring  from  the  service  of  the  city  as  cor- 
poration counsel,  Mr.  Miller  has  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  being  now  a  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Peck,  Miller  &  Starr,  the  other  members 


of  the  firm  being  Geo.  JR.  Peck  and  Merritt  Starr. 
We  need  scarcely  say  that  he  occupies  a  prominent 
place  among  the  leaders  of  the  bar  in  the  city  and 
State,  and  is  widely  known  and  highly  esteemed  for 
his  ability. 

Politically,  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Eepublican  and  influen- 
tial in  the  councils  of  his  party.  In  religion  he  is  an 
Episcopalian,  connected  with  St.  Paul's  church  at 
Kenwood,  and  a  member  of  its  vestry.  He  was 
formerly  a  member  of  Grace  church  of  this  city. 

He  was  married  on  December  12,  1887,  to  Miss 
Anne  Gross,  daughter  of  Dr.  James  E.  Gross  of  this 
city.  They  have  two  children — a  boy  five  and  a  girl 
three  years  old,  who  give  cheer  and  light  to  their 
pleasant  home.  Socially,  Mr.  Miller  is  genial,  warm- 
hearted and  pleasant,  and  enjoys  a  large  circle  of 
friends.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago,  Union  League, 
University,  Kenwood  and  Hamilton  Clubs. 


HENRY  PARKER  NEWMAN,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


HENRY  PARKER  NEWMAN,  son  of  James  and 
Abby  (Everett)  Newman,  was  born  at  Wash- 
ington, N.  H.,  December  2,  1853.  He  is  of  New 
England  parentage,  his  father  being  one  of  eight 
brothers  reared  among  the  granite  hills  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  his  mother  a  descendant  of  the  old  and 
respected  Fairbanks  and  Everett  families,  so  prominent 
in  anti-slavery  days. 

His  parents  moved  to  Hillsborough,  N.  H.,  when  he 
was  but  a  few  months  old  and  the  rudiments  of  his 
education  were  acquired  at  the  public  schools  of  that 
place.  He  attended  the  Literary  Institute  at  New 
London,  N.  H.,  and  afterward  continued  his  prepara- 
tion for  college  under  a  private  tutor.  He  commenced 
reading  medicine  under  Dr.  George  Cook,  of  Concord, 
N.  H.,  prior  to  1875,  when  he  entered  the  medical 
department  at  Dartmouth  College,  and  took  one  course 
of  lectures.  After  a  year  engaged  in  teaching  he 
moved  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  continued  the  study  of 
his  profession  in  the  Detroit  Medical  College.  While 
a  senior  student  he  held  the  position  of  house  physician 
at  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  Detroit. 

He  graduated  in  1878  and  spent  the  following 
years  in  post-graduate  study  in  the  leading  universities 
of  Germany.  He  was  fortunate  in  receiving  instruc- 
tion from  some  of  the  most  celebrated  scientists  and 
clinicians  of  the  day,  and  enjoyed  special  privileges  in 
the  laboratory  of  Professor  Cohnheim,  of  Leipsic, 
through  the  courtesy  of  that  eminent  pathologist  and 
teacher.  While  abroad  Dr.  Newman  visited  the  more 
rioted  hospitals  and  universities  of  German}',  Austria, 
France  and  Great  Britain.  Dr.  Newman  was  intimately 
and  very  pleasantly  associated  with  Professor  Christ- 
lieb,  the  renowned  and  erudite  theologian  and  scholar, 


and  traveled  quite  extensively  with  him  through  those 
portions  of  Germany  wbJch  are  noted  for  their  his- 
toric and  literary  interest. 

Dr.  Newman  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago,  and 
Illinois  State  Medical  Societies,  the  Illinois  State 
Microscopical  Society,  and  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Gynaecological 
Society,  Corresponding  Fellow  of  the  Detroit  Gyne- 
cological Society,  and  has  contributed  quite  largely  to 
the  medical  literature  of  the  day. 

In  1890  he  revisited  Europe  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Tenth  International  Medical  Congress,  at  Berlin.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  Post-Graduate 
Medical  School,  its  first  president,  and  therein  professor 
of  diseases  of  women.  He  has  been  president  of  the 
"Laboratory  of  Experimental  Research"  since  its 
organization  as  an  auxiliary  to  the  former  institution. 
The  doctor  has  also  been  actively  associated  with 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of  Chicago, 
since  its  establishment,  in  1882,  and  holds  the  chair  of 
professor  of  "Obstetrics,  Clinical  Gynaecology,  and 
Lecturer  on  Gynaecology."  He  is  surgeon  in  the  depart- 
ment of  diseases  of  women  in  the  Post-Graduate, 
Chicago  and  St.  Elizabeth's  hospitals,  and  the  Chicago, 
public  and  West  Side  dispe'nsaries. 

Dr.  Newman  was  united  in  marriage  in  1882  to 
Miss  Fanny  Louise,  the  only  daughter  of  Mr.  Lathrop 
Smith  Hodges,  one  of  Chicago's  most  able  lawyers. 
Of  their  four  children  two  are  living,  Helen  Everett, 
and  Willard  Hodges  Newman.  He  is  a  man  of  fine 
personal  appearance,  of  medium  height  and  weight, 
with  a  large  practice,  a  man  who  makes  friends  where- 
ever  he  goes,  and  who  has  hosts  of  them  in  Chicago,  as 
well  as  a  large  number  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 


424 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


D.  A.  K.  STEELE,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THERE  are  at  least  two  classes  of  beings  that  are 
born,  not  made ;  and  with  the  poet's  consent,  we 
would  say  that  one  of  these  is  the  surgeon.  However 
this  may  be  as  a  general  proposition,  it  will  certainly 
be  supported  in  Chicago  in  the  case  of  Daniel  Atkinson 
King  Steele.  Of  good  old  Irish  blood,  his  father,  Rev. 
Daniel  Steele,  was  born  in  Cookstown,  county  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  in  the  ancient  country  seat  known  as"  Steele's 
Rock,"  where  his  ancestors,  have  lived  for  over  a 
hundred  years.  Daniel  Steele,  the  elder,  was  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  and  after  some  years  of  missionary 
work  in  western  Ireland,  he,  with  his  young  wife, 
Mary  Leatham  Anderson,  came  to  America,  and 
settled  in  Eden,  Delaware  county,  O.  In  that  place, 
on  the  29th  of  March,  1852,  was  born  the  subject 
of  our  sketch. 

When  young  Daniel  was  two  years  old  his  parents 
removed  to  a  farm  near  Pinckneyville,  Perry  county, 
Illinois.  His  education  began  in  the  old  log  school 
house  on  Grand  Cote  Prairie.  Besides  his  school 
duties,  he  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  losing, 
perhaps,  a  little  time  from  study,  but  gaining  the 
inestimable  advantage  of  a  youth  spent  in  the  open 
air.  Whatever  his  drawback*,  at  fifteen  he  was  ready 
to  enter  the  academy  at  Oakdale,  and,  on  the  removal 
of  his  father  to  Rantoul,  did  excellent  work  as  a 
teacher. 

In  1869  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr. 
D.  P.  McClure,  of  Rantoul,  at  the  same  time  acting  as 
clerk  in  a  drug  store.  In  1870  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  took  a  three  years'  course  at  the  Chicago  Medical 
College,  graduating  in  1873.  During  his  senior  year 
he  was  preceptor  of  anatomy  in  the  college,  and  imme- 
diately after  graduating  he  was  made  demonstrator  of 
anatomy  at  the  Chicago  School  of  Anatomy.  Espe- 
cially desirous  of  rapid  advancement  in  surgery,  he 
took  a  competitive  examination  for  the  position  of 
interne  in  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  and  won,  as  the 
result,  the  position  of  house  surgeon.  In  this  capacity 
he  continued  two  years,  and  then  began  general  prac- 
tice, at  the  same  time  acting  as  clinical  assistant  to  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Moses  Gunn,  of  Rush  Medical  College. 
In  1875  he  was  made  attending  surgeon  at  the  South 
Side  Free  Dispensary,  and  in  1876  lecturer  on  surgery 
at  the  Chicago  Medical  College.  Leaving  this  institu- 
tion in  1882,  he,  in  company  with  several  other  promi- 
nent physicians,  was  greatly  instrumental  in  founding 
the  Chicago  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  which 
has  since  proven  itself  so  invaluable  an  acquisition  to 
the  medical  institutions  of  Chicago.  In  this  institution 
he  acted  as  professor  of  orthopaedic  surgery,  until  1886. 
At  that  time  the  resignation  of  the  eminent  Dr.  Nich- 
olas Senn,  formerly  of  Milwaukee,  left  vacant  the  chair 
of  principles  and  practice  of  surgery  and  clinical 
surgery.  Dr.  Steele,  though  younger  by  ten  vears 
than  those  who  usually  occupy  this'chair,  was  called  to 


fill  it,  and  this  he  has  done  most  successfully.  As  evi- 
dence of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his 
colleagues  in  the  above  college,  we  may  add  that  upon 
the  death  of  Prof.  Charles  Warrington  Earle  in  the  fall 
of  1893,  who  was  then  president  of  the  college,  Dr. 
Steele  was  unanimously  elected  to  the  vacant  position 
in  the  institution  in  which  he  had  so  ably  distin- 
guished himself. 

Dr.  Steele  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Chicago 
Biological  Society,  since  become  the  Pathological  Soci- 
ety, and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical 
Club,  a  very  select  organization,  designed  for  social  as 
well  as  professional  purposes.  He  was  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  Medico-Legal  Society,  and,  in  1887 
and  again  in  1890  was  made  president  of  the  Medical 
Board  of  Cook  County  Hospital,  where,  for  eight  years, 
he  was  attending  surgeon.  In  1886  he  became  presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  and  in  the  State 
and  national  medical  associations  stands  in  the  fore- 
most ranks. 

In  1888,  Dr.  Steele  was  sent  by  the  American  Med. 
ical  Association  as  a  delegate  to  the  British  Medical 
Association,  at  its  annual  convention,  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland.  He  visited  the  medical  institutions  of 
France,  Germany,  England  and  Switzerland,  making 
many  important  investigations  for  the  benefit  of 
science.  Much  of  this  information  he  has  since 
embodied  in  a  paper  entitled  "A  Chicago  Physician's 
Impressions  and  Observations  of  European  Surgery." 
His  researches  were  much  furthered  by  the  acquaint- 
ance of  such  men  as  Lister,  McCormick  and  Heath,  of 
London;  Martin,  of  Berlin;  and  McEwan,  of  Glasgow. 
Apropos  of  a  little  matter  which  came  up  during  this 
visit,  Dr.  Steele  afterward  opened  up,  with  a  prominent 
English  physician,  the  correspondence  on  etiquette, 
which  attracted  so  much  attention  at  home  and  abroad. 
Not  a  great  while  after  this  Dr.  Steele  again  visited 
Europe,  this  time  as  a  delegate  to  the  Ninth  Inter- 
national Medical  Congress,  held  at  Berlin.  A  pleasure 
excursion,  as  well  as  a  professional  obligation,  this  trip 
took  him  through  Vienna,  Rome,  the  galleries  of 
Florence,  Munich,  and  all  the  principal  points  of 
interest  on  the  continent. 

During  the  past  year  Dr.  Steele  has  taken  a  very 
active  interest  in  the  founding  of  one  of  the  most  noble 
institutions  of  which  our  city  boasts — the  Public  Med- 
ical Library  of  Chicago,  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  N. 
S.  Davis.  So  well  is  Dr.  Steele  known  as  a  writer  that 
it  is  needless  to  say  more  than  that  his  contributions  to 
medical  literature  are  as  valuable  as  they  are  numerous. 

In  political  preference  the  doctor  inclines  to  the 
Republican  party,  and  in  religion  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  As  to  his  personal  character, 
that  can  best  be  judged  from  the  words  of  one  of  the 
foremost  physicians  of  the  city: 

"Dr.   Steele  is  an  extremely   busy   and   successful 


\AS 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


427 


practitioner,  constantly  over-burdened  by  demands  for 
his  services,  both  professionally  and  socially.  He  is  a 
man  of  the  highest  and  purest  character,  an  industrious 
and  ambitious  student,  and  a  gifted  teacher  of  surgery. 
Genial  in  disposition,  unobtrusive  and  unassuming,  he 
is  himself  patient  under  adverse  criticism,  and  in  his 
expressions  concerning  brother  practitioners  is  friendly 
and  indulgent." 


In  1876  Dr.  Steele  was  married  to  Miss  Alice 
L.  Tomlinson,  daughter  of  Sheldon  Tomlinson,  Esq., 
an  old  and  prominent  citizen  of  Champaign  county, 
III.  Mrs.  Steele  is  a  woman  of  unusual  intel- 
lectual qualities,  deeply  interested  in  her  husband's 
professional  work,  and  in  the  home  is  a  most  amiable 
hostess  and  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  her  numerous 
friends  ar\d  acquaintances. 


EDWARD  LORENZO  HOLMES,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DK.  EDWARD  L.  HOLMES,  son  of  Edward  B. 
Holmes  and  Caroline  (Buttrick)  Holmes,  was  born 
at  Dedham,  Mass.,  January  28,  1828.  His  father  was 
a  prominent  merchant  of  Massachusetts;  his  mother 
was  a  grand-daughter  of  old  Commodore  Buttrick,  who 
was  in  command  of  the  forces  at  the  battle  of  Concord, 
Mass.,  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Young  Holmes  attended  for  a  time  the  public 
schools  at  Dedham,  and  later  attended  private  school 
to  fit  him  for  college.  He  entered  Harvard  College  in 
1845  and  graduated  in  1849.  After  teaching  school 
two  years,  he  decided  upon  a  medical  education,  and 
entered  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  in  which  he 
graduated  in  1854. 

Dr.  Holmes'  first  work  after  graduation  was  general 
hospital  work.  He  then  spent  a  year  and  a  half  at 
Paris,  and  Vienna,  in  1854  and  1855,  studying  general 
medicine,  and  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear,  making 
that  branch  a  special  study.  Returning  to  the  United 
States  he  decided  to  move  West,  and  came  to  Chicago  in 
1856,  where  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. The  doctor  has  always  taken  great  interest  in  the 
study  of  language  and  of  the  sciences.  He  founded 


the  Illinois  Charitable  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary  in  1858 
and  in  I860  joined  the  faculty  of  the  Rush  Medical 
College,  teaching  in  the  'department  of  the  eye  and 
ear,  and  has  continued  teaching  in  that  department 
ever  since.  In  1890  Dr.  Holmes  was  also  made  presi- 
dent of  the  college,  a  position  which  he  has  filled  with 
distinguished  success  ever  since.  He  is  also  professor 
of  diseases  of  the  eye  at  the  Chicago  Pol  vclinic,  founder 
and  senior  surgeon  of  the  Illinois  Charity  Eye  and 
Ear  Infirmary,  president  of  the-  medical  board  and 
acting  oculist  and  aurist  of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital, 
and  consulting  physician  of.  the  Central  Free  Dis- 
pensary. His  connection  with  medical  societies  in- 
cludes membership  in  the  American  Opthalmological 
and  the  American  Otological  societies,  and  in  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Chicago  Medical 
Society  and  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Medicine. 

He  took  an  active  part  in  founding  the  Presbyte- 
rian Hospital  in  1882-3-4.  He  has  been  identified 
with  this  institution  since  its  foundation. 

Dr.  Holmes  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  Paula 
Weiser,  of  Vienna,  Austria.  Five  children  have  blessed 
this  union. 


BENJAMIN   MORTON   HAIR, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BENJAMIN  MORTON  HAIR,  son  of  Gilbert  M. 
and  Jane  (Semple)  Hair,  was  born  in  Covington. 
Kentucky,  on  the  14th  day  of  January,  1849.  His 
father,  Gilbert  M.  Hair,  was  a  Presbyterian  minister, 
of  Scotch  descent,  who  preached  the  gospel  for  nearly 
half  a  century,  and  who  died  January  3rd,  1S84.  Young 
Hair  attended  the  public  schools  and  took  also  a  pre- 
paratory course  at  Elders  Ridge  Academy,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  at  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war  was  attend- 
ing a  boy's  school  taught  by  his  father  at  Walnut  Hill, 
Kentucky,  among  the  pupils  of  which  were  also  Clif- 
ton and  Owen  Brecken ridge,  sons  of  lion.  John  C. 
Breckenridge. 

Rev.  Mr:  Hair  was  a  Union  man  and  in  consequence 


the  family  saw  exciting  times  during  the  stormy  davs 
of  the  war.  They  were  once  called  up  during  the 
night  by  about  thirty  rebel  cavalrymen,  who  ordered 
them  to  leave  the  State  within  ten  days.  Before  the 

• 

time  had  elapsed,  however,  Col.  DeCorsey's  regiment 
of  Ohio  troops  was  in  the  neighborhood  and  fora  time 
established  the  supremacy  of  the  Union  flag.  In  1SC2 
General  Kirby  Smith  took  possession  of  the  country 
with  his  army  of  Confederates  and  the  family  was 
compelled  to  leave  their  home,  which  was  afterwards 
burned,  having  previously  been  used  by  Gen.  Smith  as 
a  hospital.  Of  his  property  Mr.  Hair  saved  nothing 
excepting  two  horses,  one  of  which  young  Benjamin 
rode  to  Hamilton,  Ohio,  135  miles,  to  which  place  the 


428 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


family  now  went.  Mr.  Hair's  first  venture  in  the  world 
of  business  was  in  a  grocery  store  in  the  city  of  Baltimore 
in  1867.  After  two  years  he  came  West  and  located  in 
Chicago,  where  he  secured  employment  in  the  real  estate 
office  of  I.  H.  Andrews,  in  the  old  Methodist  Church 
block.  Returning  to  the  East  after  about  two  years  he 
became  assistant  clerk  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court 
for  the  Western  district  of  Pennsylvania  under  H.  D. 
Cable.  In  1874  we  find  him  in  the  West  again, 
installed  as  assistant  to  State  treasurer  Ridgeway,  of 
Illinois,  which  position  he  retained  until  1877,  when  he' 
returned  to  Chicago,  and  in  partnership  with  two 
others  bought  the  planing  mill  on  west  Twenty-second' 
street,  which  has.  since  been  run  under  the  firm  name 
of  Hare  &  Ridgeway,  with  success. 

He  is  also  a  director  and   the   president  of  the 
Schrieber,  Ridgeway  Lumber  Co.,  and  a  director  of  the 


Northwestern  Yeast  Company,  one  of  the  largest 
concerns  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  When  the  Indus- 
trial Bank  of  Chicago  was  organized,  Mr.  Hair  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors,  and  on 
January  1,  1893,  he  was  elected  president. 

On  January  16,  1873,  Mr.  Hair  was  married  to  Miss 
Harriett  Ridgeway,  daughter  of  Thomas  S.  Ridgeway, 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Shawneetown, 
111.,  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  fami- 
lies in  the  State,  and  who  was  treasurer  of  Illinois  in 
1874.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  them,  of 
whom  two  daughters  and  one  son  are  now  living. 
Mr.  Hair  is  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  naturally 
has  many  years  before  him  in  which  to  add  to  the 
achievements  already  recorded,  and  which,  judging 
from  the  past,  will  enhance  his  already  fine  reputation 
for  financial  ability  and  business  integrity. 


EDWARD  P.  GRISWOLD, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MR.  GRISWOLD  is  a  native  of  Connecticut.  He 
was  born  near  Hartford,  August  6,  1838,  and 
his  parents  were  Thomas  and  Jerusha  (Wells)  Gris- 
\vold.  His  father  was  the  leading  cloth  manufacturer 
in  Connecticut.  The  boyhood  of  Edward  embraced 
attendance  upon  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
but  for  the  completion  of  his  education  he  went  to  East 
Hampton,  Mass.  In  1854,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  lie 
began  life  as  a  clerk  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  S.  W.  Gris- 
wold,  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  who  was  then  in  the  line  of 
business  in  which  Mr.  Griswold,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  is  now  engaged. 

In  1857  young  Griswold  went  to  Milwaukee,  and 
for  six  years  was  engaged  with  his  brother,  Mr.  J.  W. 
Griswold,  in  the  cloak  manufacturing  business.  In 
1863,  the  brothers  removed  to  Chicago,  where  they 
continued  the  manufacture  of  ladies'  and  children's 
cloaks  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  W.  Griswold  &  Com- 
pany. The  business  of  the  firm  constantly  increased 
from  its  start,  in  1857,  until  now  it  has  grown  to  be  one 
of  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  country.  Mr.  J.  W. 
Griswold  retired  from  the  firm  in  1886.  Since  then 
the  management,  shared  by  Edward  P.  Griswold  and 
Mr.  P.  B.  Palmer,  under  the  firm  name  of  Griswold, 
Palmer  &  Co.,  has  become  most  aggressive,  and 
they  have  won  a  reputation  as  being  among  the  most 
energetic,  popular  and  reliable  merchants  in  the  cloak 
trade.  It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  firm  from  its  very 
start  to  not  only  manufacture  garments  that  could  be 
depended  upon  for  style,  but  that  would  give  satisfac- 
tion to  the  wearer.  The  popularity  of  the  house  with 
its  customers  is  a  well  known  fact,  and  is  attributed  to 
the  uniform  maintenance  of  the  above  named  policy. 
No  firm  has  a  better  record,  and  it  has  been  established 
in  this  business  longer  than  any  other  cloak  manu- 
facturing house  in  this  country,  passing  successfully 


through  the  financial  crises  of  1857  and  1887,  and 
the  great  fire  of  1871.  While  thousands  of  firms 
were  broken  up  and  others  settled  at  various  per- 
centages of  their  indebtedness,  this  firm  has  always 
met  its  obligations,  paying  one  hundred  cents  on  the 
dollar. 

As  a  citizen,  no  man  stands  higher  than  Mr. 
Griswold.  While  he  is  modest  and  unostentatious  in 
his  demeanor,  he  is  always  found  in  the  front  rank  in 
all  matters  of  reform.  He  is  a  deacon  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  church,  and  a  man  of  whom  it  may  be 
said  the  world  is  made  better  by  his  having  lived  in  it. 
He  belongs  to  the  Union  League  and  Sunset  clubs, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Citizens'  Association  and  the 
Art  Institute  of  Chicago.  i 

In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  strongly  Republican, 
and  has  been  since  he  was  entitled  to  cast  his  first 
ballot,  believing  thoroughly  in  the  principles  of  protec- 
tion to  home  industries,  as  championed  by  that  party. 

Mr.  Griswold  was  married  in  the  year  1865  to  Miss 
Mary  Browning.  Thev  have  four  children — two  sons 
and  two  daughters — Edward  Browning,  Mary  Maude, 
Grace  and  Harold  Griswold,  constituting  a  happy 
family  circle. 

Among  the  names  of  the  prominent  business  men 
of  Chicago  who  have  been  closely  identified  with  its 
interests,  and  have  assisted  in  its  marvellous  growth, 
and  who,  while  helping  to  build  up  a  metropolis,  have 
founded  for  themselves  reputations  more  enduring 
than  iron  and  stone,  will  stand  that  of  Edward  P. 
Griswold,  who,  by  force  of  native  ability  and  steady 
perseverance,  has  raised  himself  to  a  position  of  wealth 
and  honor.  His  life-history  illustrates  in  a  marked 
degree  what  may  be  accomplished  by  well  directed 
efforts,  and  a  strict  adherence  to  correct  business 
principles. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 

LOUIS    KISTLER, 

CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS. 


LOUIS  KISTLEE,  the  well-known  Chicago  attorney, 
is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Mary  Kistler,  and  was 
born  at  Strasburg,  Germany,  January  25,  1835.  His 
parents  were  both  natives  of  Germany,  and  came  to 
this  country  in  1846,  locating  at  Kochester,  N.  Y. 
Here  young  Kistler  attended  public  school,  as  he  had 
determined  to  acquire  a  thorough  education  and  com- 
plete mastery  of  the  English  language.  After  leaving 
the  public  school  at  Rochester,  he  attended  the  univer- 
sity at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  where  he  graduated  in  1858. 
He  then  went  to  Europe  and  attended  the  University 
of  Berlin,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1864.  In  both 
of  these  institutions  he  took  the  highest  honors  attain- 
able. 

He  came  to  Chicago  in  1864,  and  served  for  four- 
teen years,  or  until  1878,  as  professor  of  Greek  litera- 
ture in  the  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston. 
He  then  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  Chicago 
and  has  continued  in  it  ever  since.  He  is  a  good 
lawyer,  thoroughly  read  in  his  profession,  a  faithful 
counsellor  and  'a  fine  speaker.  One  of  the  most 
important  cases  with  which  he  has  been  connected, 
was  the  defense,  in  188y,  of  Theodore  Kind,  who  was 
charged  with  the  murder  of  Mr.  Hill,  on  State  street, 
Chicago,  at  which  time  he  secured  the  practical 
acquittal  of  his  client.  His  professional  activity,  howr 
ever,  is  principally  devoted  to  civil  practice,  in  which 
branch  of  the  law  he  has  a  large  and  profitable  client- 
tage  and  attains  his  greatest  triumphs. 


In  1884,  at  the  reception  given  to  the  Hon.  James 
G.  Elaine,  at  the  Grand  Pacific  hotel,  Mr.  Kistler  de- 
livered the  address  of  welcome,  a  short  extemporaneous 
speech  which  was  published  in  the  public  press  all  over 
the  country,  receiving  everywhere  the  highest  praise. 

For  the  practice  of  his  profession,  Mr.  Kistler  has 
recently  associated  with  himself,  in  partnership,  the 
bright  and  thoroughly  trained  young  lawyer,  R.  Waite 
Joslyn,  who  is  a  descendant  of  a  family  of  brilliant 
lawyers  and  statesmen. 

In  politics  Mr.  Kistler  is  a  Republican,  but  has 
never  sought  office.  He  is  prominently  connected 
with  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellow  fraternities,  as  well 
as  with  many  other  civic  societies. 

Pleasant  and  genial  by  natural  disposition,  Mr. 
Kistler  has  many  friends,  not  only  in  the  city  of  his 
adoption,  but  also  in  many  other  places,  where  his 
extensive  travels  have  taken  him.  In  his  practice  he 
enjoys  the  highest  confidence,  of  his  clients  and  many 
cases  are  submitted  to  him  for  settlement  by  both 
parties  concerned,  without  an  appeal  to  the  courts. 
Indeed,  in  all  his  practice,  he  only  commences  suit  as 
the  last  possible  means  of  obtaining  justice  for  his  client, 
and  this  being  the  case,  he  very.seldom  fails  to  estab- 
lish the  justice  of  his  cause.  His  methods  are  well 
worthy  of  emulation  and  his  standard  of  character 
may  be  judged  by  the  necessary  degree  of  confidence 
he  inspires  to  thus  settle,  and  so  often  amicably,  cases 
which  other  lawyers  bring  before  the  courts. 


TIMOTHY  B.  BLACKSTONE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BORN  at  Branford,  Conn., March  28, 1829,  Timothy 
B.  Blackstone's  parents  were  James  and  Sarah 
(Beach)  Blackstone.  The  first  of  the  Blackstones  to 
arrive  in  America  was  William  Blackstone,  who  settled 
in  1622,  in  the  neighborhood  of  where  the  city  of 
Boston  now  stands.  The  Blackstone  homestead  at 
one  time  formed  part  of  the  present  Boston  common. 
William,  in  addition  to  being  a  farmer,  was  also  a 
minister  in  the  English  church,  and  frequently' con- 
ducted mission  services  among  the  Indians  then 
resilient  in  his  neighborhood.  His  son  purchase'd  the 
present  Blackstone  homestead  in  1638;  this  is  still  in 
possession  of  the  family,  and  on  it  was  born  and 
reared  several  generations  of  the  family,  including  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  our  biography,  and  who  was 
well  known  in  his  da}'  as  an  enterprising  and  thor- 
oughly practical  farmer,  and  held  in  high  esteem  by 
his  friends  and  neighbors. 

Timothy  attended  the  common  schools  of  Branford, 
and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  took  a  course  of  studv  in  a 


neighboring  academy.  He  left  school,  however,  when 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  engaged  as  a  rodman  with 
the  engineer's  corps  of  the  New  York  &  New  Haven 
Railroad.  It  is,  perhaps,  the  thoroughly  practical 
training  here  received,  combined  with  a  determination 
to  succeed  in  whatever  he  undertakes,  that  has  placed 
him  in  the  leading  positions  which  he  has  since  occu- 
pied in  railroad  circles.  From  rodman,  young  Black- 
stone  was  promoted  to  be  assistant  engineer  on  the 
Stockbridge  &  Pittsfield  Railroad,  within  a  year  of  his 
joining  the  New  York  &  New  Haven  company;  an 
advancement  due  to  his  studious  habits  and  industrious 
pursuit  of  engineering  knowledge,  while  working  faith- 
fully in  his  more  humble  position. 

In  December,  1849,  he  was  offered  and  accepted  a 
similar  position  with  the  Vermont  Valley  Railroad,  and 
remained  with  that  company  until  late  in  the  following 
spring.  In  May,  1851,  Mr.  Blackstone  observing  the 
large  field,  and  foreseeing  the  scope  which  the  great 
West  offered  for  railway  enterprises,  active  employ- 


43  2 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST, 


ment  and  good  remuneration,  removed  to  Illinois,  where 
he  secured  the  appointment  as  engineer  of  surveys, 
location  and  construction  with  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  His  division  lay  from  Bloomington  to 
Dixon,  with  headquarters  at  La  Salle.  In  December, 
1855,  the  work  was  completed,  and  the  main  line  of  the 
road  was  opened  for  traffic;  the  whole  having  been,  as 
is  well  known,  under  the  direction  of  Eoswell  B. 
Mason,  who  was  chief  superintendent  and  engineer  of 
the  survey,  location  and  construction  department. 

In  1856,  Mr.  Blackstone  was  offered  the  position 
of  engineer-in-chief  with  the  Joliet  and  Chicago  Rail- 
road; becoming  also  financially  interested  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  road,  afterward  merged  in  the  Chicago 
and  Alton  Railroad.  He  supervised  the  location,  entire 
construction  and  maintenance  of  the  road.  Five  years 
later  he  was  elected  president  of  the  company,  and  for 
over  three  years  remained  as  its  head.  For  about 
thirty  years  he  has  held  the  position  of  president  of  the 
Chicago  and  Alton  Company,  and  to  his  able  manage- 


ment and  direction  of  affairs  is  undoubtedly  due  the 
success  and  splendid  position  the  company  has  attained 
among  the  great  railroads  of  the  West. 

In  Mr.  Blackstone  we  have  an  example  of  what 
perseverance,  combined  with  a  high  order  of  executive 
ability  and  untiring  energy  can  do.  When  these 
qualities  are  combined  with  true  American  grit,  it  is 
the  pride  and  the  boast  of  our  republican  institutions 
that  they  give  to  every  man  an  opportunity  of  dem- 
onstrating what  is  in  him.  Thus,  from  the  position  of 
rodrnan,  Timothy  B.  Blackstone  has  worked  his  way 
by  force  of  character  and  close  attention  to  business  to 
the  position  of  president  of  one  of  the  most  important 
and  successful  railroads  of  the  West. 

Mr.  Blackstone  was.  married  in  October,  1868,  to 
Miss  Isabella  F.  Norton,  daughter  of  Henry  B.  Norton, 
Esq.,  of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  He  is  highly  esteemed 
by  his  fellow  citizens  for  his  ability  and  integrity,  and  by 
his  associates  in  the  great  railway  world,  where  he  is 
justly  regarded  as  occupying  a  place  in  the  front  ranks. 


HON.  LYSANDER  HILL, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


IN  studying  the  lives  and  characters  of  prominent  men, 
we  are  naturally  led  to.  inquire  into  the  secret  of 
their  success  and  the  motives  that  prompted  their 
action.  Success  is  not  a  question  of  genius,  as  held  by 
many,  but  rather  a  matter  of  experience  and  sound 
judgment.  When  we  trace  the  character  of  those  who 
stand  highest  in  public  esteem,  we  find  in  nearly  every 
case  that  they  are  those  who  have  risen  gradually, 
fighting  their  way  in  the  face  of  opposition.  Self- 
reliance,  conscientiousness,  energy,  honesty — these  are 
the  traits  of  character  that  insure  the  highest  emolu- 
ments and  greatest  success.  To  these  we  may  attribute 
the  success  of  Judge  Lysander  Hill. 

Lysander  Hill  was  born  in  Union,  Lincoln  county, 
Me.,  July  4,  1834,  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Eliza  M.  (Hall) 
Hill,  tracing  his  ancestry,  both  paternal  and  maternal, 
to  the  old  Puritan  families  who  are  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Massachusetts.  After  passing  through  the 
usual  common  school  education,  he  studied  at  Warren 
Academy,  and  entered  Bowdoin  College  in  1854  and 
graduated  therefrom  in  1858.  Choosing  the  law  as  his 
profession,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  A.  P.  Gould, 
at  Thomascon,  Me.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1860.  He  began  practicing  at  once  in  Thomaston, 
forming  a  partnership  with  J.  P.  Cilley,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Cilley  &  Hill.  This  partnership  was  dissolved 
in  1862  when  Mr.  Hill  entered  the  Union  army  as 
captain  of  the  Twentieth  Maine  Infantry.  In  1863,  on 
account  of  physical  disability,  Mr.  Hill  received  his 
discharge  from  the  army. 

He  afterwards  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  settling 
at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  and  also  occupied  an  office  at 


Washington,  D.  C.  He  formed  a  partnership  at  the 
.former  place  with  George  Tucker,  under  the  style  of 
Hill  &  Tucker. 

Mr.  Hill  was  Register  in  Bankruptcy  of  the  Eighth 
Judicial  District  of  Virginia,  from  1867  to  1869,  when 
he  was  appointed  Judge  of  said  district  to  fill  an 
unexpired  term. 

In  1874  Judge  Hill  removed  to  Washington,  D.  C., 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  E.  A.  Ellsworth, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Hill  &  Ellsworth,  and  this 
association  continued  until  1878.  For  the  next  few 
years  he  practiced  his  profession  alone,  devoting  the 
largest  part  of  his  attention  to  patent  litigation,  which 
he  had  made  a  specialty  ;  but  in  May,  1881,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Mr.  T.  S.  E.  Dixon,  of  Chicago, 
which  lasted  until  1890. 

Judge  Hill  was  married  in  February,  1864,  to 
Adelaide  R.  Cole,  of  Roxbury,  Mass.  This  union 
has  been  blessed  with  three  children. 

In  politics,  Judge  Hill  is,  and  ever  has  been,  an 
earn'est  and  sincere  Republican.  He  was  delegate  to 
the  national  convention  which  nominated  Grant  in  1868. 
and  "was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  platform.  He 
was  also  chairman  of  the  State  central  committee,  of 
Virginia,  for  two  years,  but  since  1869  he  has  taken 
little  interest  in  politics,  devoting  his  time  and  energies 
to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  winch  has  been  yearly 
increasing,  and  which  now  takes  him  all  over  the 
United  States.  Without  doubt  Judge  Hill  takes  rank 
as  one  of  the  ablest  patent  attorneys  in  the  entire 
country.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  pleasing  address  and 
enjoys  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


Anmcm  fi,9  Ai  C 


rO° 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

HENRY  IVES  COBB, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


435 


HENRY  I  YES  COBB  was  born  in  Brookline,  Mas- 
sachusetts. Having  received  a  thorough  prelim- 
inary education,  he  entered  Harvard  University,  taking 
the  literary  and  .scientific  course.  His  preliminary 
architectural  training  was  received  at  the  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology  and  in  Europe.  Entering  the 
office  of  one  of  the  leading  architects  of  Boston,  he 
soon  rose  to  a  prominent  position  among  the  architects 
of  the  country.  In  1881,  he  visited  Chicago  and 
designed  and  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
Union  Club  House.  The  demand  which  then  arose  for 
his  services  was  such  as  to  warrant  him  in  locating 
there  permanently.  Since  that  time  he  has  ranked  as 
one  of  the  most  skillful  architects  in  the  city  and  in 
the  United  States,  and  was  honored  by  appointment  as 
one  of  the  National  Board  of  Architects  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition. 

Among  the  many  notable  buildings  which  Mr.  Cobb 
has  designed,  and  which  are  conspicuous  monuments  to 
his  skill  and  enterprise,  are  the  Owings  Building, 
Adams  and  Dearborn  streets,  Chicago,  a  magnificent 
structure;  the  Chicago  Opera  House,  the  Kinzie  Hotel, 
the  St.  Charles  Roman  Catholic  Buildings,  the  Chicago 
Athletic  Association  Club  House,  the  Newberry 
Library  Building,  and  the  Cook  County  Abstract 
Building.  Among  Mr.  Cobb's  work  outside  of  Chicago 
may  be  mentioned:  The  Knoxvilie  Hotel,  Knoxville, 
Tenn.,  probably  the  largest  building  in  that  state;  the 
Bishop  Hospital,  Pittsfield,  Mass.;  the  South  San  Fran- 


cisco Co.'s  buildings,  a  whole  town-  of  buildings 
designed  by  him,  at  South  San  Francisco;  Blackstone 
Memorial  Buildings,  Branford,  Conn.;  Donald  Fletcher's 
residence,  Denver,  Colo.;  and  Watkin's  Bank  Building, 
Lawrence,  Kansas,  one  of  the  finest  structures  in  the 
State.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  tha  architectural 
work  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  designing 
the  Fisheries  Building. 

He  has  been  an  extensive  traveler,  having  traveled 
over  the  civilized  world,  and  has  visited  nearly  every 
important  library  in  making  a  study  of  libraries. 
Every  other  year  he  goes  to  Europe  for  study,  re- 
search and  investigation  in  connection  with  profes- 
sional work. 

For  about  five  years,  beginning  with  1882,  he  had  a 
partner  and  conducted  his  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  Cobb  &  Frost.  Since  the  year  1887,  however,  he 
has  been  in  business  by  himself. 

Mr.  Cobb  is  a  man  of  robust  constitution,  easy, 
graceful  demeanor,  cool  and  deliberate,  yet  active  and 
energetic,  a  man  who  involuntarily  impresses  his  asso- 
ciates with  his  intellectual  worth.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Chicago,  University  and  Union  clubs,  and  president 
of  the  Mascoutah  Kennel  Club  of  Chicago. 

In  1882  Mr.  Cobb  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  M. 
Smith,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Augustus  Smith,  Esq.,  a 
prominent  attorney  of  New  York  city.  They  have  six 
children,  viz.  Henry  Ives,  Jr.,  Cleveland,  Leonore, 
Candler,  Elliott  and  Priscilla. 


ROBERT  STUART, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ROBEET  STUART,  son  of  John  and  Elsie  Stuart, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Ingersoll,  Oxford  county, 
Canada,  November  22, 1852.  His  parents  were  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  his  father  was  a  prominent  man  in  Oxford 
county,  much  esteemed  by  his  neighbors  and  the  towns- 
men of  Ingersoll,  where  he  successfully  conducted  an 
extensive  milling  business. 

Young  Stuart  received  his  early  education,  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  later  spending  two 
years  in  a  private  college  at  Toronto.  Upon  leaving 
the  latter  institution  he  engaged  himself  in  his  father's 
service,  spending  two  years  in  the  office,  and  it  was 
doubtless  here,  under  the  influence  of  his  father's  sound 
business  methods  and  principles,  that  he  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  his  future  career. 

Having  well  learned  the  business,  in  all  the  most 
minute  details  as  well  as  its  fundamental  principles,ancl 
believing  that  he  was  equipped  with  all  necessary  quali- 
fications to  himself  establish  a  milling  business,  he 
removed  to  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  where  he  associated 


with  Mr.  Douglas,  under  the  style  of  Stuart  &  Doug- 
las. He  was  the  practical  man,  and  under  his  personal 
supervision  and  direction  the  firm  was  successfully 
conducted  until  1879,  when  Mr.  Stuart  came  to  Chicago, 
in  search  of  that  wider  and  more  varied  fieid'of  opera- 
tions which  a  great  city  affords.  Here  he  again  estab- 
lished a  milling  business,  especially  devoting  attention 
to  the  oat  meal  trade,  in  which  he  continued  until  the 
American  Cereal  Company  was  incorporated.  The 
organizers  of  this  company,  appreciating  the  thorough 
integrity,  ability  and  complete  knowledge  of  the 
business,  offered  Mr.  Stuart  the  position  of  treasurer  of 
the  corporation,  which  he  accepted  and  continues  to 
hold  up  to  the  present  time,  in  a  manner  both  satisfac- 
tory to  the  company  and  creditable  to  himself. 

He  is  a  gentlema'n  fond  of  social  pleasures,  being  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  and  Hyde  Park  clubs, 
and  also  of  the  Chicago  Athletic  Club.  He  joined 
the  Union  League  Club  in  1881,  the  Hyde  Park  Club  in 
1889.  and  the  Chicago  Athletic  Club  in  1893,  and  since 


436 


PROMINENT  A1EN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


his  membership  has  taken  an  active  part  in  all 
the  principal  events  in  which  the  clubs  have  par- 
ticipated. He  is  considered  a  prominent  member  of 
them  all,  ever  active  in  all  matters  pertaining  to 
their  interest. 

Mr.  Stuart  had  been  reared  by  his  parents  in  the 
Presbyterian  faith,  and  his  religious  convictions  have 
remained  unshaken,  he  being  to-day  an  active  member 
of  that  church.  In  politics  he  is  an  independent  voter, 
never  allying  himself  with  any  party,  for  the  sake  of 
the  party,  but  casts  his  ballot  for  the  principles  which 
he  believes  should  be  upheld  for  the  welfare  of  the 
country's  interests.  He  believes  that  upon  lines  of 
principle,  and  not  upon  lines  of  party  should  the 
political  contests  of  the  country  be  waged,  and  that 
until  such  is  the  case  political  machines  and  political 
jobbery  will  control  the  country's  administration  and 
smirch  her  fair  name. 

Mr.  Stuart  was  united  in  marriage  on  August  2, 
1876,  to  Miss  Margaret  Sharer,  daughter  of  D.  0. 
Sharer,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Dixon,  111.  They  have 


three   children,  John,   aged   sixteen;    Margaret,    aged 
eleven;  and  Douglas,  aged  seven. 

He  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  medium 
height  and  weight.  Notably  of  genial  and  pleasant 
temperament,  he  is  at  all  times  a  pleasant  and  enter- 
taining companion,  well  liked  and  highly  respected  by 
his  friends.  In  every  sense  the  builder  of  his  own 
fortunes,  his  high  degree  of  success  does  him  great 
credit.  Just  entering  upon  the  prime  of  life,  when 
men  are  supposed  to  have  fully  attained  the  full  degree 
of  their  executive  ability  and  discrimination,  he  has 
bright  prospects  before  him,  and  his  frier,ds  look  to  the 
future  as  full  of  promise  of  still  greater  achievements 
and  further  successes.  Mr.  Stuart  is  a  man  of  superior 
financial  ability,  and  at  the  recent  annual  election  (1891) 
of  the  officials  of  the  American  Exchange  National 
Bank,  was  elected  president,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  John  B.  Kirk.  This  institu- 
tion is  recognized  as  one  of  the  strongest  financial 
houses  in  the  city,  and  in  importance  is  one  of  the 
foremost  of  Chicago's  many  banking  concerns. 


JOHN  LEWIS  COCHRAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  LEWIS  COCHRAN,  the  well-known  capi- 
talist and  Edgewater  property  owner,  is  a  son  of 
John  Lewis  and  Martha  (Austin)  Cochran,  and  was 
born  at  Sacramento,  California.  March  23,  1857.  His 
father,  John  Lewis  Cochran,  Sr.,  went  to  California  in 
1849,  during  the  great  gold  excitement. 

Young  Cochran  received  his  education  at  Phila- 
delphia, Penn.,  and  graduated  at  the  Louderback 
University.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  years  he  left 
Philadelphia  and  came  to  Chicago,  as  agent  and 
western  representative  of  the  large  and  well-known 
Blackwell-Durham  Tobacco  Company,  the  largest 
smoking  tobacco  factory  in  the  United  States.  Here 
his  business  ability  was  fully  demonstrated  in  the  way 
he  built  up  the  trade  for  his  firm.  Liking  the  charac- 
teristic bustle  and  activity  of  the  young  western  city, 
Mr.  Cochran,  shortly  after  his  arrival  here,  determined 
to  make  Chicago  his  home.  He  had  great  faith  in  the 
city's  future,  and  consequently  in  the  value  of  real 
estate,  his  choice  of  property  being  on  the  North  side, 
where,  along  the  Lake  Shore  drive,  he  commenced 
buving  lots,  upon  which  he  placed  fine  stone  and  brick 
buildings,  with  all  the  modern  improvements. 

Continuing  his  real  estate  ventures,  which  had 
proved  so  successful  to  him,  and  with  the  same  fore- 
sight and  sound  judgment  he  had  before  displayed,  he 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  what  was  then 
known  as  Lake  View.  The  next  year,  1886,  he 
severed  his  connection  with  the  Black  well-Durham 
Tobacco  Company,  and  gave  his  whole  time  and  atten- 
tion to  his  land  and  building  business,  and  immediately 


commenced  to  construct  a  suburb  upon  the  land  pur- 
chased the  year  before.  He  named  the  suburb  "  Edge- 
water,"  and  after  grading  the  property  and  laying  it 
out  in  streets  and  avenues,  he  commenced  to  build  it 
up.  It  is  easily  reached  from  the  Union  depot  by  a 
pleasant;  ride  of  twenty-three  minutes,  on  frequent 
trains  of  the  Evanston  division  of  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  railroad,  or  by  a  charming  drive  or 
ride  of  about  thirty-five  minutes  through  Lincoln  Park, 
and  thence  over  the  incomparable  Sheridan  drive. 
This  suburb  embraces  an  area  of  over  350  acres  of  dry, 
sandy  soil,  extending  a  mile  and  a  half  along  the  shore 
of  the  lake,  with  selected  trees  of  the  original  forest 
left  standing,  and  used  for  ornamentation  and  shade. 

From  the  inception  of  the  undertaking  the  object 
in  view  was  to  make  Edgewater  a  model  and  ideal 
place  of  residence,  within  the  reach  of  families  of  mod- 
erate income,  and  to  establish  a  suburb  to  which  Chi- 
cagoans  could  point  with  pride.  As  it  was  conceived, 
so  it  was  carried  out,  and  further  improvements  are 
still  being  carried  on  as  actively  as  ever. 

A  very  large  amount  of  money  has  been  expended  on 
Edgewater  by  its  promoters,' which  can  not  be  expected 
to  come  back  to  them  for  years.  They  have  not  antici- 
pated or  calculated  upon  quick  returns,  but  have 
builded  and  planned  for  the  future,  and  it  has  been 
this  motive,  aided  by  perseverance  and  the  employment 
•of  every  requisite  of  professional  skill,  which  has  fur- 
nished all  the  safeguards  possible  for  the  future  health 
and  prosperity  of  this  handsome  place.  In  this  suburb 
the  drainage  is  of  the  best  character ;  the  Edison  incan- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


439 


descent  light  is  used  in  the  houses.  The  avenues  are 
broad  and  macadamized,  properly  drained,  with  well 
kept  stone  sidewalks,  everywhere  shaded  by  trees  at 
regular  intervals,  and  all  help  to  make  life  charming  at 
Edgewater.  There  are  public  buildings,  a  public  hall. 
containing  a  large  auditorium,  churches  of  nearly  all 
denominations,  fine  schools,  a  gun  club,  boat  club, 
tennis  courts,  bath  houses  and  several  social  clubs.  In 
fact,  nothing  has  been  forgotten  that  would  add  to  the 
beauty  of  the  place,  and  it  may  truly  be  said  that 
Edgewater  of  to-day  is  an  ideal  residence  suburb. 

Mr.  Cochran  was  the  projector  of  the  North  Shore 
street  railroad,  an  electric  ruad  completed  in  1893, 
extending  from  the  northern  terminus  of  the  North 


Chicago  street  railway  through  Edgewater  and  Rogers 
Park,  to  Evanston.  It  is  a  trolley  road,  and  the  finest 
using  that  system  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Cochran  is  vice- 
president  of  the  company,  and  also  vice-president  of 
the  new  Northwestern  Elevated  road,  now  just  taking 
definite  form,  and  intended  to  give  rapid  transit  to  the 
North  side. 

Mr.  Cochran  is  prominent  in  social  circles,  being  a 
member  of  the  University,  Union,  Washington  Park 
and  Athletic  clubs.  In  religion  he  is  an  Episco- 
palian, and  politically  he  is  a  Republican,  although 
liberal  in  his  views.  Mr.  Cochran  was  united  in  mar- 
riage November  3,  1892,  to  Miss  Alice  Vanuxem,  of 
Philadelphia. 


ROBERT  STOBO, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


ROBERT  STOBO,  vice-president  of  the  Anglo- 
American  Provision  Company  of  Chicago,  son 
of  Robert  Stobo,  Sr.,  and  Eli/abeth  (Stevenson)  Stobo, 
was  born  at  Glasgow,  Scotland,  July  21,  1840.  His 
father  was  an  extensive  builder  and  is  now  a  large 
owner  of  real  estate  in  Glasgow,  his  mother  being  of  a 
very  good  family  in  Scotland.  She  died  when  he  was 
but  eight  years  of  age. 

Young  Stobo  attended  school  at  the  Normal  Semi- 
nary and  Lieper's  Mercantile  Academy  in  Glasgow  and 
was  afterwards  a  student  at  the  University  of  Edin- 
burg.  He  was  educated  for  the  law.  He  served  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  legal  profession  in  Glasgow,  and 
was  for  several  years  afterwards  in  the  law  offices  of  a 
leading  writer  to  the  Signet  in  Edinburg.  He  passed 
the  examination  in  that  city  before  the  Lords  of  Coun- 
sel and  Session  and  received  his  commission  as  a  lawyer. 
He  afterwards  practiced  law  in  Edinburg  and  Glasgow 
for  ten  years. 

Mr.  Stobo  then  went  to  Australia,  where  he  took  up 
a  ranch  in  the  Kennedy  district.  Northern  Queensland, 
and  for  some  time  raised  horses,  cattle  and  sheep. 
Later  he  sold  his  ranch  and  went  to  India,  where  he 
was  connected  with  the  Bengal  civil  service  and  re- 
mained there  about  four  years,  when  he  came  to 
America.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  this  country  he 
entered  the  office  of  Fowler  Brothers,  provision  mer- 
chants in  New  York  city,  as  chief  clerk  and  general 
manager.  Here  he  remained  until  1880,  when  he 
resigned  and  started  in  business  for  himself,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Robert  Stobo  &  Co.,  provision  and 
exporting  house,  New  York.  This  firm  was  continued 
until  1886,  when  it  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Stobo  again 
became  associated  with  Fowler  Brothers.  The  year 
following,  1887,  he  came  to  Chicago  and  was  appointed 
secretary  of  the  Anglo-American  Provision  Company. 


In  1890  he  was  made  vice-president  of  the  same  com- 
pany, which  position  he  holds  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Stobo  is  connected  with  many  important  enter- 
prises and  companies,  among  which  may  be  mentioned 
the  Sioux  City  Packing  Company,  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa, 
of  which  he  is  the  president ;  he  is  also  the  president 
of  the  Stock  Yards  Warehouse  Co.,  of  Chicago  ;  vice- 
president  of  the  Anglo  American  Refrigerator  Car  Co., 
and  a  director  and  the  secretary  of  the  Omaha  Packing 
Co.,  of  South  Omaha,  Neb. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of 
Chicago,  and  also  of  the  New  York  Jockey  Club.  He 
is  a  staunch  Republican  at  all  times.  He  is  very  fond 
of  traveling  and  has  visited  every  continent  except 
Europe  proper. 

Mr.  Stobo  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  M.  E. 
Baird,  daughter  of  John  Baird,  of  New  York  city,  the 
celebrated  engineer,  who  built  the  New  York  Metropol- 
itan Elevated  Road  and  the  Cromwell  line  of  steamers. 
They  have  one  daughter  living,Jeannette, a  child  thirteen 
years  of  age.  A  rather  interesting  incident  in  regard 
to  this  marriage  is  the  fact  that  both  his  own  parents 
and  the  parents  of  his  wife  were  acquaintances  in  their 
youth,  and  that  his  father  and  his  wife's  father  were 
employed  in  the  same  engineering  establishment  at  the 
same  time,  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  when  they  were  both 
young  men. 

Mr.  Stobo  is  a  man  above  the  average  height,  of 
fine  personal  appearance,  and  is  a  pleasant  man  to  meet, 
whether  in  social  circles  or  business.  In  forming 
decisions  in  regard  to  business,  he  is  quick  and  to  the 
point,  and  once  his  mind  is  made  up  he  seldom  has  to 
change  it.  His  connection  with  so  many  large  business 
institutions  is  a  strong  proof  of  his  executive  abilit}7. 
He  makes  friends  wherever  he  goes,  and  has  them 
to-dav  all  over  the  world. 


440 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 

JASON   H.  SHEPARD, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on  October  15, 
1838,  at  Cleveland,  O.,  and  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  that  vicinity.  After  obtaining  a  thorough 
common-school  education,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  be- 
gan his  career  by  teaching  school.  Two  years  later  he 
engaged  in  mercantile  life  by  entering  as  clerk  the 
supply  store  of  the  Cleveland  Soiling  Mill  Company, 
located  at  Newburg,  a  suburb  of  Cleveland.-  He  became 
their  chief  clerk,  and  at  one  time  had  entire  charge  of 
the  company's  supply  store,  showing  that  young  Shep- 
ard  was  looked  upon  as  a  young  man  deserving  of  con- 
fidence and  as  one  capable  of  having  control  of  the 
executive  branches  of  a  large  mercantile  business. 

In  appreciation  of  his  ability  and  worth,  the  com- 
pany tendered  him  the  position  of  book-keeper  and 
cashier  in  the  Union  Soiling  Mill  Company,  of  Chicago, 
now  the  Illinois  Steel  Company,  an  offshoot  of  the 
Cleveland  corporation.  He  accepted  the  position  and 
entered  upon  his  new  duties  in  Chicago  in  1863,  being 
then  twenty-five  years  old.  In  1866  he  resigned,  and 
entered  into  co-partnership  with  John  Dolese,  estab- 
lishing the  paving  and  quarrying  business  of  Dolese  & 
Shepard.  Their  operations  have  been  extensive  and  to 
them  Chicago  is  indebted  for  some  of  the  best  work 
done  on  its  boulevards  and  drives  and  principal  streets, 
which  will  be  an  enduring  monument  to  a  firm  proba- 
bly the  best  known  in  the  entire  country.  Mr.  Shepard 
has  charge  of  the  contracting  and  financial  part  of  the 
business,  while  his  partner  attends  to  the  execution  of 
the  contracts. 

Mr.  Shepard  is  prominently  known  in  financial  and 
commercial  circles,  and  enjoys  the  very  highest  reputa- 


tion for  honesty  and  integrity.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Calumet,  Washington  Park  and  Union  League  clubs.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Hesperia  Lodge,  No.  411,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  of  Chevalier  Bayard 
Commandery,  No.  52,  K.  T. 

He  was  reared  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  aptly  called  by 
an  eloquent  historian  "  the  land  of  patriotism  and  the 
mother  of  republicism."  He  has  followed  the  teach- 
ings of  his  father,  and  is  prominently  known  as  a 
staunch  Republican.  He  has  never  desired  a  political 
position,  though  he  has  been*  brought  prominently 
before  the  citizens  as  an  available  candidate  for  the 
mayoralty,  making  no  effort,  however,  to  obtain  the 
nomination. 

His  father  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Sixth  Ohio 
Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  spent  eighteen  months  of  the 
war  enduring  the  suffering  and  cruelty  of  the  Southern 
military  prisons.  His  brother  was  one  of  the  first  to 
respond  to  Lincoln's  call  and  enlisted  in  the  same 
regiment  upon  the  call  for  ninety-day  men,  and  after- 
ward re-enlisted  for  the  balance  of  the  war. 

On  December  16,  1868,  Mr.  Shepard  was  married 
to  Miss  Margaret  M.  Taylor,  of  Portland,  Me.  They 
have  two  children — Henri  Elias  and  Laura  Janet. 

Mr.  Shepard  is  a  most  courteous  gentleman,  a  man 
of  prepossessing  appearance,  dignified  and  command- 
ing, sought  by  men  of  culture  for  his  social  qualities 
and  gentlemanly  bearing.  Sespected  in  the  commu- 
nity and  at  the  helm  of  a  most  prosperous  business,  he 
is- an  example  of  what  honesty  and  integrity,  combined 
with  foresight  and  ability,  have  done  for  himself  and 
for  others. 


JOSEPH  W.  REINHART, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOSEPH  W.  REINHART,  son  of  A.  G.  and  Kath- 
erine  (McHenry)Reinhart,  was  born  at  Pittsburg, 
Penn.,  on  the  17th  of  September,  1851.  His  education 
was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  "Western 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  entered  upon  the  business  in  which  he  has  since 
gained  much  distinction. 

His  first  position  was  in  the  railway  service  as  a 
clerk  for  the  division  superintendent  of  the  Allegheny 
Valley  Railroad,  which  he  assumed  in  1869.  He  was 
subsequently  advanced  from  one  position  to  another, 
and  in  1875  he  was  made  superintendent  of  transporta- 
tion and  rolling  stock  of  the  road.  He  retained  this 
position  for  five  years,  and  then  resigned  to  accept  the 
position  of  auditor  of  the  Richmond  and  Allegheny 
railroad  with  offices  at  Richmond,  Virginia. 


In  1883  he  went  to  New  York  city  as  general  audi- 
tor of  the  New  York,  West  Shore  and  Buffalo  Railway, 
which  position  he  retained  until  18S6,  during  which 
year  the  road  was  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver.  lie  then 
spent  six  months  at  Chicago,  as  general  passenger  and 
ticket  agent  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern 
Railway,  and  from  1887  to  1888  was  located  in  New 
York  as  railway  expert  for  several  large  corporations. 
In  188S  he  became  connected  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
and  Santa  Fe  Railroad  as  general  auditor  of  the  road 
and  its  auxiliary  lines,  and  the  following  year,  while 
serving  the  same  road  as  general  auditor  and  fourth 
vice-president  he  formulated  and  executed  the  cele- 
brated and  successful  plan  for  the  financial  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  company.  In  1890  Mr.  Reinhart  was  elected 
first  vice-president  of  the  A.  T.  &  S.  F.  road,  and  held 


X 


\ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST, 


443 


this  position  until  March  7th,  1893,  when  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  president,  which  office  he  has  wielded 
with  consummate  skill.  He  also  became  president  of 
the  Gulf,  Colorado  &  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company  ;  the 
St.  Louis  and  San  Francisco  Railway  Company  ;  the  St. 
Louis,  Kansas  City  &  Colorado  Railroad  Company; 
the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company  ;  the  Colorado 
Midland  Railroad  Company ;  the  New  Mexico  & 
Arizona  Railroad  Company,  the  Sonora  Railway  Com- 
pany, Limited,  and  of  the  many  other  auxiliary  com- 
panies of  the  Atchison  system. 

Mr.  Reinhart,  though  still  a  young  man,  stands 
second  to  none  in  the  railroad  business  in  this  country. 
His  achievements  can  only  be  the  outcome  of  a  natural 
gift  joined  to  energy  and  executive  ability,  which  has 
enabled  him  to  easily  do  the  work  of  many.  His 
ability  for  conception,  organization  and  execution 


•amount  to  nothing  less  than  genius,  and  received  only 
fitting  recognition  when  he  was  made  president  of  the 
great  Santa  Fe  system  of  9,345  miles  of  connected 
railroad,  and  its  many  large  auxiliary  coal,  land,  and 
other  companies. 

As  is  well  known,  the  monetary  disturbance  of 
the  country  during  the  last  few  months  made  it 
necessary,  in  order  to  best  protect  the  interests 
of  all  parties,  for  the  Atchison  system  to  go  into  the 
hands  of  receivers;  and  it  is  strong  endorsement  of 
President  Reinhart's  ability  and  integrity  that  the  courts 
have  chosen  him  to  continue  in  charge  of  its  affairs  as 
the  principal  receiver. 

On  the  21st  day  of  October,  1875,  Mr.  Reinhart  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lizzie  Taylor  Allison,  at 
Sewickley,  Allegheny  county,  Penn.  They  have  four 
children,  one  son  and  three  daughters. 


FRANK  CATLIN  GREENE,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  at  Mansfield, 
Ohio,  in  the  year  1857.  He  is  descended  from 
Britons,  who  immigrated  to  this  country  a  century  ago, 
and  settled  in  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts.  Dr. 
Greene's  father,  Mr.  H.-'N.  Greene,  removed  to  Man- 
field,  Ohio,  where  he  was  for  several  years  engaged  in 
the  jewelry  business.  In  1870  he  removed  .to  Phila 
delphia,  Where  better  facilities  for  business  were  of- 
fered, and  there  heengaged  in  banking  until  1862,  when 
he  retired  from  business  and  traveled  for  several  years 
until  he  located  in  Chicago,  in  1866.  Mr.  Greene  was 
a  prominent  m&n  in  Mansfield,  especially  in  religious 
circles.  He  wasta  prominent  Episcopalian,  and  was  an 
earnest  and  zealous  worker  in  the  cause,  holding  high 
official  positions  in  the  church.  He  was  also  deeply 
interested  in  Sunday-school  work,  being  at  one  time 
superintendent  of  a  school  in  Philadelphia.  Emma 
(Catlin)  Greene,  mother  of  Dr.  Greene,  comes  of  very- 
sturdy  and  rugged  stock,  tracing  her  ancestors  to  the 
early  settlers  of  New  York  city.  She  was  a  literary 
woman,  spending  much  of  her  time  in  study  and  re 
search,  but  was  withal  a  model  housewife  and  very 
much  devoted  to  her  husband  and  children. 

Dr.  Greene  has  one  brother — David  Russell  Greene 
a  resident  of  Chicago,  and  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Stock  Exchange.     He  has  also  one  sister — Marie  Pan 
line  Greene — a  brilliant  and  charming  societv   young 
ladv.     Miss  Greene  has  strong  literary  tastes,  is  an  art 

J  _        J 

connoisseur  and  a  devotee  of  Delsarte,  the  study  of  his 
"  poetry  of  motion"  contributing  in  no  small  degree 
to  her  graceful  anil  charming  manner.  She  formerly 
studied  under  Boucicault  and  DeMille. 

Dr.  Greene  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Mansfield,  and  later  took  a  three 
years'  course  in  Peddle  Institute,  Hightstown,  New 


Jersey,  finishing  in  1877.  and  having  to  some  extent 
pursued  the  study  of  medicine  previous!}',  he  then 
entered  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  from  which  he 
graduated  in.  1880  with  high  honors,  and  received  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  at  the  age  of  twenty -one.  For< 
eighteen  months 'thereafter  he  prosecuted  his  studies 
and  practiced  in  the  charity  hospital.  New  York  city. 
Not  being  satisfied,  however,  with  his  store  of  medical 
information,  and  desiring  further  study,  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  and  matriculated  in  Heidelburg  University, 
where  he  remained  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time,  1884,  he  received  a  certificate  from  that  institu- 
tion. Returning  to  the  United  States  he  located  in 
Chicago,  intending  to  practice  medicine,  for  which  he 
was  so  well  prepared;  but  this  life  was  not  to  his  taste, 
and,  in  1886,  he  entered  the  firm  of  Charles  Truax  & 
Co.,  physicians'  supplies,  with  which  firm  he  is  still  con. 
nected,  the  firm  name  being  changed  in  1891  to  Charles 
Truax,  Greene  &  Co.  This  house  is  the  largest  of  its 
kind  in  the  world,  and  ships  goods  to  all  parts  of 
America  and  Europe,  handling  specialties  which  can  be 
obtained  nowhere  else  on  the  globe. 

Dr.  Greene  has  traveled  quite  extensively  both,  in 
Europe  and  the  Orient,  as  well  as  in  his  own  country.  He 
,  spent  four  years  in  Europe,  the  greater  part  of  his  time, 
however,  being  consumed  in  study  and  research.  He 
has  always  had  a  fondness  for  athletic  sports  of  all 
kinds,  his  rugged  constitution  and  fine  physique  bear- 
ing testimony  to  the  beneficial  results  of  such  exercise. 
He  is  especially  fond  of  hunting  and  yachting,  at  which 
sports  he  spends  much  of  his  leisure  time. 

Religiously,  Dr.  Greene  has  always  adhered  to  his 
father's  views,  being  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 
In  politics,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  worthy 
parent,  he  casts  his  ballot  for  the  Republican  party.  He 


444 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


holds  membership  in  many  of  the  leading  clubs,  such 
as  the  University  Club,  Sunset  Club  and  Twentieth 
Century  Club.  In  1882  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Con- 
tinental Lodge,  No.  297,  in  New  York  city. 

Dr.  trreene  is  one  of  the  few  examples  we  have  of 
professional  men  who  have  made  successful  business 
men.  He  is  a  typical,  ambitious,  progressive,  enterpris- 


ing young  Chicagoan  of  the  class  of  whom  the  city  is 
so  justly  proud.  He  has  been  eminently  successful  in 
his  business  career,  and  his  prospects  from  a  financial 
point  are  exceptionally  bright.  Dr.  Greene  is  quite  a 
society  leader,  being  of  a  genial  disposition,  generous 
impulses,  hospitable  and  very  popular  among  those  with 
whonvhe  is  best  known. 


DR.  MOREAU   ROBERTS  BROWN, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  James 
Moreau  and  Rebecca  (Ashton)  Brown,  and  was 
born  in  Galveston,  Tex.,  July  26,  1853.  His  parents 
are  prominent  citizens  of  Galveston.  Young  Brown 
attended  the  common  schools  in  his  native  town,  and 
later  in  Burlington,  N.  J.,  and  in  Chester,  Penn.  Upon 
leaving  the  latter,  he  immediately  decided  upon  the 
study  of  medicine.  Entering  Jefferson  Medical  College 
at  Philadelphia  in  1872,  where  he  spent  some  time,  be 
then  entered  the  hospital  at  Galveston,  in  which  he 
remained  two  yea,rs,  and  then  entered  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Kentucky  and  graduated 
therefrom  in  1876.  In  the  same  year  he  was  appointed 
county  physician  in  Galveston  county,  but  in  1878  he 
resigned  that  position  to  accept  that  of  quarantine  phy- 
sician, which  he  held  two  years  and  a  half.  He  then 
handed  in  his  resignation  and  spent  the  following  two 
years  in  Europe,  studying  principally  in  Goettingen 
and  Munich  in  Germany,  and  Vienna  in  Austria. 


In  1883  Dr.  Brown  returned  to  America  and  to  Gal- 
veston, Tex.,  and  commenced  there  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  health  physician 
of  the  city,  but  later  resigned  and  in  1885  removed  to 
Chicago,  where  he  immediately  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  making  rapid  strides  and  soon 
having  ^a  .large  practice.  In  1887  he  was  made  pro- 
fessor of,  Rhinology  and  Laryngology,  at  the  Chicago 
Polyclinic.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  professor  of 
Rhinolgy  and  Laryngology  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  in  this  city,  which  position  he  still  holds. 
Dr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society 
the  Medico-Legal  society,  the  Illinois  State  Medical 
society  and  the  Practitioners  Club,  and  also  a  member 
of  many  of  the  leading  secret  societies,  principally 
affiliating  with  the  National  Union  society,  of  which  he 
is  medical  examiner.  Politically,  the  doctor  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, although  liberal  in  his  views,  and  in  his  religious 
belief  a  Protestant. 


JAMES    P.  BUCK,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JAMES  P.  BUCK,  son  of  John  and  Rachael 
(Sherry)  Buck,  was  born  in  Cambria  county.  Pa., 
February  19,  1856.  His  parents  were  of  German- 
American  descent,  and  their  parents  were  among  the, 
first  settlers  in  northern  Cambria  county.  The  father 
of  Dr.  Buck  was  sheriff  of  the  above  countv  for  a  term 
of  three  years,  and  later  the  people  attested  the  esteem 
in  which  they  held  him  by  sending  him  as  their  repre- 
sentative to  the  State  Legislature  during  the  years  of 
1874-75-76. 

Young  Buck  received  his  early  education  at  the 
district  schools  in  his  county,  and  then  attended  St. 
Vincent  college  at  Latrobe,  Pa.,  where  he  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  M.  A.  in  1876.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  taught  school  for  two  seasons  in  his  native 
county,  during  which  time  he  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine  and  in  1877  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical 
college  of  Philadelphia,  graduating  therefrom  in- 1879. 
Dr.  Buck  then  took  up  the  practice  of  his  profession 


in  western  Pennsylvania,  continuing  therein  over  five 
years,  when,  prompted  by  his  naturally  studious  mind 
and  a  desire  for  the  advantages  offered  by  his  contem- 
plated step,  he  made  a  trip  abroad  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  the  further  opportunity  and  superior  character 
of  study  at  the  medical  schools  of  Vienna  and  Hiedel- 
burg.  While  in  Europe,  and  after  his  studies  at  the 
cities  above  mentioned,  the  doctor  entered  the  Servian 
armv,  then  at  war  with  Bulgarian-Roumania,  as  sur- 
geon, with  rank  and  title  of  captain.  This  was  during 
the  years  1885  and  1886.  Resigning  this  commission, 
he  for  a  time  acted  as  assistant  on  the  eye  under 
Professor  Hock,  of  the  Vienna  Polyclinic. 

In  the  autumn  of  1887,  after  his  quite  protracted 
stay  in  Europe,  and  well  equipped  to  take  charge  of 
the  large  practice  that  afterwards  came  under  his  care, 
Dr.  Buck  returned  to  the  United  States  and  located  in 
Chicago,  where  he  began  the  general  practice  of  med 
icine,  rapidly  acquiring  the  large  and  prominent  prac- 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


447 


tice  that  he  enjoys  to-day.  Since  his  boyhood  the  doc- 
tor has  manifested  an  inventive  genius,  but  his  great 
love  for  and  steady  application  to  his  chosen  profession 
overshadowed  and  kept  dormant  his  resourceful  cre- 
ative faculties,  and,  although  he  was  ever  willing 
to  extend  his  aid,  which  always  proved  valuable 
in  such  cases,  to  those  who  came  to  him  for  help 
in  perfecting  some  invention,  he  has  never  until 
lately  given  his  attention  to  inventing  on  his  own 
account.  Recently,  however,  he  has  perfected  and 
patented  many  invaluable  instruments  and  appli- 
ances especially  adapted  to  various  departments  of 
medical  operation. 

Dr.  Buck  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Gennania  Man- 


nerchoir  of  Chicago,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Medical  Society,  and  a  gentleman  most  popular  with  all 
his  associates.  lie  has  never  married.  In  appearance  he 
is  a  man  of  medium  height,  of  pleasing  manners  and 
very  genial  disposition.  Not  only  is  he  a  most  suc- 
successful  practitioner  of  medicine,  but  he  is  an  ardent 
and  devoted  student  of  modern  medical  and  surgical 
methods  and  essays,  ever  desirous  of  improving  with 
the  years  his  knowledge  of  his  profession  and  of 
general  subjects  and  the  sciences.  He  is  a  great 
lover  of  birds  and  animals,  and  his  elegant  home 
and  spacious  reception  rooms  resound  with  the 
music  of  sweet  singing  birds  of  varied  and  valuable 
species. 


LUDWIG  WOLFF, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  those  citizens  of  Chicago  who  have  become 
prominent  through  their  own  exertions,  Ludwig 
Wolff  may  justly  be  classed.  Mecklenburg-Schwerin 
has  produced  many  men  who  have,  either  at  home  or 
abroad,  reached  a  position  of  prominence.  There 
Ludwig,  the  eldest  child  of  John  and  Christina  (Sievert) 
Wolff  was  born,  March  llth,  1836.  There  also  his 
early  boyhood  days  were  spent  in  the  public  schools. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  became  apprenticed  to  a 
coppersmith,  with  whom  he  remained  four  years, 
during  which  time  he  attended  the  mechanical  night 
school  in  the  evenings. 

In  1854  the  family  emigrated  to  the  United  States- 
They  embarked  at  Hamburg  and  sailed  to  Hull,  Eng., 
and  thence  to  New  York.  During  this  voyage  Asiatic 
cholera  attacked  the  passengers,  and  four  hundred  of 
them  died.  While  in  quarantine,  at  Staten  Island,  his 
mother  and  two  of  her  sons  were  stricken  with  the 
disease  and  died.  The  father  and  the  other  children, 
with  heavy  hearts,  wended  their  way  to  Chicago, 
where  he  and  another  of  his  sons  died  a  few  days 
later.  Ludwig  faced  these  calamities  with  great  forti- 
tude. He  was  now  the  head  of  the  family,  with  him- 
self and  four  other  children  to  feed  and  clothe. 
Although  a  mere  lad  of  eighteen  he  never  lost  heart, 
but  manfully  went  to  work,  obtaining  employment  at 
his  trade  at  a  compensation  of  nine  shillings  per  dav, 
with  which  sum  he  supported  himself  and  his  brothers 
and  sisters.  He  afterwards  found  homes  for  the  chil- 
dren, in  which  they  remained  until  they  were  grown. 
He  then  spent  a  year  as  journeyman  at  his  trade.  The 
first  winter  that  he  spent  in  the  United  States,  business 
in  his  line  was  so  dull  that  he  accepted  a  position  on 
the  farm  of  Mr.  James  Anderson,  in  Macoupin  county, 
111.,  where  he  remained  three  months,  at  a  salary  of 
two  dollars  per  month  and  board. 

In  the  spring  of  1855  he  returned  to  Chicago,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  three  months,  at  the  end  of 


which  time  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  Terrence 
Maguire,  and  commenced  a  general  plumbing  and 
coppersmith  business.  Their  place  of  business  was  in 
the  rear  of  No.  75  Lake  street,  where  they  remained 
eleven  years.  The  first  few  years  of  the  copartnership 
were  only  moderately  successful,  but  during  the  civil 
war  there  was  increasing  activity  in  the  distilling  and 
brewing  lines  of  trade,  which  gave  them  considerable 
work  making  copper  vessels,  from  which  they  realized 
a  handsome  profit. 

In  1866  they  removed  to  109  and  111  West  Lake 
street,  where  they  had  purchased  the  property,  and 
erected  a  four-story  building,  ninety  feet  deep.  Here 
Mr.  Wolff  purchased  his  partner's  interest,  and  began 
the  manufacture  of  brass  and  copper  plumber's  sup- 
plies; to  this  he  gradually  added  marble  supplies,  and 
later  started  a  foundry,  which  he  gradually  enlarged 
until  he  could  manufacture  a  full  line  of  all  the  mate- 
rials used  by  plumbers.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
L.  Wolff  Manufacturing  company,  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive manufacturing  plants  of  Chicago.  The  plant 
at  West  Lake  and  Jefferson  streets  covers  almost  an 
entire  block,  while  the  plant,  including  the  iron  foundry 
and  boiler,  enameling  and  galvanizing  shops  on  Carroll 
and  Hoyne  avenues,  covers  '250  by  475  feet  of  ground. 
Mr.  Wolff  is  sole  owner  of  the  stock  of  this  corporation, 
whose  annual  sales  amount  to  more  than  a  million  dol- 
lars. He  is  president  of  the  company;  his  eldest  son, 
John  F.,  is  vice-president,  and  the  second  son,  Christian 
J.,  is  manager  of  the  Carroll  avenue  works. 

Mr.  Wolff  is  a  Mason  of  prominence,  and  of  more 
than  thirty  years'  standing.  He  was  initiated  in  the 
William  B.  Warren  Lodge,  No.  209.  A.  F.  and  A.  M., 
about  1860.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  York  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  a  life  member  of  Apollo  Commander}', 
No.  1.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Oriental  Consistory, 
and  of  Medinah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is 
also  a  director  of  the  Illinois  Masonic  Orphans'  Home, 


448 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


in  which  he  takes  the  deepest  interest,  contributing 
liberally  to  its  support.  He  is  also  a  generous  sup- 
porter of  other  worthy  charities. 

In  social  circles  he    is  well  and  favorably  known, 
being  an  esteemed  member  of  the  Acacia  and  Mencken 


clubs.  Ludwig  Wolff  owes  his  present  high  position 
entirely  to  bis  own  exertions,  and  now,  after  many  years 
of  energetic  labor  with  untiring  perseverance,  enjoys 
the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him,  and  has  the  satisfac- 
tion of  reaping  a  substantial  reward  for  all  his  exertions. 


DR.  J.  W.   STREETER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DR.  J.  W.  STREETER  is  among  our  most  eminent 
Western  physicians,  and  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful practitioners  of  medicine  in  the  entire  country. 
He  is  a  polished,  suave,  and  rather  mild-mannered 
gentleman  of  middle  age,  who  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Chicago  twenty-three  years  ago,  under 
.circumstances  somewhat  more  discouraging  than  those 
with  which  the  \7oung  physician  usually  has  to  contend. 
He  began  his  career  with  no  other  capital  or  resources 
than  a  genius  for  his  calling,  thorough  educational 
qualificat.ons,  indomitable  courage,  and  a  capacity  for 
persistent  and  continuous  effort. 

John  Williams  Streeter  was  born  on  September  14, 
1841,  at  Austinburg,  a  village  located  in  that  portion 
of  northeastern  Ohio  which  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
having  given  to  American  history  such  illustrious 
characters  as  Benjamin  F.  Wade,  Joshua  R.  Giddings 
and  James  A.  Garfield,  and  to  the  literary  world  the 
distinguished  novelist,  W.  D.  Howells.  His  father 
was  Rev.  Sereno  W.  Streeter,  a  Congregational  clergy- 
man, who  belonged  to  one  of  the  old  families  of  Mass- 
achusetts, and  his  mother  was  Mary  (Williams) 
Streeter,  who  was  a  descendant  of  Roger  Williams,  the 
founder  of  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island.  Both  his  father 
and  mother  were  among  the  earliest  graduates  of  the 
now  famous  college  located  at  Oberlin,  O.,  the  former 
having  been  one  of  a  number  of  students  who  came  to 
that  institution  in  1839  from  the  Lane  Theological 
Seminary  at  Cincinnati,  where  their  pronounced  anti- 
slavery  views  were  not  looked  upon  with  favor. 

When  John  W.  Streeter  was  six  years  of  age  his 
father  removed  from  Ohio  to  western  New  York, 
where  he  became  the  pastor  of  a  church,  in  the  village 
of  Henrietta,  five  miles  from  the  city  of  Rochester. 
Here  the  son  was  sent  to  school,  and  he  had  completed 
an  academic  education  when  his  father  decided,  ten 
years  later,  to  remove  to  Westville,  Ohio,  where  he 
accepted  a  professorship  at  Otterbem  University, 
located  at  that  place.  The  purpose  of  the  elder 
Streeter  in  thus  changing  his  place -of  residence  was  to 
give  his  son  an  opportunity  to  acquire  a  collegiate 
education,  and  he  was  particularly  anxious  that  John 
W.  should  prepare  himself  for  the  study  of  medicine, 
inasmuch  as  he  had  given  evidence  of  a  natural  apti- 
tude for  that  profession.  After  spending  some  time  in 
college,  however,  the  young  man  began  to  feel  that  his 
father  was  carrying  burdens  which  it  was  his  duty  to 


lighten  as  much  as  possible.  The  salary  of  a  western 
college  professor  in  those  days  was,  as  a  rule,  rather 
meagre,  and  in  order  to  live  within  a  limited  income, 
his  family  was  compelled  to  practice  the  most  rigid 
economy,  particularly  during  the  "  hard  times  "  which 
followed  the  financial  panic  of  1857.  Feeling  that  he 
should  make  an  effort  to  maintain  himself,  young 
Streeter  left  college  in  1858,  and  went  to  northern 
Indiana,  where  he  engaged  alternately  in  teaching 
school  and  working  on  a  farm  until  the  spring  of  1862. 
At  that  time  he  went  to  Michigan  to  visit  his  father, 
who  had  again  entered  the  ministry  and  accepted  the 
pastorate  of  a  church  at  Union  City. 

There  young  Streeter  enlisted  in  July  of  1862  in 
the  First  Michigan  Light  Artillery  (the  famous  Loomis 
battery),  the  first  batter\r  organized  in  that  State  for 
service  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  Goin<*  almost 
immediately  into  active  service,  this  battery  took  part 
in  the  subsequent  campaigns  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee, 
Alabama  and  Georgia.  Turning  back  from  Atlanta 
with  Gen.  Geo.  A.  Thomas'  command,  it  participated 
at  Nashville  and  'Franklin,  Tenn.,  in  December,  1864, 
and  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  September,  1865, 
at  the  end  of  the  war.  Young  Streeter  enlisted  as  a 
private,  but  when  mustered  out  he  held  a  first  lieuten- 
ant's commission,  which  had  come  to  him  as  a  reward 
of  gallantry  and  faithful  service.  His  first  promotion 
was  won  at  Chickamauga,  where  his  battery  participated 
in  a  spirited  engagement  on  the  morning  of  the  first 
day's  battle,  from  which  it  retired  with  a  loss  of  half 
its  force  of  men  and  nearly  all  its  horses.  In  this 
engagement  the  piece  of  artillery  which  Streeter  had 
charge  of  was  the  only  one  belonging  to  the  batterv 
which  did  not  fall  into  the  bands  of  the  enemy, 
although  all  the  pieces  were  recaptured  before  the 
engagement  ended.  He  was  made  a  second-lieutenant 
soon  after  the  battle,  and  was  recognized  thereafter  as 
a  fearless,  intrepid  and  dashing  young  officer,  who 
never  shirked  a  duty,  and  was  ever  read\T  to  face  a 
danger  with  which  the  exigencies  of  war  might  bring 
him  in  contact.  During  his  term  of  over  three  years 
service,  he  was  never  off  duty  a  day.  Declining  an 
appointment  which  was  offered  him  on  the  staff  of 
General  Carl  in,  he  remained  with  the  Loomis  Battery, 
participating  in  all  its  engagements  and  sharing  all  its 
perils,  through  which  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  pass 
without  accident  or  injury. 


^ 


FROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


45' 


Immediately  after  quitting  the  military  service,  in 
1865,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Morse, 
of  Union  City,  Mich.,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he 
went  to  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  attended  his  first  course 
of  medical  lectures.  He  afterwards  read  for  a  time 
under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  D.  C.  Powers,  of  Cold- 
water,  Mich.,  who  had  been  the  surgeon  of  his  battery 
during  the  war,  and  still  later  with  Dr.  Goodwin,  an 
ex-naval  surgeon,  of  Toledo,  Ohio.  He  devoted  three 
years  to  the  study  of  medicine,  and,  having  decided  to 
enter  the  homoeopathic  school,  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
graduated  from  Ilahnemann  Medical  College  in  1868. 
At  that  time  Chicago  did  not  afford  to  young  physicians 
the  splendid  facilities  for  obtaining  hospital  training 
and  experience  which  have  since  been  afforded.  Dr. 
Streeter,  however,  determined  to  avail  himself  of  an 
opportunity  which  presented  itself  to  him  for  adding 
largely  to  his  practical  knowledge  of  medicine,  and, 
accepting  the  position  of  physician  in  charge  of  the 
Ilahnemann  Medical  College  dispensary,  he  devoted 
himself  for  two  years  almost  entirely  to  a  "charity  prac- 
tice." In  view  of  the  fact  that  he  had  practically  ex- 
hausted his  financial  resourcesin  obtaining  his  education, 
these  two  years,  which  brought  him  scarcely  enough 
paying  practice  to  meet  the  outlay  for  office  rent,  con- 
stituted quite  the  most  uncomfortable  period  of  his 
existence. 

Through  the  aid  of  a  small  loan  from  Mr.  A.  J. 
Willard,  an  old  resident  of  Chicago  and  a  friend  of  his 
father's  family,  he  was  enabled  to  struggle  successfully 
on  though  under  discouragements,  but  soon  the  public 
came  to  appreciate  his  ability  and  conscientious  devo- 
tion to  duty  and  he  met  with  speedy  success.  With 
professional  skill  which  brought  to  him  the  very  best 
class  of  patronage,  he  combined  the  tact  which  made 
fast  friends  of  the  patients  who  came  to  him  for  treat- 
ment, and  he  has  since  by  assidious  attention  to 
business,  swelled  his  annual  income  to  more  than  that 
of  the  average  railroad  president. 

While  giving  his  attention  to  his  extensive  practice, 
Dr.  Streeter  has  also  contributed  his  full  share  to  the 
advancement  of  medical  educational  interests  in  Chi- 
cago. He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago 
Homoeopathic  College  in  1877,  and  was  assigned  to  the 


chair  of  "medical  diseases  of  women  and  children.' 
Two  years  later  his  professorship  was  changed  to 
"medical  and  surgical  diseases  of  women."  While  his 
practice  has  been  of  a  general  character,  he  has  given 
special  attention  to  the  numerous  complicated  diseases 
of  women,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful gynaecologists  in  the  country.  In  this  capacity 
he  has  been  for  several  years  connected  with  the  Cook 
County  Hospital,  and  he  will  sustain  the  same  relation 
to  the  splendid  new  hospital  now  being  erected  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  College.  He 
has  also  one  of  the  largest  private  hospitals  in  the  United 
States,  the  Streeter  Hospital,  which  was  established 
in  1888.  From  a  small  beginning  it  has  grown  to  be 
one  of  the  finest  and  best  appointed  private  hospitals 
in  the  world.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  on  Calumet 
avenue,  is  massive  in  construction,  practically  fire-proof 
and  perfectly  adapted  for  its  use.  Every  room  has  a 
southern  exposure.  The  building  is  heated  by  hot 
water,  lighted  by  electricity,  furnished  with  a  hydraulic 
elevator,  ventilated  by  a  system  of  electric  fans,  and  is 
in  every  respect  as  complete  as  skill,  experience  and 
money  can  make  it.  There  is  a  training  school  for 
nurses  connected  with  the  hospital.  Prof.  Streeter  is 
in  personal  charge,  performing  all  operations. 

Almost  the  only  relaxation  from  professional  labor 
which  Dr.  Streeter  allows  himself  is  found  in  his 
association  with  the  National  Guard  of  Illinois.  His 
experience  during  the  war  left  him  with  a  fondness  for 
the  military  service,  and  he  has  interested  himself 
actively  in  building  up  the  State  militia,  with  which  he 
was  connected  as  the  brigade  surgeon  of  the  first 
brigade  for  twelve  years.  He  has  also  been  prominently 
indentified,  since  its  organization,  with  the  veteran 
order  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  of  which  Illinois  has  the 
oldest  western  comrnandery.  The  doctor  is  a  member 
of  the  Calumet,  the  Athletic,  and  the  Washington  Park 
Clubs. 

Dr.  Streeter  was  united  in  marriage  in  1869  to  Miss 
Mary  Clark,  a  daughter  of  Israel  W.  Clark,  now  a 
wealthy  and  philanthropic  citizen  of  Union  City,  Mich., 
but  in  his  early  life  a  prominent  merchant  of  New 
York  city.  Three  children,  one  son  and  two  daughters, 
complete  the  family  circle. 


GEORGE  HENRY  WHEELER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch,  George  Henry  Wheeler, 
was  born  at  La  Porte,  Ind.,  August  I,  1841.  He 
is  a  son  of  Hiram  Wheeler,  who  was  born  in  New 
Haven,  Vt.,  and  Julia  Smith  Wheeler,  born  in  New 
York  city.  Foreseeing  the  probabilities  and  opportuni- 
ties of  the  great  West,  Mr.  Wheeler,  Sr.,  in  1832  removed 
to  the  new  and  remote  settlement  of  La  Porte,  Ind. 
Kemaining  there  for  about  nine  years,  he  then  removed 


to  St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  where  he  was  located  for  over 
eight  years.  Chicago,  then  a  small  town  at  the  head 
of  Lake  Michigan,  began  to  attract  attention  and  gave 
every  indication,  even  at  this  early  day,  of  becoming 
in  the  near  future  a  city  of  considerable  importance. 
Having  faith  in  its  future  Mr.  Wheeler  decided  to  leave 
St.  Joseph  and  come  to  Chicago,  which  he  did,  remov- 
ing his  family  in  1S49.  George  was  then  eight  years 


452 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


of  age.  His  earl\'  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools  of  Chicago,  and  in  1856  he  completed  a  business 
course  at  Kacine  College,  Wis.  In  1860,  his  father 
having  engaged  in  the  grain  elevator  business,  young 
Wheeler  entered  the  employment  of  the  firm,  which 
was  Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co.,  and  later,  in  1867,  he  was 
admitted  into  partnership.  The  firm  possessed  a  wide 
reputation  and  was  among  the  largest  receivers  of  grain 
in  Chicago.  Mr.  Wheeler  remained  with  this  firm, 
connected  with  the  active  management  of  the  house, 
up  to  1889,  at  which  period  the  firm  sold  out  to  an 
English  syndicate. 

Mr.  Wheeler  was  prominently  identified  with  the 
interests  of  the  Chicago  City  Railway  Company,  and 
at  the  annual  meeting  in  January,  1891,  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  company,  which  position  he  still  holds. 
He  has  also  b<jen  president  of  the  Washington  Park 


Club  for  several  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
and  other  clubs  and  was  a  director  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  and  is  on  the  directorate  of  the 
Continental  National  Bank  of  Chicago.  In  his  relig-. 
ious  faith  he  is  an  Episcopalian ;  in  politics  he  is  a 
Republican. 

Mr.  Wheeler  was  married,  in  1864,  to  Miss  Alice  I. 
Lord,  daughter  of  Gilderoy  Lord,  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Watertown,  New  York.  They  have  two  children, 
namely,  Henry  Lord  and  Mabel.  In  manner  Mr. 
Wheeler  is  genial  and  in  practice  generous  and  possesses 
a  host  of  friends.  With  thousands  of  men  under  his 
supervision,  he  is  generally  regarded  by  them  with  favor 
for  the  considerate  and  kind  treatment  received  at  his 
hands;  while  by  his  large  circle  of  business  associates 
and  by  his  numerous  personal  friends  he  is  highly 
esteemed  for  his  manly  qualities  of  heart  and  of  mind. 


ABNER  SMITH, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ABNER  SMITH,  son  of  Humphrey  and  Sophronia 
Smith,  was   born   at  Orange,  Mass.,  on   August 
4,  1843.     Speaking  of  his  family,  an  Eastern  biographer 
says : 

"  The  family  of  Abner  Smith,  of  Vermont,  is  con- 
nected with  that  of  the  old  and  distinguished  Massa- 
chusetts family,  Ward.  Abner  and  four  brothers  and 
two  sisters  are  descendants,  on  the  maternal  side,  of 
William  Ward,of  Sudbury,Mass.,and  more  immediately 
of  Sylvanus  Ward,  of  Orange,  Mass.,  where  most  of  the 
children  were  born.  William  Ward  settled  in  Sudbury 
in  about  1639,  and  his  descendants  are  numerous  and 
are  notable  people  in  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere. 
The  collateral  branches  of  the  different  generations 
which  have  passed  away  and  the  many  which  still  live 
have  been  and  are  uniformly  substantial  and  upright 
people,  whose  careers  are  intensely  interesting  to  the 
student  of  to-day,  since  their  fame  lives  in  history  and 
their  deeds  are  chronicled  in  story.  The  numerous 
family  lines  of  subsequent  offspring  have  spread  over 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  country,  and  have  been 
an  honor  and  a  credit  to  so  excellent  a  family,  the  full 
details  of  which  would  fill  a  space  beyond  the  limits  of 
this  brief  article." 

While  Abner  was  but  a  child  his  parents  moved  to 
Middlebury,  Vt.,  at  which  place  the  boy  attended  the 
public  schools,  and  later  the  college  at  the  same  place, 
and  graduated  from  the  latter  institution  with  honors 
in  1866.  He  then  taught  school  for  a  time,  and  in  1867 
came  to  Chicago,  where  he  entered  the  law  office  of  J.  L. 
Stark,  a  son  of  Vermont,  by  the  way,  and  a  descendant 
of  the  famed  Colonel  Stark,  who  came  to  the  aid  of 
his  ancestor,  Major  General  Ward,  our  subject's  ancestor 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution.  In  this  office  he 
completed  his  law  studies,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 


at  which  time  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Stark, 
the  firm  being  known  as  Stark  &  Smith,  and  this 
partnership  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Stark, 
when  Mr.  Smith  succeeded  to  the  businees  and  settled 
his  late  partner's  estate.  In  1877  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  John  M.  H.  Burgett,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Smith  &  Burgett,  which  lasted  for  ten  years.  Since 
that  time  be  has  had  other  partners,  but  most  of  the 
time  he  has  been  alone,  and  his  great  success  has  been 
wholly  wrought  out  by  his  unaided  efforts.  His 
advancement  in  his  chosen  profession  has  been  of  slow 
but  steady  growth  rather  than  sudden  and  meteoric  in 
character,  and  his  large  practice  has  come  to  him  as 
the  result  of  his  inherent  worth  and  integrity. 

Mr.  Smith  was  the  attorne}'  of  the  National  Life 
Insurance  Company  of  Vermont  and  of  the  Life 
Indemnity  and  Investment  Company  of  Iowa,  now  the 
Iowa  Life  Insurance  Company,  and  was  formerly  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  last  named  company.  He  was 
also  the  attorney  for  the  Lake  View  Telephone  Ex- 
change, which  covers  the  northern  portion  of  the  city 
of  Chicago.  He  was  formerly  one  of  the  directors  in 
the  North  Star  Construction  Compan\T,  which  built  the 
Duluth  and  AVinnepeg  Railroad,  and  which  is  operating 
that  road. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Smith  has  found  but 
little  time  to  enter  actively  into  the  political  field,  but 
at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  leaders  of  his  party, 
as  well  as  of  his  many  friends  irrespective  of  party,  lie 
consented  in  the  fall  of  1893  to  the  use  of  his  name  as 
candidate  for  circuit  judge  for  the  full  term.  As  was 
to  be  expected,  he  found  many  of  his  warmest  sup- 
porters among  men  politically  opposed  to  him  and 
was  triumphantly  elected  by  a  majority  second  to  only 
on-j  nominee,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


455 


in  December,  1893.  On  the  fifth  day  of  October,  1869, 
Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ada  C.  Smith, 
daughter  of  Sereno  Smith,  Esq.,  of  Shoreham,  Vt. 

Judge  Smith  is  a  man  of  fine  address,  a  pleasant 
companion,  and  knows  how  to  gain,  and  what  is  more 
valuable,  retain  the  friendship  and  respect  of  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  has  a  refined  literary 
taste,  is  fond  of  music  and  the  fine  arts,  and-  is 
the  owner  of  an  extensive  and  well  chosen  law 
library,  and  also  of  a  large  collection  of  books 
devoted  to  literature,  science,  and  in  fact  every- 
thing to  the  taste  of  a  highly  cultivated  gentleman. 
Exceeding!}'  generous  in  dealing  with  those  who 
come  to  him  in  need  he  practices  the  precept  re- 
garding keeping  secret  from  his  left  hand  the  good 
deeds  done  b\r  his  right,  and  all  of  his  contributions 
to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  others  are  quietly  and 
unostentatiously  made  without  publicity  or  parade, 
and  in  obedience  to  his  inborn  generous  impulses  and 
his  strict  sense  of  justice.  His  career,  brilliant  as  it 
has  been  and  is,  is  but  a  fulfillment  of  the  promises 
made  by  his  earlier  life,  as  will  be  shown- by  an  extract 
taken  from  The  Undergraduates,  a  paper  published  at 


Middlebury  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1866: 
'•When  in  college,  Abner  Smith  was  a  candid,  earnest 
and  substantial  and  reliable  young  man  and  student, 
and  has  maintained  that  character  to  this  day. 
He  evinced  in  college  the  possession  of  abilities  which 
would  enable  him  to  rise  to  and  above  the  average  in 
whatever  profession  he  might  choose  to  follow,  which 
he  has  done  in  the  profession  of  law.  He  has  never 
aimed  at  ephemeral  brilliancy  or  signal  momentary 
results,  but  a  thoughtful  and  careful  avoidance  of  mis- 
takes and  permanent  achievements.  He  has  succeeded 
in  all  respects  which  constitute  success  of  an  attorney- 
at-law,  a  result  attained  by  devotion  to  his  profession 
and  close  attention  to  business.  This  outcome  is 
not  the  result  of  chance,  but  eventuates  from  his 
native  abilities,  which  he  has  cultivated  and  given 
direction  to,  and  he  has  made  good  use  of  his  oppor- 
tunities. In  the  walks  of  life  when  intelligence,  honor 
and  manliness  are  regarded  for  what  they  are  worth, 
he  has  by  the  practice  of  these  virtues  attained  an 
honorable  position  at  the  bar  and  in  the  community, 
and  won  the  respect  of  all  who  know  him.  He  is  a 
noteworthv  and  creditable  alumnus  of  his  Alma  Mater." 


ALONZO  J.  WILLARD, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ALONZO  J.  WILLARD,  a  son  of  Major  John  H. 
Willard,  was  born  at  Lancnster,  N.  H.,  Feb.  11, 
1817,  and  comes  of  English  stock  known  in  New 
England  since  1634.  II  is  mother  was  Beedee  M. 
Cooper,  a  daughter  of  Judge  Jesse  Cooper,  an  old 
resident  of  Vermont.  Young  Willard  grew  up  on  the 
farm,  which  had  passed  into  the  possession  of  his 
grandfather  when  he  became  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  at  Lancaster.  A  portion  of  his  boyhood, 
however,  was  spent  in  Vermont.  During  this  time  he 
attended  school  with  reasonable  regularity  in  the 
winters  of  each  year,  and  made  progress  after  the 
fashion  of  those  energetic  and  enterprising  young  men 
of  New  England  birth,  who  half  a  century  since,  seem 
to  have  acquired  a  somewhat  remarkable  amount  of 
learning  and  general  information  by  devoting  to  the 
work  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  time.  His 
father  being  a  man  of  good  education,  aided  him 
materially  in  the  work  of  self-culture;  and  a  short 
time  spent  in  one  of  the  old-fashioned  academies,  after 
leaving  the  common  schools,  gave  Mr.  Willard  what 
was  looked  upon  in  those  days  as  a  very  fair  English 
education. 

He  removed  with  his  father  to  Maine  in  1836,  and 
remained  there, aiding  in  the  conduct  and  management 
of  the  hotel  as  well  as  the  farm  until  1838,  when  he 
decided  to  begin  life  on  his  own  account.  At  that 
time  he  left- home  with  what  he  facetiously  calls  a 
Maine  boy's  patrimony — that  is  to  say,  "twenty-five 


dollars  and  a  patent  right."  Young  Willard's  patent 
was  a  bee-hire;  and  with  a  model  hive  and  a  sample  of 
honey  in  a  glass  he  canvassed  the  State  of  Rhode 
Island  and  the  country  along  the  Hudson  river.  He 
made  an  occasional  sale,  but  the  bee-moths  had  been 
ahead  of  him,  and  the  bee-raisers  were  generally  dis- 
couraged; so  that  he  found  it  necessary  to  take  Horace 
Greely's  advice — before  it  was  given — and  "go  West." 
His  first  stop  after  the. westward  trip  commenced, 
was  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  visited  a  relative, 
and  when  it  position  to  do  so,  set  out  for  Chicago.  He 
landed  here  the  first  week  in  September,  1838,  and  a 
few  days  later  was  utilizing  his  time  to  the  best  advan- 
tage possible  as  a  laborer  at  whatever  he  found  to  do. 
Chicago  did  not  prove  to  be,  all  at  once,  the  El  Dorado 
of  which  he  had  been  in  search.  "Times  were  hard" 
during  the  first  two  years  of  his  residence  in  this  city 
and  he  found  it  difficult  to  secure  employment  suffi- 
ciently profitable  to  enable  him  to  accumulate  any  thing 
for  investment,  or  with  which  to  begin  business  on  his 
own  account.  In  1843  he  became  connected  with  one  of 
the  pioneer  business  establishments  of  the  city,  that  of 
Wadsworth,  Dyer  &  Chapin,  with  which  he  remained 
in  the  capacity  of  a  clerk  for  four  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Chicago 
Temperance  House,  a  small  hotel  which  furnished 
accommodations  to  the  early  settlers  and  early  visitors 
at  the  remarkably  low  rate  of  two  dollars  per  week  for 
regular  board.'  After  remaining  in  the  hotel  business 


PROMINENT  MRN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


some  time,  he  secured,  in  the  spring  of  1848,  after  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  had  been  opened,  an  interest 
in  the  Union  Line  Transportation  Company.  He 
himself  manned  a  canal  boat,  and  fora  dozen  years 
thereafter  he  was  exceedingly  active  in  the  transporta- 
tion and  forwarding  business. 

In  1859,  he  embarked  in  the  ice  business;  the  firm 
with  which  he  was  identified  being  known  as  "Wad hams, 
Willard  and  Company.  In  this  business  an  immense 
industry  was  built  up,  which  gradually  absorbing  other 
similar  enterprises,  has  become  known  as  the  Wash- 
ington Ice  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Seth  Wad  hams 
became  first  president.  Two  years  since  Mr.  Wadhams 
died,  and  Mr.  Willard  succeeded  to  the  presidency  of 
the  corporation,  which  he  still  retains  and  to  the  affairs 
of  which  he  still  gives  active  attention.  .In  addition  to 
his  interests  in  this  enterprise,  with  which  he  has  been 
so  long  continuously  identified,  and  with  the  building 
up  of  which  he  has  had  much  to  do,  various  other  in- 
vestments have  contributed  to  what  aggregates  a  com- 
fortable competency,  which  by  the  way,  has  been 
earned  by  Mr.  Willard's  own  efforts,  and  which  comes 
to  him  as  the  legitimate  reward  of  thrift,  industry  and 
enterprise. 

Among  all  the  earlier  settlers  of'  Chicago,  there  are 
few  who  have  borne  so  well  the  burden  of  years  as  Mr. 
Willard.  Though  well  up  in  the  seventies  he  is  still  in 
active  life,  a  Tiian  of  vigorous  intellect,  almost  unerring 
memory*,  and  a  thorough  capacity  for  the  enjoyment 
of  the  good  things  of  life.  The  inimitable  drollery 
with  which  he  relates,  from  time  to  time,  his  remini- 
scences and  recounts  the  wonderful  cl;anges  which 
have  taken  place  about  him,  makes  him  one  of  the  most 
interesting  of  those  who  carrv  with  them  a  historv  of 


the  second  city  of  the  United  States,  gleaned  from  their 
personal  observations.  Particularly  interesting  at  all 
times  are  the  narratives  of  the  experiences  of  fifty 
years  ago,  compared  with  those  of  Chicago  citizens  of 
to-day.  The  rapid  transit  of  that  period,  for  instance,  is 
fully  illustrated  by  one  of  Mr.  Willard's  experiences  in 
getting  from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis,  while  employed  as 
an  agent  of  the  Government  in  the  transfer  of  public 
moneys  from  the  former  to  the  latter  place.  In  those 
davs  St.  Lo'iis  was  the  principal  western  city,  and 
Chicago  little  more  than  an  interior  trading  post. 
Money  received  from  the  sale  of  public  lands  and  other 
sources  of  revenue  to  the  Government,  had  to  be  trans- 
ported from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis  where  the  Government 
sub-treasury  was  located  ;  and  the  custom  was  to  employ 
special  messengers  to  guard  the  Government  treasure- 
boxes  in  transit.  In  one  instance  a  sum  of  $50,000  in 
gold  and  silver  was  to  be  sent  from  Chicago  to  St. 
Louis,  and  Mr.  Willard  was  appointed  one  of  the  mes- 
sengers to- take  charge  of  it. 

Mr.  Willard  was  married  in  1855  to  Mrs.  Laura  A. 
Wooster.  Mrs.  Willard  was  born  in  Goshen,  Conn., 
and  was  the  daughter  of  Ethan  Walter,  an  old  resident 
of  that  town.  She  came  West  with  her  first  hus- 
band, Mr.  Wooster,  and  was  a  resident  of  Chicago 
as  early  as  1839.  At  a  later  date  she  removed  to 
Missouri,  where  Mr.  Wooster  died,  and  in  1855  she 
returned  to  Chicago  as  the  wife  of  Mr.  Willard. 
A  son  and  a  daughter  are  the  only  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Willard.  The  son  —  James  Haven  Willard,  a 
graduate  of  Michigan  University,  is  now  associated 
with  liis  father  in  business,  and  his  daughter  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  G:  Bolte,  prominent  among  the  young 
business  men  of  the  city. 


MARTIN  VAN  ALLEN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


M 


ARTIN  VAN  ALLEN,  son  of  Cornelius  and 
Lora  A.  (Ackerman)  Van  Allen,  was  born  in 
Jefferson  .county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  9th  of  July.  1832.  His 
father's  familv  came  to  this  country  during  the  war  of 
the  Revolution  and  his  mothers  with  the  early  Pilgrims. 
Both  families  settled  in  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
there  our  subject  passed  the  early  years  of  his  life. 
His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  and 
he  also  took  a  three-year  course  in  Falley  Seminary  at 
Fulton,  N.  Y.  In  the  seminar}7  he  devoted  almost  his 
entire  time  to  mathematics,  and  as  his  tastes  inclined 
in  that  direction  he  thoroughly  fitted  himself  as  a  civil 
engineer.  On  leaving  school  he  obtained  employment 
with  the  engineering  corps  of  the  Utica  andr  Black 
River  Railroad  and  after  that  came  West  where  he  was 
first  engaged  on  the  U.  S.  Government  surveys  in 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  In  the  year  1855  he  en- 
gaged with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  three 


years  later  with  the  Dubuque  and  Sioux  City  Railroad, 
in  1860  with  the  Burlington,  and  in  1862  with  the 
Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Van  Allen  had  been  giving 
his  spare  time  and  attention  to  the  real  estate  business, 
in  which  he  had  been  investing  from  time  to  time,  and 
after  he  resigned  his  position  as  engineer  in  charge  of 
the  work  of  widening  and  deepening  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  canal,  he  devoted  almost  all  of  his  attention 
to  his  real  estate  business,  in  which  he  lias  been 
engaged  up  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Van  Allen  was 
connected  quite  prominently  with  a  patriotic  organi- 
zation known  as  the  "  Strong  Band,"  which  was  formed 
in  1863  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  enlistments  in  the 
Union  Army,  and  also  for  counteracting  the  effects  of 
such  organizations  as  the  "  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Circle."  and  others  who  were  at  that  time  prominent 
and  inclined,  if  let  alone,  to  active  and  offensive  partisan- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


459 


ship.  They  also  effectively  served  the  general  govern- 
ment by  preventing  the  freeing  of  confederate  prisoners 
confined  in  the  North  and  by  giving  information  of 
purposed  movements  against  the  government.  In  this 
organization  Mr.  Van  Allen  was  at  first  an  ensign,  but 
lie  later  held  the  positions  of  lieutenant,  captain,  colonel 
brigadier-general  and  major-general,  and  was  one  of  the 
sixteen  persons  who  constituted  the  board  of  control, 
who  had  the  entire  management  of  the  order,  which 
had  a  list  of  over  1,000,000  members  scattered  through- 
out the  entire  North.  He  joined  the  A.  F  and  A.  M.  in 
August,  1867,  and  later  took  the  degrees  in  Washington 
Chapter  R.  A.  M.  Mr. Van  Allen  cast  his  first  presiden- 
tial vote  for  John  C.  Fremont,  and  voted  subsequently 
for  the  candidates  of  the  Republican  party  until  the  elec- 
tion of  18S4,  when  he  voted  for  Cleveland,  and  in  1888 
and  1892  for  Harrison.  He  has  never  sought  public 
office,  though  in  1S71  he  was  elected  town  assessor  of 
Lake  View  and  town  engineer  in  1882,  and  also  served 
as  school  trustee  in  1870.  Mr.  Van  Allen  is  not  a  mem- 
ber of  any  church,  having  a  belief  entirely  different 
from  the  dogmas  of  an}'  of  the  organized  churches. 
Nevertheless,  none  are  more  generous  in  contributing 
to  church  work,  and  an  appeal  for  charity  is  never 
addressed  to  him  in  vain.  Besides  his  real  estate 
business  he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  building 
and  loan  associations,  and  is  at  the  present  time  the 
president  of  the  Surety,  of  Chicago,  and  also  general 
manager  of  the  St.  Charles  Land  Association. 

On  the  12th  day  of  October,  1857,  Mr.  Van  Allen 
was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Bowen,  in  St.  Lawrence 
county,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Van  Allen  is  on  her  mother's 
side  descended  from  James  Wilson,  who  was  for  thirty 


years  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Parliament  of  Can- 
ada, and  on  her  father's  side  she  traces  her  ancestry 
back  through  the  Warwicks,  the  king-makers  of 
England,  the  first  Plantagenets  and  the  family 
of  William  the  Conquerer  to  Drogo  de  Montacuto, 
who  was  a  prominent  officer  and  personal  adviser 
of  William  the  Conquerer,  and  who  came  from 
France  with  that  monarch.  From  Drogo  de 
Montacnto  the  line  is  traced  back  to  some  of 
the  Norsemen  who  settled  in  Normandy  in  the 
eighth  century.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living,  the  fourth 
having  died  in  infancy.  The  eldest,  Miss  Jennie,  is  a 
journalist  in  Chicago.  The  only  son,  Frank,  is  a  phy- 
sician and  now  doing  medical  missionary  work  in  South 
India,  while  the  youngest,  Miss  Martha,  is  teaching 
vocal  and  instrumental  music  in  Wisconsin. 

For  over  thirty  years  Martin  Van  Allen  has  been  a 
prominent  figure  in  Chicago  business  circles,  and  was 
probably  the  first  man  to  broach  the  subject  of  drain- 
age in  what  is  now  the  drainage  district  of  Cook  county. 
On  this  subject  he  was  deeply  interested  and  wrote 
several  articles  which  were  published  in  the  daily 
papers  as  early  as  1863  and  at  "different  times  subse- 
quently. Personally,  he  is  a  man  of  fine  appearance, 
being  a  little  above  medium  heightand  weighing  about 
190  pounds.  His  eyes  and  hair  are  dark,  the  hair  and 
beard  being  slightly  streaked  with  gray.  He  has  been 
connected  with  Chicago  during  the  better  part  of  his 
existence  and  has  done  as  much  as  any  other  man  to- 
wards helping  along  the  different  enterprises  that  have 
brought  her  to  her  present  standing  among  the  prom- 
inent cities  of  the  world. 


WASHINGTON  HESING, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WASHINGTON  HESING,  of  the  Illinois  Staats 
Zeitung,  and  postmaster  of  Chicago,  is  easily 
ranked  among  the  younger  class  of  Chicago's 
prominent  men.  He  is  a  son  of  Anthony  C.  and 
Louisa  (Lamping)  Hesing,  and  was  born  at  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  on  May  14,  1849.  His  father  has 
long  been  prominent  and>  influential  in  molding  the 
history  of  Chicago,  politically  and  otherwise.  During 
his  youth  Washington  was  constantly  at  school  until 
1861,  when  he  visited  Europe.  Upon  his  return  in  the 
following  winter,  he  entered  University  St.  Mary's  of 
the  Lake,  where  he  continued  until  July,  1863.  He 
then  studied  at  the  University  of  Chicago  one  year, 
after  which  he  was  prepared  by  Dr.  Quaskenboss  for 
admission  to  Yale  College,  which  institution  he  entered 
in  1866,  and  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  18-70.  Immediately  upon 
leaving-  college  he  went  to  Europe  and  attended 
lectures  in  the  universities  of  Berlin  and  Heidelberg, 


devoting  himself  to  the  study  of  political  economy, 
international  law,  the  science  of  government,  history 
and  German  literature. 

When  the  great  fire  of  October  1871,  occurred  he 
returned  home,  and  upon  November  21st  following 
entered  upon  the  active  journalistic  career,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitu-ng,  which  he  has 
since  pursued.  In  April,  1880,  his  father  and  himself 
secured  a  controlling  interest  in  that  journal,  and 
he  at  that  time  became  managing  editor.  From  his 
first  entrance  into  journalism,  Mr.  Ilesing  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  political  matters,  and  when  but 
twenty-three  years  old,  distinguished  himself  by  a 
series  of  eloquent  speeches,  in  both  the  English  and 
German  languages,  in  which  he  strongly  advocated  the 
election  of  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant  to  the  presidency 
of  the  United  States.  For  some  time  past  he  has 
given  his  adherence  to  the  Democratic  party. 

Mr.  Hesing's  unusual  ability  and   thorough  culture 


460 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


were  early  recognized  by  his  fellow-citizens  of  Chicago, 
and  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-two  he  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  board  of  education.  At  the  expi- 
ration of  his  term  of  office  on  the  board, Mayor  Joseph 
Medill  tendered  him  a  re-appointment,  but  lie  declined 
the  honor.  While  a  member  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion, Mr.  Hesing,  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
German,  made  a  report  in  which  he  advocated  the 
system  of  grading  the  German  studies  as  the  English 
studies  were  graded.  This  report  was  adopted  by  the 
board  and  the  proposed  system  has  since  that  time 
been  in  practice. 

In  August,  1880,  Mr.  Hesing  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Cook  county  board  of  education,  in  which  he 
proved  to  be  a  valuable  member.  Keared  in  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  faith,  he  is  a  member  of  that  church,  and 


in  1873  was  elected  president  of  the  Union  Catholic 
Library  Association  of  Chicago,  an  organization  whose 
membership  comprises  all  the  leading  Catholics  of  the 
city.  He  is  also  a  member  of  other  clubs  and  societies. 
Mr.  Hesing  is  a  married  man,  his  wife  being  formerly 
Miss  Henrietta  C.  Weir,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

Early  in  1894  Mr.  Ilesing  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  to  the  important  position  of  postmas. 
ter  of  Chicago.  He  has  already  signalized  his  acces- 
sion to  that  office  by  the  inauguration  of  several  de- 
cided improvements  in  the  postal  service. 

In  'personal  appearance  Mr.  Ilesing  is  of  fine  phy- 
sique and  commanding  presence;  in  his  intercourse 
with  his  fellows  he  is  affable  and  courteous,  and  among 
his  friends,  of  whom  he  has  a  large  number,  is  genial 
and  universally  popular. 


NELSON  THOMASSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  life  of  him  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  rep- 
resents an  eventful  and  interesting  career.  In- 
tegrity, activity  and  energy  have  been  the  crowning 
points  of  his  character.  Few  men  are  wider  or  more 
favorably  known  in  the  city  of  Chicago  than  is  Nelson 
Thomasson.  He  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  was  born 
October  15,  1839,  the  son  of  William  Poindexter  and 
Charlotte  (Pierce  Leonard)  Thomasson.  His  father  was 
born  in  1796,  and  was  in  the  war  of  1812,  although  very 
young.  Afterward  he  located  in  Corydon,  Ind.,  became 
a  member  of  the  legislature,  and  subsequently  was 
prosecuting  attorney.  Corydon  at  that  time  was  not 
only  the  capital  of  Indiana,  but  of  the  whole  Northwest 
Territory.  He  soon  after  removed  to  Louisville,  Ky., 
and  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  Congress  from 
the  Louisville  district.  He  was  in  the  same  Congress 
with  Abraham  Lincoln,  Chase,  Ilamlin  and  others. 
Further  particulars  in  the  life  of  W.  P.  Thomasson 
are  given  in  the  early  history  of  Indiana,  by  Gov. 
William  H.  English. 

On  his  father's  side  Nelson  Thomasson  can  trace 
his  genealogy  back  to  the  Huguenots  (see  Dupuy  family 
tree)  and  on  his  mother's  side  to  the  Pilgrim  fathers. 
A  Captain  Pierce  commanded  the  Mayflower  on  several 
of  her  voyages  (see  the  Pierce  book).  The  name  Thom- 
asson is  essentially  English,  and  prominent  in  the 
nation.  There  is  at  present  a  Thomasson  in  the  English 
Parliament. 

Nelson  received  a  good  education,  attending  private 
schools  and  the  academy  at  Louisville,  and  when  eight- 
een years  old  removed  to  Chicago,  and  became  a  student 
and  clerk  in  the  law  offices  of  Messrs.  Morris,  Thomas- 
son  &  Blackburn,  and  later  held  a  similar  position  in 
the  office  of  Mr.  John  G.  Rogers,  afterward  judge  of 
the  circuit  court  of  Cook  county  for  several  terms.  lie 
attended  the  law  lectures  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  during  the 


junior  class  of  1858-59,  and  also  attended  the  law 
lectures  of  1860-61  in  Chicago,  and  his  name  is  in  the 
catalogue  of  the  first  year's  graduates  of  the  Chicago 
law  school,  Judge  Henry  Booth  delivering  the 
diploma 

At  the  opening  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  he 
abandoned  his  law  studies,  and  enlisting  in  the  army, 
entered  the  United  States  service  as  a  member  of  the 
"Sturges  Rifles,"  one  of  the  most  noted  companies  that 
Chicago  sent  to  the  war,  and  being  one  of  the  only  two 
companies  in  the  Union  army  not  connected  with  a 
regiment.  The  companies  were  mustered  into  the  ser- 
vice for  a  special  purpose,  and  were  mustered  out  at 
the  time  General  McClellan  was  relieved  of  his  com- 
mand. Mr.  Thomasson  was  promoted  to  the  regular 
army  after  the  campaign  in  Western  Virginia,  becom- 
ing a  member  of  Company  E,  Fifth  Regiment,  United 
States  Infantrv.  He  was  at  once  ordered  to  his  regi- 
ment in  New  Mexico,  and  when  on  the  way  there  he  was 
retained  to  drill  and  instruct  recruits,  first  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  and  afterward  at  Fort  Riley.  During 
his  five  years'  stay  in  New  Mexico,  he  was  an  almost 
daily  companion  of  the  famous  Kit  Carson.  After 
joining  his  regiment  he  served  in  the  campaign  against 
the  Texans,  the  Texans  being  commanded  by  the  rebel 
generals  Sibley  and  Bailey,  and  against  the  numerous 
Indian  tribes  of  Arizona,  Colorado  and  New  Mexico, 
under  General  Canby,  there  being  in  his  (General 
Canby's)  command  besides  his  regiment,  several  of  the 
regular  army,  three  Colorado  regiments,  four  Califor- 
nia regiments  and  one  company  of  regular  artillery. 
It  was  during  this  time  that  occurred  the  celebrated 
Navajo  campaign,  led  by  the  famous  fighter,  General 
James  II.  Carleton.  His  entire  command  was  engaged 
in  this  campaign  some  three  years,  and  he  helped  re 
move  the  Navajo  Indians  from  the  west  of  the  Rio 


1  MEN  OF 

• 

Grande  to  Fort  Sumner  on  the  Pecos  river,  and  kept 
them  there  until  they  became  semi-civilized,  when  Gen. 
Sherman  had  them  returned  to  Fort  Wingate  on  the 
Rio  Puerco.  On  several  occ&sions  Mr.  Thomassoivs 
regiment  was  ordered  to  return  to  the  States,  but  the 
orders  were  countermanded  by  General  Canby  upon 
the  plea  that  he  could  not  spare  it  from  his  command. 
As  to  Captain  Thomasson's  history  during  his  army 
service,  it  is  too  long  to  incorporate  here,  and  we  will 
have  to  refer  the  readers  to  Col.  Guy  V.  Henry's  able 
book  on  regular  army  officers,  published  in  the  "seven- 
ties," also  the  many  complimentary  orders  and  reports 
in  the  war  department  at  Washington.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  Mr.  Thomasson  was  engaged  in  recruiting 
service  for  one  year  at  Chicago,  and  another  year  at 
Newport  Barracks,  after  which  he  was  ordered  to  join 
his  regiment  on  the  western  plains,  where  he  contin- 
ued in  service  until  December,  1870.  Upon  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  regular  army  about  that  time,  Mr.  Thomas- 
son  resigned  from  the  service,  receiving  one  year's 
pay  in  advance,  as  six  hundred  regular  army  officers 
did  at  this  time, 

Upon  retiring  to  private  life,  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Chicago,  and  at  once  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  meeting  with  marked  success  from  the  start. 
One  of  his  first  real  estate  transactions  was  the  pur- 
chase of  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  lying 
south  from  Chicago,  now  known  as  Pitner's  subdivi- 
sions, in  which  Judge  Gwynn  Garhett  was  associated 
with  him.  They  paid  for  this  land  one  hundred  and 
forty  dollars  per  acre,  and  sold  it  for  four  hundred 
dollars  per  acre,  thus  realizing  from  this  one  transac- 
tion a  snug  little  fortune.  His  unusual  success  con- 
tinued uninterruptedly  until  the  financial  crisis  of  1873 
swept  over  the  country,  when,  like  so  many  others,  he 
lost  nearly  everything  that  he  had  made,  but  fortu- 
nately was  enabled  to  meet  his  obligations-,  and  pay 
his  debts  dollar  for  dollar.  During  the  several  years 
succeeding  this  panic,  when  real  estate  business  was 
paralyzed,  and  the  values  were  depreciated,  and  trade 
in  all  lines  was  dull,  he  never  lost  heart,  but  with 
strong  determination  to  regain  his  losses  worked  with 
a  will,  much  of  the.  time  fourteen  hours  per  day. 

With  the  return  of  prosperous  times  Mr.  Thomas- 
son's  business  revived,  so  that  he  not  only  regained 
his  former  financial  standing,  but  far  surpassed  it,  and 
now  is  counted  among  the  wealthy  real  estate  owners 


THE  GKEA  T  WEST.  ^5, 

of  Chicago.  In  connection  with  an  extensive  brokerage 
business,  he  handles  much  of  his  own  property,  and 
with  facilities  unsurpassed,  is  always  prepared  to  buy, 
sell,  lease  or  exchange  city  or  suburban  property  of 
every  description.  His  long  experience  renders  his 
opinion  of  great  value  to  those  seeking  his  counsels. 
While  Mr.  Thomasson  owns  a  large  amount  of  real 
estate,  his  investments  have  extended  into  other 
channels  as  well.  He  is  a  large  stockholder  in  all  the 
Chicago  street  railway  companies,  and  owns  a  large 
amount  of  stock  in  various  buildings,  among  which 
is  the  Chemical  Bank  building,  and  also  in  many  of 
the  industrial  companies.  Last  year  he  was  made  a 
director  in  one  of  the  big  city  railways. 

Mr.  Thomasson  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  and  social 
qualities,  and  is  exceedingly  popular  among  his  wide 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can— neither  a  partisan  nor  a  sycophant — but  is  content 
to  work  hard  at  every  election  for  the  success  of  good 
officers  and  honest  government.  He  says  he  has 
been  an  "  office-holder"  for  ten  years  of  his  life,  and 
is  satisfied  to  let  others  scramble  for  offices.  He  is  a 
member  of  Oriental  Lodge  No.  33,  A.  F.  and  A.  M., 
and  also  of  Apollo  Commandery  of  Knights  Tem- 
plar. He  also  belongs  to  the  Loyal  Legion,  to  the 
Union  League  and  Washington  Park  Club,  the  Union 
Club  on  the  North  Side,  and  a^o  to  the  Illinois  Society 
of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  Mr.  Thom- 
asson is  a  man  of  fine  literary  attainments,  and  in  his 
elegant  library  has  probably  one  of  the  finest  collec- 
tions, of  Napoleana  and  Americana  in  Chicago.  He  is 
an  interesting  conversationalist  and  a  ready  thinker, 
quick  and  active  in  his  movements,  and  possesses  a  de- 
cidedly military  bearing.  His  success  in  life  is  due  to 
his  own  unaided  efforts.  He  has  earned  for  himself  a 
name  that  will  always  be  identified  with  the  history  of 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Thomasson  has  traveled  all  over  Europe  and 
America  twice.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Nanniene  M. 
Norton  on  the  10th  of  June,  1873,  by  whom  he  has  had 
three  children,  Leonard,  Nelson,  Jr.,  and  Nanniene. 
His  wife  is  descended  from  the  celebrated  Douglas 
family,  which  emigrated  from  Scotland  and  settled 
in  Virginia.  No  lady  is  more  popular  or  more  ad- 
mired in  her  growing  circle  of  friends  in  Chicago, 
Louisville,  and  New  York,  the  first  place  being  her 
home,  and  the  other  two  where  she  frequently  visits. 


ANTHONY   F.   SEEBERGER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  Seebergers  came  originally  from  Wetzlar, 
Prussia,  in  which  country  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born,  on  August  2i,  1829.  He  is  the  son 
of  John  David  and  Dorothea  (Goethe)  Seeberger,  who 
immigrated  to  this  country  with' their  two  sons  in 
1837.  Remaining  for  a  year  in  New  York  city,  they 


then  removed  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  afterwards  to  a 
farm  near  Wooster,  O.  In  the  latter  town  young 
Seeberger  commenced  his  active  business  career  in  a 
drv-goods  house,  where  he  gained  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  commercial  affairs.  After  serving  as  clerk  for 
eight  years,  first  with  the  house  of  Mr.  E.  S.  Johnson, 


464 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


and  afterward  with  Messrs.  N.  and  J.  B.  Power,  he,  in 
1852,  became  a  partner  in  the  business  of  the  latter 
named  firm. 

Two  years  later  he  decided  to  go  West,  and  accord- 
ingly located  at  Oskaloosa,  la.,  opening  there  the  first 
exclusive  hardware  store  in  that  State,  west  of  Daven- 
port. He  remained  in  Oskaloosa  nine  years,  and  in 
186-t  removed  to  Chicago,  where  soon  after  he  organ- 
ized the  well-known  firm  of  Seeberger  &  Breakey. 
Since  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Breakey,  in  1885,  the 
business  has  been  conducted  under  the  style  of  A. 
F.  Seeberger  &  Co.  Mr.  Seeberger's  .business  ability 
found  recognition  by  President  Cleveland,  who  ap- 
pointed him  collector  of  the  port  of  Chicago,  in  1885, 
which  office  he  filled  with  ability  and  to  the  general 
satisfaction  of  all  for  four  years  and  five  months,  until 
his  successor  was  appointed. 

Mr.  Seeberger  was  the  treasurer  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  from  its  incorporation,  and  had 
charge  of  the  many  millions  handled  in  its  interest. 
By  reason  of  his  extensive  business  knowledge,  his  con- 
spicuous ability  and  broad  cosmopolitan  ideas,  he  was 
one  of  the  incorporators  and  for  the  first  year  a 


director,  assisting  in  the  management  of  the  affairs 
of  that  stupendous  enterprise.  He  has  been  pro- 
minently connected  also  with' many  Chicago  business 
and  charitable  enterprises,  being  a  director  and  at  one 
time  president  of  the  Edison  Company,  of  Chicago,  as 
also  of  the  Inter-State  Exposition  Company.  He  has 
also  been  president  of  the  Chicago  Orphan  Asylum  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  during  the  existence  of  the 
Charity  Organization  Society,  now  consolidated  with 
the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  he  was  also 
treasurer  and  afterwards  its  president. 

He  is  prominent  in  social  affairs  and  a  well  known 
member  of  the  Commercial,  the  Chicago,  the  Iroquois 
and  the  Calumet  Clubs.  He  was  married  August  25, 
1856,  to  Miss  Jennie  L.  Cooper,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
Cooper.,  a  prominent  manufacturer  of  machinery  at  Mt. 
Vernon,  Ohio.  They  have  three  children,  Charles  D., 
Louis  A.,  and  Dora  A.,  and  occupy  a  beautiful  home  at 
No.  2017  Michigan  avenue. 

Mr.  Seeberger  is  a  member  of  Trinity  Episcopal 
Church,  and  many  years  has  been  a  member  of  its 
vestry.  He  is  a  generous  giver,  and  supports  with  a 
liberal  hand  all  charities  and  worthy  enterprises. 


EUGENE  HARBECK, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMOXG  the  "Prominent  Business  Men  of  the  Great 
West,"  to  whom  this  volume  is  inscribed,  Mr. 
Eugene  Harbeck,  general  agent  in  this  city  of  the 
Western  and  Southern  department  of  the  Phenix 
Insurance  company,  of  Brooklyn,  occupies  an  eminent 
place.  In  these  days  of  intense  competition,  the  aver- 
age young  man  complains  a  great  deal  about  "not 
getting  on  in  the  world,"  but  Eugene  Harbeck,  who, 
as  will  be  seen,  has  been  "getting  on"  in  an  increas- 
ingly difficult  business  from  the  very  day  that  he 
entered  it,  has  attained  a  measure  of  success  that  but 
few  men  ever  attain,  and  at  an  age  when  most  men  are 
occupying  subordinate  positions.  This  he  has  done  by 
essentially  practical  application,  and  his  career  affords 
incentive  and  encouragement  to  young  men  every- 
where. 

His  ancestors,  the  Harbecks,  whence  came  also  the 
well-known  Brooklyn  and  Cleveland  merchants  of  the 
same  name,  belonged  to  a  race  that  has  always  been 
noted  for  its  general  hardihood  and  substantiality  of 
character.  His  great-grandfather  and  family  migrated 
to  this  country  from  Holland  and  settled  on  Manhattan 
Island,  where  they  were  among  those  who  were  driven 
into  the  refuge  of  Duchess  county  by  the  soldiers  of 
King  George.  Mr.  llarbeck's  maternal  ancestors  were 
also  among  the  early  settlers  of  Manhattan,  and  also 
acquainted  with  the  heroism  and  hardship  of  the  revo- 
lution. Ilisgrandparents  and  parents  were  natives  and 
residents  of  New  York  State  for  many  years,  and  there 


his  grandmother  still  lives  at  the  good  old  age  of  eighty- 
seven.  Such,  briefly,  were  the-  ancestors  of  one  who 
has  inherited  their  practical  bent,  hard  common  sense, 
and  sturdy  qualities. 

Eugene  Harbeck  was  born  in  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1853,  to  Cornelius  and  Maria  Mead  Harbeck, 
and  is.  therefore,  only  in  his  .forty-first  year.  Yery 
early  in  life  he  removed  with  the  family  to  Battle 
Creek,  Mich.,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
at  that  place  and  at  Le  Roy  Academy,  of  Le  Roy,  N. 
Y.,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1870.  That  year, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  entered  an  insurance  and 
real  estate  office  at  Battle  Creek,  resolved  upon  learn- 
ing first  the  fundamentals  of  the  business,  and  upon 
generally  qualifying  himself  for  that  future  which  his 
ambitious  fancy  pictured.  Those  initial  years,  plainly 
enough,  were  of  great  value.  He  began  as  an  office 
boy,  and,  advancing  rapidly  as  boys  of  his  stamp  are 
apt  to  advance,  continued  with  one  emploj'er  for  nine 
years. 

Since  then,  as  has  been  observed,  "  he  has  made  but 
few  changes,  and  then  always  for  the  better,"  and  to  as- 
sume larger  responsibilities.  In  '79  he  established  a 
fire  insurance  agency  at  Battle'  Creek  on  his  own 
account,  and  so  conducted  it  as  to  soon  attract  the 
favorable  attention  of  the  general  agency  companies 
doing  business  in  the  Western  field.  As  a  consequence, 
he  was  in  1881  appointed  special  agent  of  the  Detroit 
Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company,  and  two  years 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


later  Michigan  State  agent  of  the  Phenix  Insurance 
Company,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  which  then,  as  now,  had 
"agencies  everywhere."  This  position  he  occupied  to 
the  company's  increasing  satisfaction  until  November, 
'87,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  secretaryship  of  the 
Michigan  Fire  and  Marine.  As  the  record  shows,  he 
found  that  company  in  pool-condition,  profiting  nothing, 
but  it  steadily  prospered  under  his  management, 
"largely  increasing  its  assets  and  surplus,  trebling  its 
revenue  and  paving  good  dividends." 

Mr.  Ilarbeck  continued  with  the  Michigan  Fire  and 
Marine  until  July,  '92,  when  the  office  boy  of  '70  be- 
came one  of  the  first  fire  underwriters  of  this  country. 
His  appointment  at  that  time  to  his  present  position  of 
general  agent  at  Chicago,  of  the  great  Western  and 
Southern  department  of  the  Phenix  Insurance  Com- 
pany, of  Brooklyn,  was  the  most  important  appoint- 
ment that  has  been  made  in  fire  insurance  in  the  last 
two  decades.  The  Phenix,  organized  in  1853,  has 
agencies  all  over  the  United  States,  and  its  Western 
and  Southern  department  is  the  largest  department  in 
this  country,  and,  we  believe,  the  largest  in  the  world. 
It  comprises. twenty-six  States  and  Territories,  employs 
over  four  thousand  agents,  and  has  a  premium  income 
of  over  three  million  dollars  a  year.  Among  those 
agents,  as  among  fire  insurance  officials  and  general 
and  special  agents,  Mr.  Harbeck  has  a  very  large 


467 

acquaintance  and  as  many  friends,  all  of  whom 
were  well  pleased  with  his  appointment  as  general 
agent,  and  have  been  well  pleased  with  his  subsequent 
success. 

As  our  engraving  implies,  Mr.  Ilarbeck  is  a  gentle- 
man of  strong  physique,  strong  mind  and  strong 
character.  Positive  in  all  he  says  and  does,  possessed 
of  rare  judgment  as  regards  men  and  risks,  and  a  rapid 
and  indefatigable  .worker,  broad-gauged  and  far-seeing, 
a  staunch  friend  to  honest  insurance  and  an  uncompro- 
mising foe  to  frauds,  he  is,  naturally  enough,  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  Western  Union  of  Fire  Under- 
writers, and  prominent  in  all  of  its  deliberations  and 
councils.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Michigan  State 
Board  of  Fire  Underwriters  for  several  years,  and 
during  '92"and  '93  was  the  president  of  the  Fire  Under- 
writers' Association  of  the  Northwest,  the  largest 
social  organization  of  fire  underwriters  in  the  world. 
Mr.  Harbeck  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  is  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  and  other  clubs  in  this 
city  and  elsewhere,  and,  positive  in  politics  as  in  all 
else,  has  been  a  Republican  all  his  life. 

He  was  married  at  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  in  March, 
'77,  to  Miss  Emma  Grey  Wattles,  whose  family  are 
well  known  in  that  State  and  were  among  its  prominent 
pioneers.  They  have  one  son,  Jervis.  aged  sixteen,  now 
a  student  in  the  Chicago  high  schools. 


CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  1854, 
on  the  island  of  Nantuckett,  Mass.  He  is  directly 
descended  from  Richard  Mitchell,  of  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
who  came  to  this  country  in  1708.  Richard  Mitchell's 
son's  grandson  was  William  Mitchell,  astronomer, 
meteorologist  and  educator,  and  at  one  time  overseer  of 
Harvard  college.  William  Mitchell's  sons  and  daughters 
have  become  well  known  in  this  country.  Among  them 
were  Maria  Mitchell,  astronomer  and  educator;  William 
Foster  Mitchell,  philanthropist;  Henry  Mitchell,  of  the 
United  States  Coast  Survey,  and  Francis  M.  Mitchell. 
Clifford  Mitchell  is  the  son  of  Francis  M.  and  Ellen 
(Mitchell)  Mitchell.  His  parents  came  to  Chicago  in 
1859  and  his  father  was  connected  with  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade  until  his  death  in  August,  1891.  Ellen 
Mitchell  was  the  first  woman  to  be  appointed  member 
of  the  board  of  education  of  Chicago.  Clifford 
Mitchell  was  fitted  for  college  by  E.  Stanley  Waters,  of 
Chicago,  and  Joshua  Kendall  of  Cambridge;  entered 
Harvard  as  freshman  in  the  academic  course,  with 
honors  in  mathematics;  received  a  prize  during  fresh- 
man year  for  general  excellence  in  studies;  during  the 
senior  year  was  first  scholar  in  the  Dante  course  with 
James  Russell  Lowell;  was  awarded  a  commencement 
part  and  was  received  into  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society 


for  high  rank  in  class;  graduated  cum  laiide,  in  1875. 
He  began  the  stud}'  of  medicine  at  the  Chicago  Medical 
college  and  graduated  from  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic 
Medical  college  in  1878;  was  house  physician  and  dem- 
onstrator of  chemistry  at  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic 
Medical  college,  then  lecturer  and  finally  professor  of 
chemistry  and  toxicology.  He  is  now  professor  of  chem- 
istry, toxicology  and  diseases  of  the  kidneys  at  the  same 
college.  He  has  taken  special  interest  in  the  training  of 
medical  students  in  chemistry  and  urinary  analysis,  and 
can  call  by  name  from  three  to  five  hundred  men  with 
whose  education  he  has  been  identified  in  various 
ways. 

He  has  written  much  for  the  medical  journals  on 
urinary  analysis  and  diseases  of  the  kidneys.  He  has 
published  a  number  of  books  on  these  subjects,  the  best 
known  being  ''Practitioner's  Guide  to  Urinary  Analysis," 
now  in  its  third  edition,  and  a  "Clinical  Study  of  Diseases 
of  the  Kidneys,"  now  in  its  second  edition.  From  his 
interest  in  the  cause  of  chemical  education,  he  wrote  in 
1887,  a  "Manual  of  Dental  Chemistry,"  which  was 
accepted  by  the  National  Association  of  Dentists  as  its 
standard  work  on  dental  chemistry.  It  is  now  in  its 
third  edition  under  the  name  of  "  Dental  Chemistry 
and  Metallurgy."  Dr.  Mitchell  originated  the  idea  of 


468 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


publishing:  tables  for  reference  in  urinary  analysis 
based  on  normal  data,  and  giving  approximately  the 
per  cent,  of  normal  obtained  as  the  result  of  any 
analysis. 

During  the  year  1894  Dr.  Mitchell  wrote  the  section 
on  "The  Urine  and  Urinary  Diseases  of  Infancy"  for 
the  text-book  on  diseases  of  children  by  Prof.  R.  N. 
Tooker,  M.  D.  Advance  sheets  from  this  section  were 
published  by  the  Ilahnemannian,  of  Philadelphia,  in  an 
article  by  Dr.  Mitchell  entitled  "Diabetes  Mellitus  in 


Children."  Another  article  by  him  in  the  same  journal 
for  1893  was  entitled  "  Blood  in  the  Urine." 

Dr.  Mitchell's  next  forthcoming  work  is  a  transla- 
tion from  the  German,  of  Dr.  Charles  Heitzmann's 
"Significance  of  Connective  Tissue  in  the  Urine,"  which 
will  be  ready  in  the  autumn  of  1894.  Dr.  Mitchell's 
specialty  is  examination  of  the  urine  and  the  treatment 
of  diseases  of  the  kidneys.  He  is  connected  with  various 
medical  societies,  is  a  genial,  sociable  gentleman,  and 
occupies  a  large  place  in  the  affections  of  many  friends. 


FRANK  MARCY  MORGAN, 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


FRANK  MARCY  MORGAN,  son  of  Ira  and  Mary- 
Jane  Morgan,  was  born  in  Hill,  N.  H.,  on  the 
25th  day  of  December,  1856,  and  was  the  youngest 
of  five  children.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  but 
five  years  of  age,  and  the  family  moved  to  the  village 
of  Northfield,'  N.  H. 

When  the  boy  was  but  eight  years  of  age  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself,  going  to  work  on  the  farm  of 
his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  J.  R.  Rowell,  near  Hill  Center. 
He  walked  fourteen  miles  to  the  farm,  carrving  all  his 
worldly  goods  in  a  handkerchief.  Here  he  went  to 
work  as  a  farmer's  boy,  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  held 
a  plow,  and  two  years  later  managed  the  farm  of  260 
acres  for  an  entire  season.  He  next  worked  for  Gen. 
Gault,  of  Bow,  N.  H.,  on  a  large  hop  farm  at  the  mag- 
nificent salary  of  five  dollars  per  month,  and,  as  he 
himself  says,  never  worked  harder  in  his  life  than  he 
'•did  at  that  time.  In  the  autumn  of  1869  he  returned 
to  the  employ  of  his  brother-in  law,  and  for  some  years 
he  traveled  very  extensively  throughout  New  England, 
Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  West  Virginia  and  Southern 
Michigan,  in  the  interest  of  his  brother-in-law's  busi- 
ness. While  on  one  of  these  trips  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  a  farmer  at  Cadiz,  N.  Y.,  and  a  few 
months  later  he  removed  to  Cadiz  to  live,  working  on 
the  farm  in  the  summer  season  and  during  the  winter 
attending  the  Ten  Broeck  Free  Academy  at  Franklin- 
ville,  N,  Y.  His  work  on  the  farm  was  the  usual  round 
of  labor  connected  with  a  large  dairy  farm,  having  sixty 
cows.  In  the  haying  season  he  rode  the  two-horse 
mower  and  cut  170  tons  of  hay  during  the  season. 

Feeling  that  he  should  acquire  a  better  education 
than  he  could  get  in  western  New  York,  young  Morgan 
returned  to  New  England  and  secured  employment  in  a 
machine  shop  at  Hill  Village,  New  Hampshire.  Here  he 
was  soon  given  lathe-work  to  do,  and  while  the  lathe 
was  at  work  he  read  Caesar's  Commentaries  and  studied 
Greek  verbs.  He  left  the  shop  to  enter  the  Lvndon 
Literaiy  Institute  at  Lyndon,  Vermont,  commencing  a 
literary  course  with  the  junior  class  of  1875-1876.  He 
taught  school  during  the  winters,  studied  as  he  could 
and  graduated  with  his  class  in  1877,  when  he  entered 


Bates  College  at  Lewiston,  Maine,  in  the  same  year. 
Here  he  found  that  many  parts  of  the  college  curriculum 
did  not  suit  him,  and  he  returned  to  Lyndon,  Vermont, 
intending  to  take  a  year's  post-graduate  course  in 
order  to  be  prepared  to  enter  the  Boston  University, 
but  at  the  end  of  four  months  his  health  gave  way,  and 
his  physician  ordered  him  to  abstain  from  his  books  for 
at  least  two  years.  In  compliance  with  these  orders 
he  made  preparations  for  a  business  career,  by  entering 
Eastman's  Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York.  He  completed  his  course  in  eighteen  weeks, 
and  then  entered  the  employ  of  ex  Governor  Fairbanks 
of  St.  Johnsbury,  Vermont,  and  D.  P.  Hall,  of  Lyndon, 
Vermont,  who  were  operating  in  pine  lands  in  northern 
Michigan.  After  completing  his  engagement  with 
these  gentlemen  he  returned  East,  and  went  into  the 
wholesale  notion  house  of  Butler  Brothers  of  Boston, 
where  he  remained  until  his  health  gave  way  again 
and  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  position  after  only  a 
few  month's  service. 

Mr.  Morgan  then  concluded  to  go  West,  and 
accordingly  came  to  Minnesota,  reaching  St.  Patil  in 
the  latter  part  of  October,  1879.  After  arriving,  he 
learned  of  a  vacancy  in  the  high  school  at  Sank  Centre, 
Minn.,  and  upon  application  secured  a  place  there  as 
assistant  principal,  which  he  held  for  one  year.  He 
then  returned  to  St.  Paul,  where  he  secured  a  position 
in  the  Second  National  Bank  at  the  magnificent  salarj' 
of  $15.00  per  month,  with  the  privilege  of  sleeping  in 
the  bank  so  as  to  attend  the  furnace,  thus  making  a 
start  in  that  which  has  since  been  his  business  for  life. 
He  remained  in  the  bank  for  three  years,  and  during 
that  time  held  every  position  in  it  under  that  of 
cashier.  In  1884  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  St. 
Paul  National  Bank,  but  only  stayed  a  short  time,  as 
he  was  soon  tendered  the  position  of  cashier  in  the 
German  American  National  Bank,  of  St.  Cloud,  Min- 
nesota, which  he  accepted  and  retained  until  Septem- 
ber, 1889.  He  then  went  to  Minneapolis,  where  he 
became  identified  with  the  organization  of  the  Bank  of 
New  England,  and  was  elected  cashier,  which  position 
he  has  retained  up  to  the  present  time. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


471 


Politically,  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican part}',  and  though  lie  lias  never  had  either  time  or 
ambition  for  holding  public  office,  is  a  firm  believer  in 
the  government  established  by  the  founders  of  the  Re- 
public, as  intended  by  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  He  believes 
very  firmly  that  the  welfare  of  the  country  depends 
upon  a  vigorous,  liberal  and  unfailing  support  of  our  pub- 
lic school  system,  and  has  ever  been  a  liberal  and  gen- 
erous supporter  of  the  cause  of  education  and  charity. 

On  the  30th  day  o'f  August,  1887,  Mr.  Morgan  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  May  Montgomery, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Albertis  Montgomery,  one  of  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  St.  Cloud,  Minn. 

Mr.  Morgan  is.  one  of  the  few  men  who  by  their 
unaided  efforts  have  raised  themselves  from  poverty 
to  affluence.  He  started  in  life  for  himself  a  boy  only 


eight  years  of  age,  and  struggled  along,  and  by  dint  of 
hard  work  not  onb/ supported  himself  but  acquired  a 
good  education.  Among  business  men  no  one  has  a 
higher  standing,  his  characteristics  being  such  as  to 
compel  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all.  He  has  ever 
been  one  on  whom  difficulties  have  only  acted  to  stimu- 
late him  to  greater  efforts,  and  his  dogged  determina- 
tion to  conquer  all  obstacles  caused  him  to  early  cast 
the  word  "fail"'  from  his  vocabulary.  His  friends  and 
instructors  in  boyhood  were  not  slow  to  recognize  this 
trait,  and  his  success  was  prophesied  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  has  fulfilled  the  greatest  expectations  of  his 
friends,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  he,  with 
his  energy,  determination  and  well  known  strict  integ- 
rity, shall  not  add  still  greater  luster  to  his  already 
brilliant  record. 


EVERETTE   ST.  JOHN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EVERETTE  ST.  JOHN,  son  of  Lewis  St.  John,  was 
born  February  4,  1844,  in  Litchfield  county, Conn., 
of  which  State  both  his  parents  were  natives.  When 
but  four  years  of  age  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his 
father.  Left  with  a  large  family  his  mother  did  her 
utmost  to  provide  for  her  young  children,  and  succeeded 
in  giving  them  a  good  education  in  the  public  schools, 
but  the  ambitious  Everette  was  anxious  to  go  to  work, 
and  as  soon  as  his  mother  would  consent  he  left  school, 
and  began  clerking  for  his  elder  brother,  who  was  post- 
master, station  agent,  town  clerk  and  store-keeper  in 
the  village  where  the  family  lived.  To  his  early  train- 
ing both  at  home  and  in  his  brother's  store,  where  the 
lad  worked  faithfully  and  assiduously,  may  be  attributed 
those  traits  of  economy,  thriftiness  and  extraordinary 
capacity  for  work  which  are  characteristic  of  the  man, 
and  which  have  proved  so  valuable  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties  as  the  general  manager  of  the  Rock  Island 
Railroad.  Until  he  reached  his  seventeenth  year  Mr. 
St.  John  remained  in  his  brother's  store,  coming  in  con- 
tact as  he  did  with  all  the  gossips  of  the  village,  and 
thus  heard  the  glowing  reports  of  the  success  of  those 
your.g  men  who  had  left  home  to  seek  a  fortune  in  the 
far  West.  Inoculated  by  these  stories  the  western 
fever  took  a  strong  hold  of  the  lad,  and  shortly  after 
celebrating  his  eighteenth  birthday  he  resigned 
his  position  with  his  brother,  and  started  West,  where 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Quincy  &  Toledo 
Railroad  at  Quincy,  111.,  as  a  clerk,  at  a  salary  of  $30 
per  month.  Here  Mr.  St.  John  remained  until  the 
road  was  consolidated  with  the  Great  Western  Rail  way 
of  Illinois,  when  the  young  man  was  transferred  to 
Springfield  to  fill  a  similar  position,  at  a  slight  increase 
in  salary.  One  year  later,  having  received  a  better 
offer  from  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific  people, 
the  ambitious  youth  transferred  his  services  to  the  lat- 


ter named  corporation,  and  July  4,  .1863,  entered  on 
that  career  for  which  his  more  than  thirty  years  of 
uniform  success  have  shown  him  so  eminently  fitted. 
The  steady  application  and  untiring  energy  of  the  raw 
New  England  youth  could  not  fail  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  his  superiors,  and  a  little  over  a  year  after  he 
entered  the  general  ticket  department  to  occupy  a  sub- 
ordinate position,  Mr.  St.  John  was  appointed  chief 
ticket  clerk,  succeeding  a  few  months  later  to  the  re- 
sponsible duties  of  general  ticket  agent.  Until  January 
1,  1879,  a  period  covering  exactly  fourteen  years,  Mr. 
St.  John  faithfullyand  minutely  discharged  thedutiesof 
his  office,  when  his  services  were  rewarded  by  placing 
him  in  full  charge  of  the  passenger  traffic  of  the  road, 
with  the  title  of  general  ticket  and  passenger  agent. 
Under  his  able  management  the  passenger  business  of 
the  road  was  greatly  increased,  and  six  years  later  he 
assumed  control  of  that  department.  He  was  soon 
appointed  assistant  to  the  general  manager,  still  retain- 
ing his  former  position,  however.  In  July,  1886,  he 
became  assistant  general  manager,  and  a  year  later  was 
made  general  manager  of  the  lines  east  of  the  Missouri 
river,  and  the  duties  of  thisoffice  were  supplemented  by 
those  of  assistant  general  manager  of  the  lines  west 
of  the  Missouri  river,  an  added  responsibility  that 
he  assumed  February  22,  1888.  April  1,  1889,  after 
twenty-six  years  of  continuous  and  untiring  labor,  Mr. 
St.  John  was  appointed  general  manager  of  the  entire 
Rock  Island  system,  to  which  position  he  brought  the 
ripened  experience  gained  in  a  quarter  of  a  century 
passed  in  the  service  of  the  road.  It  was  not,  however, 
an  undeserved  promotion,  for  the  past  years  of  his  life 
had  been  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  corporation 
which  has  taken  vigorous  strides  forward  since  he  first 
entered  its  employ  early  in  the  "sixties."  To  its  suc- 
cess and  advancement  he  had  contributed  largely  by  his 


472 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


ability  and  persistent  energy  which  no  amount  of  hard 
work  seems  to  abate.  A  hard  worker  from  choice,  it 
was  a  common  occurrence  for  Mr.  St.  John  to  devote 
from  twelve  tosixteen  hours  daily  to  his  duties,  to  which 
were  given  more  than  mere  perfunctory  attention,  his 
constant  aim  having  been  to  improve  and  perfect  every7 
department  with  which  he  has  been  connected. 

Mr.  St.  John  is  a  man  of  generous  proportions, 
impressing  one  as  possessing  not  only  immense  vital 
power,  but  having  in  addition  a  large  reserve  force. 
Self-reliant,  of  sound  judgment,  daring  and  yet  .con- 
servative, as  a  railroad  manager  Mr.  St.  John  stands 
facile  prinoeps  among  his  fellows.  Democratic  in  his 
tendencies  he  is  easily  approached,  and  there  is  none 
of  the  indifference  or  austerity  so  often  characteristic 
of  railway  officials.  The  latch-string  of  his  door  hangs 
out  to  the  humblest  employe  of  the  road,  who 
may  always  be  certain  of  a  respectful  hearing  in 
case  he  have  any  real  grievance.  In  the  great 
army  of  men  employed  by  the  company  he  takes 
more  than  a  passing  interest,  believing  it  the  duty  of 
all  great  corporations  to  try  to  elevate  the  condition  of 
the  working  man  in  every  possible  manner.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  responsible  duties  as  general  manager  of  a 
great  railroad,  Mr.  St.  John  does  a  vast  amount  of 
committee  work  in  various  associations  organized  to 
facilitate  railroad  traffic.  As  the  chairman  of  the 
General  Managers'  Association,  and  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Trans-Missouri  Freight  Association, 
also  of  the  Western  Weighing  Association  and  Inspec- 
tion Bureau,  the  Chicago  Car  Service  association,  the 
Live  Stock  Weighing  Association,  and  as  a  member  of 
the  committee  of  the  Western  Freight  Association 


he  has  done  excellent  service.  As  chairman  of  the 
railroad  finance  committee  of  the  World's  Fair,  which 
committee  was  selected  by  officials  of  all  the  lines 
having  terminals  in  Chicago,  Mr.  St.  John  added  to  the 
World's  P'air  treasury  nearly  one  million  dollars. 

At  an  early  period  of  his  -life,  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  of  the  Eebellion,  Mr.  St.  John  aspired  to  enter 
West  Point,  having  been  promised  an  appointment, 
provided  Congress  passed  a  then  contemplated  law 
authorizing  cadets  to  fill  the  vacancies  made  by  the 
secession  of  Federal  officers.  Under  the  tutorship  of 
Charles  B.  Andrews.  ex-Governor  of  Connecticut,  now 
chief-justice  of  that  State,  Mr.  St.  John  began  his 
studies  in  preparation  for  an  examination  in  case  the 
law  should  pass,  but  Congress  failed  to  approve  it,  and 
the  aspirant  for  a  military  career  tried  to  forget  his 
disappointment  by  renewed  zeal  in  his  brother's  store, 
which  lie  left  a  year  later  to  begin  railroad  training  in 
the  West,  in  the  ranks  of  which 'profession  he  has  won 
the  stars  of  a  general,  and  smelled  plenty  of  smoke, 
even  if  the  powder  and  bullets  were  lacking. 

Mr.  St.  John  was  happily  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Lamson,  of  Andover,  Mass.,  and  has  a  very 
pleasant  home  on  Rush  street,  one  of  the  charms  of 
which  is  a  well-selected  library  of  over  one  thousand 
volumes,  in  which  the  owner  takes  keen  delight. 

A  prominent  member  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church,  Mr.  St.  John  is  also  a  member  of  the  Union 
League,  past-master  of  Waubansia  lodge  No.  160,  A.  F. 
and  A.  M.,  and  past  eminent  commander  of  Montjoie 
Commandery,  No.  53,  K.  T.  He  was  also  president  of 
the  Sons  of  Connecticut,  which  had  a  membership  of 
about  three  hundred. 


JEWELL  N.  HALLIGAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  name  of  Jewell  N.  Halligan  will  be  inseparably 
linked  with  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
as  its  chief  illustrator  and  historian.  Coming  from 
Denver  at  the  moment  Chicago  secured  the  Exposition, 
he  foresaw  the  value  of  an  illustrated  periodical  devoted 
to  the  interests  of  the  Fair  and  commenced  the  publi- 
cation of  The  Illustrated  World's  Fair,  which,  under 
the  editorship  of  John  McGovern,  became  speedily 
known  throughout  the  English-speaking  world.  In 
the  pages  of  this  magazine  were  printed  the  first  and 
best  of  the  modern  half-tone  engravings,  while  the 
most  distinguished  of  men  and  women  soon  became 
admirers  and  contributors,  among  them  being  Col. 
Ingersoll,  ex-President  Hayes.  Madam  Patti-Nicolina, 
Prince  Bismarck,  Prince  Guenther  and  Pope  Leo  XIII. 
After  the  close  of  the  Exposition,  besides  putting 
the  bound  volumes  of  his  publication  into  luxurious 
form,  Mr.  Ilalligan  entered  the  broader  publishing  field. 
The  portfolios  of  the  Fair,  which  he  issued  in  both 


English  and  German,  were  pronounced  the  best  that 
had  appeared,  and  he  was  generally  regarded  as  the 
leading  photographer  of  the  Exposition.  He  received 
from  the  United  States.government  an  order  to  photo- 
graph all  of  the  Midway  Plaisance,  and  also  the  An- 
thropological building,  for  the  use  of  Professor  Putnam, 
the  chief  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Ethnology. 
From  the  first,  Director-General  Davis,  Major  Handy 
and  Directors  Gage,  Peck,  Revel],  Odell,  Hutchinson, 
Kirkman.  Scott,  Kirk,  Butler  and  others,  gave  generous 
and  active  support  to  Mr.  Ilalligan  in  his  difficult 
labors.  He  was  given  a  magnificent  office  on  the 
ground  floor  of  the  Administration  building  during  the 
Fair,  and  every  facility  afforded  for  good  work.  Dur- 
ing the  constructive  period,  in  lS91-92-l»3,  Mr. 
Halligan  climbed  to  more  high  and  difficult  places  to 
obtain  pictures  than  any  other  photographer  of  the 
period,  obtaining  over  a  thousand  large  views  of  differ- 
ent objects. 


PROMINENT  r,IEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


475 


Mr.  Halligan  was  born  at  Lexington.  Ivy.,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1848.  His  early  days  were  spent  on  a  stock 
farm,  where  he  developed  the  inherited  love  of  sports 
which  characterizes  the  famous  Blue  Grass  State,  and 
when,  a  young  man,  he  removed  to  Missouri  he  was 
alreadv  an  expert  dealer  in  and  judge  of  horses.  In 
June,  1869,  before  he  was  of  age,  lie  secured  a  large 
contract  for  the  construction  of  a  section  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Hail  road,  and  came  out  of  the  enterprise 
with  success  and  profit.  Love  of  active  and  stirring 
scenes,  characteristic  of  him,  attracted  him  to  Denver, 
about  this  time,  where  as  a  theatrical  manager,  he 
found  plenty  of  variety  and  made  many  acquaintances, 
becoming  extensively  known  in  that  city  and  vicing 


during  his  stay.  The  life  of  a  theatrical  manager, 
however,  was  not  very  agreeable  to  him,  and  Chicago, 
as  a  great  magnet,  attracted  him  hither,  as  before 
stated,  and  where  in  connection  with  the  World's  Co- 
lumbian Exposition,  he  has  won  distinction  as  a  pub- 
lisher. Mr.  Halligan  is  a  man  of  magnetic  force,  exceed- 
ingly genial  and  companionable,  and  popular  with  all 
his  acquaintances.  He  possesses  those  qualities  which 
constitute  natural  leadership  and  which,  in  his  chosen 
line,  he  has  achieved.  His  is  a  quiet,  even,  and  yet 
ardent  temperament,  trained  to  endurance  and  patient 
effort,  and  characterized  by  an  open-handed  liberality 
which  entitles  him  to  the  just  praise  of  those  who  knew 
him  best. 


JOHN  DOLESE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Chicago  on 
February  12,  1837,  in  the  family  residence,  then 
located  on  the  corner  of  Lake  and  La  Salle  streets. 
Peter  Dolese,  his  father,  was  born  in  the  Province  of 
Lorraine,  France,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Miss  Matilda  Laible,  was  born  at  Baden,  which 
was  at  that  time  an  independent  principality.  At  the 
time  of  her  marriage  to  John's  father,  in  1830,  she  was 
a  resident  of  Detroit,  Mich.  The  Laible  family,  John's 
maternal  ancestors,  all  lived  in  Detroit,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  sister,  who  resided  in  Europe.  Peter  Dolese 
came  to  Chicago  in  1833  or  1834.  Soon  after  John's 
birth  the  family  moved  to  Peru,Ill.,  where  they  remained 
until  the  death  of  Mrs  Dolese  in  1840.  After  'his 
mother's  death  John  accompanied  his  father  to  France, 
where  he  remained  with  his  grandparents  until  1S45, 
when  he  returned  with  his  father  to  Chicago.  This  trip 
was  the  thirteenth  and  last  tripof  Peter  Dolese  across  the 
Atlantic.  Though  butseven  yearsof  age  at  that  time,John 
remembers  with  distinctness  the  most  interesting  inci- 
dents of  his  journey  from  New  York  west,  which  was 
made  entirely  by  water.  The  route  was  by  the  Hudson 
river  to  Albany,  thence  by  the  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo, 
and  by  the  lakes  to  Chicago,  where  he  arrived  the 
latter  part  of  July,  1845,  and  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  His  rudimentary  education  was  obtained 
at  the  Dearborn  school,  then  located  opposite  the 
present  site  of  McVicker's  theatre.  His  first  venture 
in  mercantile  life  was  in  the  employ  of  his  father,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age. 
when  he  started  a  teaming  and  transfer  business  for 
himself,  and  continued  in  that  business  until  1868,  when 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Jason  II.  Shepard. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  the  quarrying  and  paving 
business  of  Dolese  &  Shepard.  Previous  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  firm,  Mr.  Dolese,  in  connection  with  his 
father,  had  taken  several  contracts  and  graded  several 
streets.  Their  early  work  in  that  direction  included 


grading  work  on  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  and 
also  contracts  for  grading  on  the  Rock  Island 
Railroad,  between  Blue  Island  and  Morgan  Ridge, 
now  called  Washington  Heights,  which  had  been  sub- 
let to  them  by  Judge  Fuller,  the  original  contractor. 
.His  father's  career,  however,  was  brought  to  an  end 
by  his  unexpected  death  on  February  14,  1862. 

Among  the  more  important  contracts  of  Mr.  Dolese 
was  that  with  the  Union  Rolling  Mill,  now  the  Illinois 
Steel  company  (of  which  his  present  partner,  Mr.  Shep- 
ard, was  cashier  and  bookkeeper).  He  bad  charge  of 
their  shipments  and  transferred  their  material.  From 
a  small  business  at  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the 
copartnership,  the  firm  of  Dolese  &  Shepard  has 
reached  a  point  of  success  which  very  few  firms  attain, 
and  they  can  look  back  with  a  feeling  of  pride  upon 
their  business  career,  which  has  been  one  of  unexam- 
pled prosperity,  resulting  from  the  application  of  ster- 
ling business  principles,  combined  with  native  business 
ability.  Mr.  Dolese  has  attended  to  the  executive  part 
of  the  business,  and  his  partner,  Mr.  Shepard,  to  the 
finances  of  the  firm.  Their  business,  conducted  with 
great  foresight  and  tact,  has  become,  undoubtedly,  the 
largest  in  its  line,  not  only  in  Chicago,  but  in  the 
United  States.  The  number  of  their  employes  by  1893 
had  increased  from  five  or  six  men  to  six  hundred  or 
more,  and  their  pay-roll,  including  the  wages  of  men 
employed  in  concerns  that  they  control,  had  increased 
from  a  .few  hundred  dollars  a  month  to  the  enormous 
sum  of  from  twenty-five  thousand  to  thirty  thousand 
dollars  monthly.  They  have  constructed  more  miles  of 
streets  than  any  other  firm  in  this  countr\r.  They  have 
either  built  or  furnished  the  material  for  the  construc- 
tion of  at  least  two-thirds  of  that  beautiful  driveway, 
Michigan  boulevard — and  have  either  constructed  or 
have  been  interested  in  the  construction  of  all  the 
streets  and  drives  of  Hyde  and  South  parks.  All  this 
work  has  been  done  under  the  personal  supervision  of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 


Mr.  Dolese,  who  has  the  consciousness  that  his  work 
will  be  a  lasting  monument  to  his  firm.  The  great 
South  Park  system  of  boulevards  and  drives  has  become 
famous,  and  is  pointed  out  to  Chicago  visitors  as  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  features  of.  the  city;  and  as  the 
larger  part  of  this  construction  was  done  under  the 
immediate  management  of  Mr.  Dolese,  or  the  material 
furnished  by  the  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member,  he  has 
just  cause  to  feel  proud  of  its  completion. 

Mr.  Dolese  was  married  in  August,  1857,  to  Miss 
Katharine  Jacobs,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  nine 
children,  viz.:  William,  Matilda,  Rose,  Minnie,  John,  Jr., 
Henry,  Peter,  Ida  and  Laura.  Their  family  residence 
was  formerly  in  Cicero  township,  but  is  now  on 
Wabash  avenue. 

Mr.  Dolese  is  a  very  courteous  and  genial  gentle- 
man, and  an  entertaining  conversationalist.  His 
reminiscences  of  early  Chicago  are  most  interesting. 
He  can  recall  tjie  time  when  the  present  corner  of 
Lake  and  Clark  streets  was  an  apparently  bottomless 
swamp;  when  the  city  prisoners  formed  a  "chain 
gang,"  dragging  heavy  iron  balls  and  working  on  the 
public  streets;  when  their  prison  was  an  old  log 


structure  at  the  corner  of  LaSalle  and  Randolph  streets. 
Mr.  Dolese  also  speaks  of  the  great  ice  gorge,  which 
caused  the  bridges  to  be  washed  from  their  fastenings; 
and  many  other  early  incidents  connected  with 
Chicago  history.  He  has  seen  Chicago  grow  from  the 
dimensions  of  a  mere  village  to  take  rank  amongst  the 
very  first  cities,  not  only  of  our  own  country  butof  the 
world. 

Political!}',  Mr.  Dolese  has  followed  in  his  father's 
footsteps,  and  when  the  supporters  of  Daniel  Webster 
became  embodied  in  the  Republican  party  he  became 
a  staunch  Republican,  and  votes  and  acts  with  that 
party  on  all  national  questions. 

There  are  few  men  in  Chicago  who  have  done  so 
much  to  materially  beautify  and  improve  the  city  as 
has  Mr.  Dolese.  He  is  a  genial,  pleasant  and  even- 
tempered  gentleman,  ready  to  greet  one  with  a  kindly 
word  and  a  cheerful  welcome.  Courteous,  considerate 
and  charitable,  he  is  respected  by  his  subordinates,  and 
admired  and  sought  after  by  his  equals,  and  few  men 
have  more  or  better  friends  in  Chicago  and  elsewhere. 
He  thoroughly  enjoys  home  life,  and  takes  great 
pleasure  in  the  society  of  his  friends. 


ATLEE  V.  CO  ALE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


WAS  born  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  September  28,  1837. 
His  parents  were  of -American  birth  and  of 
English  descent.  His  father  was  Samuel  Coale  and 
his  mother  was  Miss  Margaret  Walmsley,  a  native 
of  Maryland.  His  ancestors  came  to  America  as 
early  as  1750.  His  grandfather,  Skipwith  Coale, 
settled  in  Virginia.  His  grandmother  was  an  Atlee, 
sister  of  the  one-time  noted  physician  of  that  name 
in  Philadelphia.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Pittsburg, 
and  his  first  business  training  was  obtained  as  a  clerk 
in  his  father's  store  in  that  city  and  McKeesport,  Pa. 
His  father  died  when  he  was  fifteen  and  he  became  the 
head  of  the  family.  He  accepted  a  position  with  the 
Pittsburg  &  Connellsville  Railroad  and  became  that 
company's  agent  at  McKeesport,  but  at  the  end  of  two 
years  was  transferred  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  occupied 
the  position  of  general  agent  of  the  road.  He  never 
felt  entirely  satisfied  with  railroad  work,  and  was  easily 
induced  to  accept  a  position  as  general  superintendent 
of  the  freight  department  of  the  Pittsburg  stock  yards. 
In  1871  he  went  into  business  on  his  own  account, 
dealing  in  glue  and  curled  hair.  The  business  was 
an  old  established  one  but  had  run  down.  He 
put  vim  and  energy  into  the  enterprise,  and  soon 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it  on  a  paying 
basis.  He  sold  out  to  his  partners  in  1S77,  and 


went  to  New  York  city  with  the  intention  of 
locating  there;  but  a  business  man  in  Chicago  tele 
graphed  him  to  come  at  once  to  this  city,  and  respond- 
ing, he  found  himself  installed  as  the  financial  man  of 
the  Turner  Casings  Co.,  and  was  thus  engaged  until 
1882.  After  a  rest  of  several  months  he  began  making 
arrangements  to  establish  a  business  for  himself,  when 
in  1883,  inducements  offered  which  led  him  to  abandon 
that  purpose  and  accept  a  position  with  the  Anderson 
Pressed  Brick  Co.  He  at  first  was  given  charge  of  the 
factory,  but  some  time  in  18SS  he  was  given  a  general 
supervision  of  the  business. 

Mr.  Coale  is  prominent  in  the  Masonic  order,  having 
been  past  master  of  blue  lodges  three  or  four  different 
times;  is  a  life  member  and  past  high  priest  of  the  chap, 
ter;  is  a  Knight  Templar,  member  of  Chevalier  Bayard 
Commanderv  and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In 
early  life  he  took  a  great  interest  in  this  order  and  has 
ever  been  a  popular  member  wherever  located.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  before  he  could  vote 
was  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  John  C.  Fremont. 

Mr.  Coale  was  married  in  1858,  to  Miss  Annie  E. 
McMins,  whose  home  was  near  Pittsburg.  Five 
children  have  been  born,  three  only  now  living.  One 
daughter  is  now  Mrs.  John  F.  Talmage,  and  one  is  Mrs. 
Paul  De  Haven  Sweeney,  wife  of  an  editor  of  the 
Chicago  Times.  There  is  one  boy,  Atlee  Vincent,  Jr. 


\v\A 


PROMINENT  .MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST, 

DAVID    BRAINARD   DEWEY, 

EVANSTON,   ILLINOIS. 


479 


AMONG  those  who  have  achieved  positions  of  em- 
inence by  reason  of  their  unswerving  integrity 
and  conspicuous  ability,  none  are  more  worthy  of  prom- 
inent mention  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Like 
many  of  his  contemporaries  among  the  successful  men 
of  the  present  day,  Mr.  Dowey  traces  his  ancestors  to 
the  early  Puritan  settlers  of  Massachusetts.  His  ances- 
tor, Thomas  Dewe}'.  settled  in  Dorchester  in  1630,  and 
in  that  vicinity  the  family  resided  for  many  years,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  being  born  at  Pittsfiekl,  Berkshire 
county,  Mass.,  ort  May  28,  1839.  His  father,  Mark 
Dewey,  was  a  merchant  of  prominence,  noted  for  his 
high  Christian  character  and  honest}'.  His  mother, 
Sarah  M.  Dewey,  nee  Grinneli,  came  from  a  family  well 
and  favorabty  known,  and  was  a  woman  of  decided 
character  and  ability.  He  obtained  his  elementary 
education  in  the  common  School  and  academy  of  his 
native  town.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  came  West  to 
meet  and  assume  the  responsibilities  of  his  future  career 
among  strangers.  His  first  employment  was  upon  a 
western  farm.  From  his  seventeenth  to  his  twenty 
first  year  he  taught  school  winters,  thereby  enabling 
himself  to  attend  college  during  the  rest  of  the  year. 

The  difficulties  by  which  he  was  beset  in  his  early 
struggles  to  obtain  a  livelihood  and  an  education 
developed  in  him  those  strong  characteristics  that  are 
aptly  termed  "Western,"  and  which  involve  the  pos- 
session of  nerve,  activity  and  untiring  energy.  Law 
was  his  chosen  profession,  but  after  an  hemorrhage 
caused  by  addressing  a  large  assemblage  of  people  in 
the  open  air  at  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration,  his  phy 
sicians  decided  that  it  would  be  hazardous  for  him  to 
engage  in  his  chosen  profession.  lie  was  an  eloquent, 
forcible  and  convincing  speaker,  and  it  is  the  unanimous 
opinion  of  those  who  knew  him  well  that  when  he 
abandoned  the  law  the  legal  profession  was  deprived 
of'  a  member  who  would  have  become  one  of  its 
brightest  lights. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  Wheaton  Col- 
lege, 111.,  but  did  not  remain  to  complete  the  course. 
The  commencement  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  found 
him  one  of  the  very  first  to  respond  to  Lincoln's  call 
for  troops,  and  upon  his  enlistment  he  was  made  a 
sergeant  of  Company  A,  Second  Regiment,  Illinois 
Cavalry.  In  this  capacity  lie  served  his  country  about 
a  year,  when  a  severe  wound  compelled  his  retirement 
and  prevented  his  again  entering  the  service  when  the 
commission  of  major  was  tendered  him.  In  politics, 
he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  casting  his  first  vote 
for  Abraham  Lincoln. 

In  1862  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nettie  A.  Springer, 
of  Rock  ford,  111.,  a  lady  of  excellent  family  and  pos- 
sessing rare  social  qualities.  They  have  had  five 
children,  of  whom  two  are  living— Nettie  D.,  now 
Mrs.  II.  S.  Farwell,  and  David  B..  Jr.,  a  young  lad  of 
much  promise. 


After  pursuing  various  occupations,  in  all  of  which 
he  was  successful,  in  1871  he  transferred  his  business 
interests  to  Chicago,  entering  the  mortgage  loan  busi- 
ness and  establishing  his  home  at  Evanston,  where  he 
has  dealt  extensively  in  real  estate,  making  valuable 
improvements,  which  have  greatly  added  to  the  beauty 
of  that  charming  suburb.  Among  these  improvements 
is  included  the  home  where  he  now  resides  on  Maple 
avenue.  His  home  has  ever  been  the  delightful  resort 
of  the  many  friends  of  the  family,  and  its  d'oors  have 
always  been  hospitably  open.  Mr.  Dewey  has  alwavs 
been  a  public  spirited,  aggressive  citizen,  actively 
identified  with  the  progress  of  the  times,  serving  effi- 
ciently in  the  various  offices  of  the  city  council,  board 
of  education  and  church  trustees,  ever  unselfishly 
devoting  himself  to  the  interests  of  others.  In  1876 
he  became  associated  with  Hon.  John  L.  Beveridge, ex- 
governor  of  Illinois,  and  opened  the  private  banking 
house  of  Beveridge  &  Dewey,  which  continued  its 
successful  career  until  1886,  when  he  organized  the 
American  Exchange  National  Bank.  His  business 
career  since  that  time  has  been  largely  identified  with 
that  institution,  and  a  sketch  of  his  life  would  not  be 
complete  without  some  reference  to  its  history.  Upon 
its  organization  Mr.  Dewey'  was  elected  vice-president 
and  responsible  manager.  The  bank  opened  its  doors 
for  business  Mav  10,  1886,  and  at  once  secured  a  large 
and  profitable  patronage.  His  reputation  was  already 
so  well  established  among  business  men  that  applica- 
tions came  in  for  nearly  four  times  the  amount  of  stock 
represented  by  the  capital  of  the  bank.  Early  in  its 
career  an  event  occurred  which  called  into  play  all 
those  resourceful  and  conservative  traits  which  enabled 
him  to  so  manage  the  bank's  affairs  in  the  gravest 
crisis  of  its  history  that  it  is  to-day  the  acknowledged 
peer  of  any  financial  institution  in  the  city.  The  story 
of  this  event,  briefly  told,  is  that  on  June  7,  1887,  dur- 
ing the  progress  of  the  famous  "Harper  wheat  corner," 
Mr.  Dewey  was  suddenly  prostrated  and  confined  to 
his  bed  by  a  severe  illness.  On  the  15th,  while  he  was 
still  confined  to  his  home,  his  associate  officers  cashed 
the  celebrated  Fidelity  National  Bank  fraudulent  drafts 
to  the  amount  of  §400,000,  which,  with  other  compli- 
cations, nearly  ruined  the  bank.  Mr.  Dewey  proved 
his  remarkable  nerve  and  devotion  to  his  friends  and 
associates  by  returning  to  the  bank  on  June  20,  against 
the  positive  orders  of  his  physicians,  and  ignoring  the 
great  danger  of  fatal  results  to  himself,  which  this 
action  involved.  This  heroic  act,  however,  undoubtedly 
saved  tli3  institution  from  irreparable  disaster.  So  great 
was  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  that  upon  his  return 
the  withdrawal  of  deposits  ceased  and  money  was  freely 
offered  from  many  sources.  Those  who  knew  the  man 
believed  that  he  would  find  a  way  to  save  the  bank 
from  ruin,  and  they  were  not  disappointed. 

The  failure  of  C.  J.  Ivershaw  &  Co.,  who  kept  an 


480 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


account  with  the  American  Exchange  National  Bank, 
also  involved  it  in  extensive  and  complicated  litigation, 
which,  with  other  almost  insurmountable  obstacles, 
would  have  discouraged  any  man  of  ordinary  pluck 
and  ability. 

It  is  a  well-recognized  fact  that  to  Mr.  Dewey 
was  wholly  due  the  conception  and  execiuion  of 
the  plan  which  rescued  the  bank  from  the  impend- 
ing disaster  and  placed  it  among  the  solid  financial  in- 
stitutions of  Chicago.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the 
bank,  the  press  of  Chicago,  and  financial  publications 
in  New  York,  Boston  and  London  gave  him  very  flat- 
tering notices.  Mr.  Dewey's  proposition  to  make  an 
assessment  of  30  per  cent,  upon  the  stock  was  promptly 
responded  to,  and  then  the  battle  for  restoration  was 
vigorously  prosecuted,  and  by  those  most  familiar  with 
the  facts  of  that  history,  his  success  is  recognized  as  a 
marvellous  achievement. 

Another  notable  incident  connected  with  the  strug- 
gle of  the  bank  at  this  time,  was  the  famous  suit 
against  the  Fidelity  National  Bank  of  Cincinnati, 
which  was  finally  carried  through  the  various  courts 
to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  a  vic- 
tory won  by  the  American  Exchange  National,  which 
was  of  the  most  profound  interest  to  bankers  and  busi- 
ness men  generally.  The  bank  showed  its  ability  to  re- 
cuperate from  its  losses  and  exhaustive  legal  expenses, 
by  earning  and  paying  ever  since  that  almost  fatal 
panic  a  continuous  yearly  dividend  of  six  per  cent.,  in 
addition  to  which  it  has  placed  to  the  credit  of  its  sur- 
plus funds  and  undivided  profits  over  $300,000.  These 
results  speak  volumes  for  the  sagacious  management  of 
the  bank,  and  forcibly  endorse  the  wisdom  of  its'stock- 
holders  in  placing  Mr.  Dewey  in  full  charge  as  presi- 
dent, which  was  done  immediately  after  the  com- 
mencement of  the  troubles  which  followed  the  cashing 
of  the  Fidelity  drafts.  The  exhaustive  duties  and 
intense  anxiety  connected  with  there-organization  and 
recuperation  "of  the  bank  affected  Mr.  Dewey's  health, 
and  made  a  temporary  retirement  from  close  confine- 
ment to  business,  a  necessity.  After  the  bank  was 
fully  relieved  of  all  complications  growing  out  of  its 


misfortunes  in  1887,  Mr.  Dewey  frequently  expressed 
a  desire  to  be  relieved  from  the  active  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  president,  and  finally  decided  to  retire, 
which  he  did  on  August  1,  1891.  In  this  connection 
resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  by  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  bank  at  a  meeting  held  in  July,  1891, 
expressive  of  their  sincere  regret  that  ill  health  had 
compelled  his  retirement,  and  of  appreciation  for  his 
eminent  services  in  guiding  the  institution  safely 
through  its  times  of  trial. 

Mr.  Dewe\r  has  been  for  many  years  a  prominent 
Mason,  and  on  November  17,  1890,  there  was  held  at 
the  Evanston,  111.,  Masonic  Temple  a  memorial  service 
in  commemoration  of  the  services  of  Sir  Knight  Dewey 
in  securing  the  charter  of  the  Evanston  Commandery. 
There  was  placed  in  the  walls  of  the  Asylum  a  marble 
memorial  tablet,  bearing  the  name  of  Dewey,  and  in 
the  library  a  fine  crayon  portrait.  The  feeling  of  his 
Masonic  brethren  can  be  best  conveyed  by  quoting 
direct  from  the  pages  of  the  memorial  book  published 
giving  account  of  the  proceedings.  In  the  dedication 
of  the  volume  Hon.  Charles  G.  Neeley  said:  "In 
recognition  of  one  who  so  pre-eminently  labored  to 
secure  our  Masonic  home,  where  we  may  meet  in 
mystic  association  the  friends  and  companions  of  our 
youth,  and  in  honor  of  him  who  does  in  his  life  so  highly 
exemplify  the  noble  principles  of  character-building  and 
friendship  therein  made,  there  has  been  placed  in  the 
walls  of  the  Asylum  a  marble  memorial  tablet,  bearing 
the  name  'Dewey,'  and  in  our  hearts  most  truly  indeed 
are  his  work  andMvorth  remembered." 

In  all  the  relations  of  life  whether  of  a  business  or 
social  nature.  Mr.  Dewey's  character  has  been  beyond 
reproach,  and  his  integrity  has  never  been  questioned. 
His  loyalty  to  even1  interest  committed  to  his  care  has 
led  him  to  assume  burdens  from  which  most  men  would 
shrink.  Charitable  at  all  times  and  to  all  worthy 
people,  he  is  recognized  as  the  firm  friend  and  gallant 
defender  of  the  poor,  towards  the  relief  of  whose  needs 
he  has  ever  generously  contributed  in  time  and  money. 
His  is  a  life  worthy  of  emulation  by  all  who  would  have 
it  said  truthfullv  of  them  "  well  done." 


EDWARD  T.  CAHILL, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EDWARD  T.  CAHILL  is  the  son  of  James  and 
Marv  Cahill  (nee  McCormick),  who  came  from 
Ireland.  Prior  to  leaving  the  old  country  the  mother 
was  a  school  teacher  in  the  national  schools,  and  the 
father  a  farmer's  son.  The  father  and  mother  were 
married  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey,  and  afterwards 
moved  to  Chicago.  Soon  after  arriving  the  father  was 
killed  in  a  railroad  accident,  leaving  the  family  with 
little  or  no  financial  means.  Edward  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  afterwards  pursuing  a  course  of 


self  study,  and  attending  lectures' of  an  educational 
character  usually  pursued  in  colleges  and  universities, 
also  studying  Latin  and  French.  He  began  life  as  a 
cash-boy,  rising  to  the  position  of  clerk,  studied  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  entering  the  law  office  of 
Wilson,  Montgomery  &  Waterman,  and  becoming 
associated  later  with  Hawes  &  Lawrence.  He  has 
never  hekl  public  office,  but  has  occupied  many  res- 
ponsible positions  in  private  life,  as  executor,  trustee, 
receiver,  assignee,  etc.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  ORE  A  T  WEST. 


483 


and  is  a  fluent  talker,  having  made  many  able  speeches 
in  behalf  of  Republicanism.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Philosophical  Society,  before  which  he  has 
delivered  lectures  on  various  topics;  is  a  member  of  the 
Western  Psychical  Society,  and  of  the  Art  Institute 
and  other  literary  and  scientific  bodies,  and  is  one  of 
the  vice-presidents  of  the  Sons  of  Illinois.  He  has 
been  a  contributor  to  the  daily  newspapers  and 
magazines  on  religious,  political,  social,  scientific  and 
legal  questions,  and  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  different  public  movements  having  for  their 
object  the  advancement  of  the  city  and  the  public 
good.  As  a  lawyer  his  practice  has'  been  more  espe- 


cially of  a  real  estate  character.  lie  declines  to  accept 
criminal  cases.  He  is  noted  for  having  raised  the 
question  of  the  constitutionality  of  the  act  of  the 
legislature  of  this  State  known  as  the  "short  cause 
calendar."  Mr.  Cahill  has  been  employed  in  the  trial 
of  a  large  number  of  chancery  cases  involving  title  to 
realty.  He  is  a  man  of  medium  size  and  weight,  and  has 
many  devoted  friends  and  a  large  and  increasing  list  of 
clients,  by  whom  he  is  regarded  with  much  favor 
because  of  his  ability  and  faithfulness  to  their  interests. 
Mr.  Cahill  is  also  regarded  by  his  colleagues  as  a  con- 
scientious and  a  painstaking  member  of  the  profession 
in  Chicago. 


MICHAEL  CUDAHY, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


MICHAEL  CUDAHY  was  born  at  Callan,  a  his- 
toric old  town,  County  Kilkenny,  Ireland, 
December  7,  1841.  His  mother's  family  were  residents 
for  some  time  of  Dublin,  but  removed  to  Callun,  where 
they  established  a  pottery  for  the  manufacture  of 
crocker}7.  His  father,  Patrick  Cudahy,  with  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  (Shaw)  Cudahy,  and  family,  came  to 
America  in  1849,  and  shortly  afterward  located  at 
Milwaukee.  Wis.  It  was  in  that  city  that  young 
Cudahy  had  his  first  experience  in -the  packing  house 
and  stock-yard  business.  Doing  chores  about  the 
slaughter  houses  and  attending  school  between  times, 
he  acquired  the  rudiments  of  a  simple  education, 
which  he  improved  upon  as  opportunities  offered  in 
later  years. 

When  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Messrs.  Layton  &  Plankinton,  packers,  at 
Milwaukee,  and  when  nineteen  years  old,  took  a 
position  with  Ed.  Roddis,  packer,  also  of  Milwaukee, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  the  business  was  closed 
out  in  1866,  when  he  went  into  business  for  himself. 
Mr.  Fred  Lay  ton,  of  Milwaukee,  soon  afterward  offered 
him  sufficient  inducements  to  dispose  of  his  business 
and  to  enter  the  employ  of  Layton  &  Co.,  as  private 
meat  inspector,  at  the  same  time  securing  for  him  the 
position  of  meat  inspector  on  the  Milwaukee  Board  of» 
Trade. 

Mr.  Cudahy  received  much  encouragement  and 
many  favors  from  Mr.  Layton,  which  he  has  always 
remembered  with  pleasure.  In  1869  he  accepted  a 
position  with  Messrs.  Plankinton  &  Armour,  of  Mil- 
waukee, and  took  charge  of  their  packing  house,  which 
at  that  time  consisted  of  a  small  frame  building  ;  the 
whole  plant,  including  machinery,  not  exceeding  in 
value  §35,000,  but  which  has  since  grown  to  be  one  of 
the  largest  packing  houses  in  the  country.  Well 
knowing  of  his  successful  management  of  this  business, 
Mr.  P.  D.  Armour,  in  1873,  offered  him  a  partnership 
in  the  now  celebrated  firm  of  Armour  &  Company,  of 


Chicago,  which  has  become  the  largest  of  its  kind  in 
the  world.  With  a  thoroughly  practical  knowledge  of 
the  business  in  all  its  branches,  Mr.  Cudahy  took 
control  of  the  stock-yard  end  of  the  business,  and  for 
twenty  years  was  the  ruling  spirit  in  its  practical 
management. 

When  the  committee  was  formed  to  solicit  sub- 
scriptions from  the  packers  of  Chicago  for  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  Mr.  Cudahy  was  selected  as 
chairman,  and  did  his  work  with  his  usual  energy  and 
success. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  though  not  a  partisan, 
preferring  to  give  his  cupport  to  the  best  men  of  either 
party.  He  is  a  patriotic  and  thorough  American,  who 
loves  his  adopted  county,  and  is  a  great  admirer  of  its 
noble  institutions.  In  religious  matters  he  is  a 
Catholic,  and  a  consistent  member  and  liberal  sup- 
porter of  his  church. 

He  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Catharine  Sullivan, 
a  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Sullivan,  a  well-to-do  farmer, 
residing  near  Milwaukee,  Wis.  They  have  been  blessed 
with  seven  children,  four  daughters  and  three  sons. 
Mrs.  Cudahy  is  a  lady  of  many  estimable  qualities, 
exceedingly  charitable  and  kind  to  the  poor,  and 
thoroughly  devoted  to  her  family,  all  of  whom  are 
finely  educated  and  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
accomplishments  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Cudahy  is  the'  eldest  of  four  brothers  and  one 
sister,  Catharine,  who  entered  the  convent  of  the  Good 
Shepherd,  in  Milwaukee,  in  1883,  and  was  known  as 
Sister  Stanislaus.  She  died  in  January,  1892.  She 
liberally  endowed  the  order  with  which  she  was  con- 
nected. The  brother  William  died  when  thirty-seven 
years  of  age.  John  and  Patrick  succeeded  John 
Plankinton  &  Co.',  formerly  Plankinton  &  Armour, 
of  Milwaukee,  in  their  packing  business,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Cudahy  Brothers.  Patrick  resides  in 
Milwaukee,  while  John  lives  in  Chicago,  where  he  is 
very  prominently  identified  with  Chicago's  packing 


484 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


interests.  He  was  formerly  associated  with  Mr. 
Chapin  as  Chapin  &  Cudaliv,  but  for  the  past  fifteen 
years  he  has  been  operating  very  successfully  alone  as 
John  Ciuluhy,  packer.  Edward  A.  is  a  partner  with 
Michael,  forming  the  corporation  of  the  Cudahy 
Packing  Co.,  Omaha,  Neb.,  which,  before  the  with- 
drawal of  Mr.  P.  D.  Armour  from  the  firm,  was  the 
Armour-Cudal)\T  Packing  Co.  Edward  is  well  known 
in  business  circles  as  an  unnsually  bright  and  energetic 
business  man.  He  resides  at  Omaha,  where  the  firm 
has  a  large  and  rapidly  increasing  packing  and  provi- 
sion business. 

Mr.  Cudahy  withdrew  from  the  firm  of  Armour  & 
Company,  Chicago,  in  November,  1890.  It  was  a 
business  association  which  had  borne  good  fruit  and 
had  been  profitable  to  both  parties,  and  in  speaking  of 
this  separation  Mr.  P.  D.  Armour  sa\'s  :  '"He  leaves 
me  after  a  connection  honorable  throughout,  devoid  of 
any  clash,  r  ch,  prosperous  and  with  an  enviable 
reputation  in  the  business  world." 


Personally  Mr.  Cudahy  is  a  man  of  exceedingly 
robust  constitution  and  fine  physical  proportions;  he  is 
of  a  social  disposition,  and  takes  considerable  interest 
in  all  manly  sports;  he  is  also  a  lover  of  -the  fine  arts 
and  has  an  especial  fondness  for  music,  for  which  he 
has  a  natural  instinct.  Possessing  in  good  measure  the 
wit  and  exuberance  of  spirits  so  characteristic  of  his 
race,  he  is  a  genial  companion,  a  pleasing  conversation- 
alist and  warm  friend.  Devoid  of  prejudice,  he  is  not 
easily  swayed,  firmness  being  one  of  his  chief  charac- 
teristics. He  is  generous  in  his  contributions  to  all 
objects  of  a  worthy  character  and  takes  great  pleasure 
in  befriending  such  young  men  as  he  may  deem  worthy 
of  his  support,  and  many  such  men  owe  to  Mr.  Cudahy 
their  first  start  in  life.  He  owes  his  large  success  to 
perseverance,  hard  work,  mastery  of  the  details  of  his 
business  and  determination  to  succeed.  A  man  of 
sterling  worth,  inflexible  integrity  and  quiet  manner, 
he  leaves  upon  others  the  impress  of  his  own 
character. 


ADOLPH  SCHOENINGER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS, 


ADOLPH  SCHOENINGER,  son  of  Joseph  Anton 
and  of  Anna  Maria  (Ebele)  Schoeninger,  was 
born  in  Weil,  one  of  the  old  free  cities  of  Schwaben, 
on  the  20th  of  January,  1833.  He  was  liberally 
educated,  and  after  having  passed  through  the  high 
schools  of  his  native  land,  lie  secured  employment  in 
the  large  dry-goods  house  conducted  by  his  uncle, 
David  Gall,  in  llastadt,  Baden.  This  business  he 
entered  as  an  apprentice,  but  by  good  work  and  steady 
application  he  soon  occupied  the  position  of  first  sales- 
man, in  which  position  he  found  that  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  get  an  iusight  into  business  correspondence 
and  book-keeping,  as  well  as  many  other  branches  of 
mercantile  life.  Of  this  chance  he  eagerly  availed 
himself,  and  when  he  resigned  his  position,  after  seven 
years'  service,  he  found  that  he  was  thoroughly  pro- 
ficient in  all  phases  of  mercantile  life.  During  his 
residence  in  Baden,  Brentano  was  named  dictator,  and 
Mr.  Schoeninger  witnessed  the  court-martial  by  the 
Prussians,  after  they  had  taken  possession,  and  saw  a 
number  of  the  deplorable  executions  of  men  innocent 
of  all  crime,  save  that  they  failed  to  free  their  people 
from  the  oppressors'  yoke. 

In  1854  Mr.  Schoeninger,  in  com  pan  v  with  a 
younger  brother,  came  to  America.  He  first  located 
in  Philadelphia,  and  was  employed  in  different  business 
houses  of  that  city  until  18n7,  when  he  started  in  busi- 
ness for  himself.  Here  he  soon  became  prosperous, 
and  was  quite  prominent  in  different  German  societies 
of  both  a  social  and  benevolent  character.  lie  re- 
mained in  Philadelphia  until  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  War,  and  then  enlisting  he  went  to  the  front  in 


command  of  a  company  of  the  Seventy-fifth  Regiment 
of  Pennsylvania.  After  gallant  service  he  came  to 
Chicago  in  1864,  having  found  upon  his  return  home 
that  he  was  again  penniless.  Not  allowing  thistodaunt 
him,  however,  he  secured  employment  and  set  about 
retrieving  his  shattered  fortunes.  He  was  employed 
in  the  chinaware  business  of  Albert  Pick  for  one  year, 
and  then  started  a  furniture  factory  at  the  corner  of 
Desplaines  and  Union  streets,  which  however  was 
destroved  by  fire  one  year  later,  in  1866.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  he  took  charge,  on  his  own  account,  of 
a  small  factory,  situated  on  the  site  of  his  present 
magnificent  plant,  that  had  been  before  that  time  con- 
ducted by  Vergho,  Ruhling  &  Co.  Under  his  manage- 
ment the  business  prospered,  and  its  capacity  was 
being  steadily  increased  until  in  the  fall  of  1871,  when 
the  great  fire  occurred,  which  laid  almost  the  entire 
city  in  ashes,  destroyed  his  entire  plant,  including  a 
large  new  factory  building,  which  he  had  just  com- 
pleted. Having  been  insured  only  in  home  companies 
he  was  utterly  ruined,  having  nothing  left  of  his  busi- 
ness excepting  his  liabilities,  which  were  paid  in  full 
during  the  next  three  vears. 

A  banking  firm  in  Europe  knowing  Mr.  Schoenin- 
•ger's  strict  integrity  and  sterling  worth,  immediately 
offered  him  financial  assistance,  and  accepting  this  he 
immediately  rebuilt  his  factories  and  had  his  engines 
running  on  the  first  of  January,  1872,  and  in  February 
made  his  first  shipment  of  goods.  Since  that  time  his- 
success  has  been  phenomenal;  within  ten  years  he 
improved  his  plant  and  paid  back  to  the  European  firm 
every  dollar  that  had  been  advanced  to  him.  Helms 


fRGMiNENT  MEN  OF  TtfE  GREA  T 


487 


been  forced  by  the  great  demand  for  his  goods  (espe- 
cially bicycles)  to  make  many  additions  and  improve- 
ments, and  to  day  his  plant,  employing  as  it  does  over 
a  thousand  men,  is  the  largest  wheel  manufactory  in 
the  United  States.  Bicycles  of  all  grades  are  manu- 
factured for  children  and  for  adults.  The  concern  is 
now  known  as  the  Western  Wheel  Works,  and  Mr. 
Shoeninger  is  its  president.  He  now  contemplates 
increasing  the  capita!  of  the  company  by  consolidating 
with  the  main  house  in  Chicago  some  of  the  more 
important  agencies  in  other  cities,  and  intends  ulti- 
mately to  retire  from  active  business  life  by  turning 
over  to  his  sons  his  stock  in  the  corporation. 

Mr.  Schoeninger  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Augusta  Riemann,  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  20th  day  of 
January,  1857.  They  have  three  children,  one  son  and 
two  daughters.  Mr.  Schoeninger  is  one  of  the  type  of 


foreign  born  American  citizens  whose  native  land  sees 
them  depart  with  regret  and  whom  America  is  so  glad 
to  welcome  to  her  shores.  Coming  to  this  country 
unknown  and  without  capital,  he  has,  by  his  native 
industry,  strict  integrity  and  business  capacity  steadily 
pushed  on,  and  fairly  conquered  success,  notwithstand- 
ing a  series  of  misfortunes  under  which  many  would 
have  been  forced  to  break  down.  The  last  disaster 
left  him  not  only  financially  ruined,  but  also  with  a 
millstone  of  liabilities  about  his  neck,  but  this,  by  hard 
work  and  careful  economy,  he  cast  off  in  the  short 
period  of  three  years,  and  that  not  by  any  compromise, 
but  by  the  honest  payment  of  one  hundred  cents  on 
the  dollar.  The  record  is  a  suggestive  one,  to  which 
Mr.  Schoeninger  may  well  refer  with  pride,  and  which 
is  worthy  of  emulation  by  every  young  man  facing  the 
battle  of  life. 


HON.  GEORGE  R.  DAVIS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


A  NATIVE  of  the  old  Bay  State,  George  R.Davis 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Palmer,  in  the  year  18iO. 
His  father  was  Benjamin  and  his  mother  Cordelia 
(Buffing-ton)  Davis,  the  former  a  native  of  Ware,  Mass- 
achusetts, and  the  latter  a  member  of  a  well-known 
Quaker  family,  of  Connecticut.  George  attended  the  • 
public  schools  and  later  prepared  for  college  at  Williston 
Seminary,  at  East  Hampton,  Mass.,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated. This  was  just  prior  to  the  opening  of  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  so  that  instead  of  entering  college,  as  he 
had  anticipated,  he  enlisted,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  in 
the  army,  as  a  private  in  company  1>H,"  Eighth  Regi. 
ment  Massachusetts  Infantry.  He  soon  rose  from  the 
ranks  to  a  captaincy,  and  in  that  capacity  served  with 
the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps,  in  the  North  Carolina 
campaign,  until  August,  1863.  Resigning  his  commis- 
sion, he  then  returned  to  Massachusetts,  where,  under 
government  authority,  he  recruited  and  organized  a 
battery  of  light  artillery.  Not  long  after  this  he  was 
assigned  to  the  Third  Regiment  Rhode  Island  Volun- 
teer Cavalry,  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  commanded 
the  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1805,  when 
he  was  made  brevet-colonel. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  Colonel  Davis 
entered  the  civil  department  of  the  regular  army,  and 
was  assigned  to  the  department  of  the  Missouri,  then 
commanded  by  General  Sheridan.  lie  was  with  Gen- 
eral Sheridan  in  the  Indian  campaigns  of  1868  and  1869, 
which  were  of  a  stirring  character,  those  at  the  head 
waters  of  the  Washita  being  the  most  decisive,  resulting 
in  the  defeat  and  routing  of  the  famous  chief  "  Black 
Kettle  "and  his  band.  When  General  Sheridan  was 
stationed  at  Chicago,  in  1869,  Colonel  Davis  was  on 
duty  at  his  headquarters,  and  continued  his  connection 
with  the  army  until  May  1st,  1871.  lie  then  resigned 


and  took  up  his  permanent  residence  in  Chicago,  where 
he  has  made  his  home  ever  since.  For  a  time  he  was 
engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  representing  a  New 
England  life  insurance  company  as  its  general  agent 
in  Chicago. 

Col.  Davis  has  always  been  an  active  and  loyal 
Republican,  and  since  his  residence  in  Chicago  has  held 
a  conspicuous  place  in  the  councils  of  his  party,  in 
which  he  has  been  a  recognized  and  skillljil  leader.  He 
was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Second  Dis- 
trict of  Illinois  in  187S.  and  re-elected  for  the 
two  succeeding  terms.  As  a  congressman,  Colonel 
Davis  naturally  took  a  prominent  place,  and  was 
one  of  the  few  representatives  from  Chicago  to 
that  body  whose  work  on  behalf  of  their  constitu- 
ents was  attended  with  conspicuous  success.  Among 
the  important  acts. of  legislation  in  which  he  took 
a  prominent  part,  the  securing  of  a  large  appropriation 
for  improving  the  Chicago  harbor  was  chiefly  due  to 
his  efficient  and  faithful  efforts.  Succeeding  his  con- 
gressional career,  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Cook 
county,  in  1886,  for  a  term  of  four  years.  When  it 
was  finally  decided  by  Congress  to  celebrate  the  four 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  landing  of  Columbus  on 
American  soil  by  the  holding  of  a  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  Col.  Davis  was  one  of  the  foremost  in  the 
promotion  of  the  enterprise,  and  to  no  one  man  is  the 
public  more  indebted  than  to  him  for  the  selection  of 
Chicago  as  the  site  of  what  has  proved  to  be  the 
greatest  World's  Exhibition  ever  held.  He  was  after- 
wards chosen  by  the  stockholders  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  local  or  Chicago  board  of  management,  and 
upon  the  meeting  of  the  National  Board  of  commission- 
ers in  September,  1890,  that  body,  recognizing  his 
peculiar  fitness  for  the  place,  selected  Col.  Davis  as 


488 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


director-general  of  the  mammoth  undertaking.  How 
well  he  has  performed  the  difficult  and  exacting  duties 
of  that  position  is  now  a  matter  of'  history.  It  is  high 
praise  to  say  that  bis  management  fully  justified  the 
expectation  of  his  most  sanguine  friends,  and  won  the 
commendation  of  all  classes. 

A  man  of  fixed  opinions,  iron  will,  unfaltering  per- 
severance and  unusual  executive  ability,  he  at  the  same 
time  possesses  a  tireless  energy,  and  whatever  he  has 
attempted,  he  has  invariably  performed  in  a  most 
creditable  manner.  He  is  a  man  of  great  personal 
magnetism,  courteous,  yet  dignified  in  manners,  gener- 
ous to  a  fault,  kind-hearted  and  genial,  and  has  always 
attracted  to  himself  manv  warm  friends.  With  his 


splendid  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  he  combines  a 
finely  proportioned  physique,  being  strong  in  stature 
and  of  robust  constitution.  He  is  a  man  of  distin- 
guished presence,and carries  in  his  mien  theappearance 
of  a  born  leader  of  men.  lie  is  neither  dictatorial  nor 
exacting  ;  puts  on  no  false  dignity,  but  sways  men  by 
reason  of  his  commanding  ability  and  great  force  of 
character.  He  is  a  member  of  several  clubs-and  is  promi- 
nent in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  one  of  the  long- 
time members  of  the  Chicago  Commandery,  No.  19, 
Knights  Templar.  Col.  Davis  was  married  in  1867  to 
Miss  Gertrude  Schulin,  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  by 
whom  he  has  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  and  is  very 
happy  in  his  domestic  relations. 


DAVID  BRAINARD   LYMAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  able,  leading  and  representative  lawyers 
of  the  Chicago  bar,  none  stands  higher  or  is  more 
worthy  of  a  place  in  this  work  of  "Prominent  Men  of 
the  Great  West"  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
was  born  March  27,  1840,  in  Hilo,  on  the  islacd  of 
Hawaii,  Sandwich  Islands.  He. comes,  however,  of 
sturdy  New  England  stock,  and  is  the  son  of  the  Rev. 
D.  B.  Lyman,  who  was  former!}7  of  New  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  and  was  a  graduate  of  Williams  College 
and  Andover  Theological  Seminary.  In  1831,  the  Key. 
Mr.  Lyman  married  Miss  Sarah  Joiner,  of  Royalton, 
Vermont,  and  sailed  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  as  a 
missionary  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions.  Here  he  and  his  wife  labored 
indefatigably  for  the  cause  of  Christianity  and  civil- 
ization for  over  fifty  years,  till  their  death,  a  few 
years  since.  He  was  a  prominent  educator  and  much 
interested  in  the  advancement  of  the  people  of  the 
islands.  David  passed  his  early  youth  in  these 
islands  and  acquired  his  education  mainly  by  his  own 
efforts.  He  held  several  important  government  pos- 
itions at  an  early  age,  and  thereby  obtained  means  to 
gratif}7  his  desire  for  a  university  education.  In  1859, 
he  left  Honolulu,  sailed  around  Cape  Horn  and  arrived 
in  New  Bedford,  Connecticut,  in  May,  1860.  lie 
entered  Yale  College  the  following  September,  and 
graduated  in  Arts  in  1864.  He  then  entered  the 
Harvard  Latf  School  and  graduated  therefrom,  win- 
ning one  of  the  prizes  for  the  best  legal  essay,  in  1866. 
During  the  year  1864-65,  while  he  was  enrolled  as  a 
student  at  Harvard  Law  School,  he  was  connected  with 
the  Sanitary  Commission  as  hospital  visitor,  and  was 
in  charge  of  the  Fifth  Corps  hospital  of  the  army  of 
the  Potomac,  and  also  the  Point  of  Rocks  hospital  in 
Yirginia.  The  last  few  weeks  of  his  service  he  was  in 
charge  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  of  the  forces  con- 
centrated about  Washington. 

In  1865  Mr.  Lvman    was  admitted    to   the   bar   in 


Boston,  and  the  same  year  removed  to  Chicago  and 
secured  a  clerkship  in  the  law  office  of  Messrs.  Waite 
&  Clark,  where  he  remained  two  years.  July  1,  1869, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Col.  Huntington  W. 
Jackson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lyman  &  Jackson, 
which  is  to-day  the  oldest  law  partnership  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Lynwn  has  fine  literary  attainments,  and  is  a 
good  classical  scholar.  He  has  been  highly  successful 
in  his  profession.  While  he  has,  perhaps,  devoted 
more  time  to  real  estate  and  corporation  law  than  any 
other  branch,  so  general  has  been  his  reading,  and  such 
has  been  his  industry,  that  as  a  general  practitioner  he 
is  at  home  anywhere,  except  in  criminal  cases,  which 
he  never  takes.  He  is  always  found  ready  for  attack 
or  defense.  He  has  decided  natural  ability,  and  by 
the  thoroughness  with  which  he  prepares  his  cases,  he 
illustrates  the  truth  of  the  well  known  maxim:  "There 
is  no  excellence  without  labor." 

While  Mr.  Lyman  has  probably  a  higher  reputa- 
tion as  an  able  and  learned  counselor  than  as  an  advo- 
cate, yet  such  is  his  understanding  and  so  thoroughly 
does  he  investigate  and  prepare  his  cases,  that  his  ar- 
guments carry  more  weight  than  those  of  many  mem- 
bers of  the  bar  who  may,  perhaps,  be  more  eloquent. 
He  has  the  confidence  of  his  clients,  because  they  know 
that  he  will  not  ad  vise  them  to  commence  a  suit  unless 
they  have  a  good  case,  and  then  only  when  there  is  no 
remedy  for  them  save  in  litigation.  He  is  noted  for 
his  untiring  industry,  for  his  painstaking  preparation 
and  management  of  his  cases,  for  his  unvarying  cour- 
tesy toward  every  one  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact, 
and  for  his  most  thorough  and  conscientious  discharge 
of  his  duty  to  his  clients.  These  qualities,  added  to 
his  well  known  ability  and  learning,  have  given  him  a 
high  standing  with  his  brethren  of  the  bar  as  well  as 
with  the  courts. 

Mr.  Lyman  takes  no  active  part  in  politics,  but  is  a 
staunch  Republican  in  his  affiliations. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


49I 


He  was  married  October  5,  1 870,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Cossitt,  daughter  of  Mr.  F.  D.  Cossitt,  of  Chicago. 
They  have  three  children  living. 

Mr.  Lyman  is  interested,  either  as  director  or 
trustee,  in  a  number  of  corporations,  and  is  president 
of  the  Chicago  Title  and  Trust  Company,  which  he 
was  largelv  instrumental  in  forming.  Mr.  Lyman  has 
long  been  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Bar  Association, 
and  in  1893  was  elected  its  president,  which  position 
he  holds  at  the  present  time.  In  social  life  Mr.  Lyman 
is  much  esteemed.  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Union  league,  University  and  Church  clubs,  and  he  was 
the  first  president  of  the  last  named.  He  is  an  earnest 
and  active  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  resides 
in  La  Grange,  one  of  Chicago's  most  beautiful  suburbs. 


Mr.  Lyman  has  always  been  a  believer  in  and  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  cause  of  education.  He  has 
served  for  eighteen  years  on  the  board  of  education  of  La 
Grange  in  various  capacities,  as  one  of  its  members  and 
as  its  president.  Largely  through  his  efforts  the  Lyons 
township  high  school  was  established  after  a  four' 
years'  campaign,  during  which  time  the  project  was 
repeatedly  voted  down.  Being  a  zealous  advocate  of 
the  common  school  system,  each  defeat,  however,  only 
added  to  his  earnestness,  and  he  has  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  both  the  grammar  and  high  schools  established 
at  La  Grange,  ranking  among  the  best  to  be  found  in 
any  part  of  the  country.  Mr.  Lyman  is  appreciated 
and  highly  esteemed  by  the  entire  community  in  which 
he  lives. 


THOMAS  W.  PALMER, 

DETROIT,  MICHIGAN. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography,  one  of  Michigan's 
"  favorite  sons  "  and  most  honored  citizens,  is  pre- 
eminently a  self-made  man.  He  began  life  with  a 
definite  purpose  in  view,  worked  faithfully,  honestly 
and  with  a  will  for  its  accomplishment,  and  now 
enjoys  a  more  than  national  reputation  as  a  man  of 
progressive  ideas,  fine  attainments,  high-minded,  pure 
hearted  and  clean-handed.  His  native  city,  Detroit, 
where  he  was  born,  January  25,  1830,  has  always  been 
his  home.  He  has  grown  with  her  growth,  prospered 
with  her  prosperity,  and  is  a  most  worthy  representa- 
tive of  her  enterprise  and  greatness. 

He  traces  his  ancestry  to  New  England  and  early 
colonial  families,  his  father  having  been  a  native  of 
Connecticut  and  his  mother  of  Vermont.  His  father 
was  a  merchant  in  Detroit  during  the  territorial  days 
of  Michigan,  and  a  representative  man  of  his  time, 
widely  known  for  his  sterling  quali-ties;  and  by  the 
few  survivors  of  those  early  da}rs  who  were  associated 
witli  him  he  is  held  in  affectionate  remembrance.  The 
mother,  a  daughter  of  J'udge  James  Witherell,  a 
descendant  of  Roger  Williams,  and  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  and  representative  men  of  the  Territory  of 
Michigan,  was  a  woman  of  many  virtues  and  generous 
impulses  and  is  remembered  with  tenderest  regard  for 
her  earnest  Christian  spirit  and  charitable  deeds.  She 
was  one  of  the  first  Methodists  in  Detroit.  Mr.  Pal- 
mer's father  and  his  mother's  father  were  included 
among  those  surrendered  by  Gen.  Hull  in  1812. 

Thomas  was  reared  in  the  city  of  Detroit  until 
twelve,  when  he  entered  Mr.  Thompson's  academy  at 
St.  Clair,  Mich.,  then  the  village  of  Palmer,  named 
from  his  father.  Leaving  the  academy  he  entered  the 
freshman  class  at  the  university  at  Ann  Arbor,  and 
remained  one  year.  His  eyes  failing,  he  was  compelled 
to  abandon  his  studies  and  spent  a  portion  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  upon  Lake  Superior.  His  eyesight  being 


partially  restored,  he 'resumed  his  studies  at  Ann  Arbor 
for  about  six  months.  His  eyesight  again  failing,  he, 
with  five  others,  left  Ann  Arbor  for  a  voyage  to  Spain 
in  the  fall  of  1848.  He  landed  at  Cadiz,  after  a  thirty- 
days'  winter  voyage,  and  for  two  months  traveled  on 
foot  through  the  country,  visiting  the  Alhambra  in 
Grenada  and  other  points  of  interest.  Returning  to 
Cadiz,  he  took  ship  for  South  America,  landing  at  Rio 
Janiero  in  1849.  After-passing  three  months  in  South 
America,  he  returned  home  via  New  Orleans,  spending 
two  months  in  the  Southern  States.  In  1850  he  went 
to  Wisconsin  and  spent  one  year  as  agent  of  a  trans- 
portation company.  In  1851  he  went  into  business  at 
Appleton,  Wis.,  where  he  was  burned  out  and  finan- 
cially ruined.  In  1853  he  returned  to  Detroit  and 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business.  In  1855  he 
engaged  in  the  lumbering  business,  which,  with  the 
purchase  and  sale  of  pine  lands,  has,  to  a  great  extent, 
been  his  vocation  since.  He  is  also  prominently  con- 
nected with  large  lumber  firms  and  mills. 

Mr.  Palmer  has  been  an  active  and  staunch  member 
of  the  Republican  part}7  ever  since  its  organization. 
He  has  been  called  to  high  positions  and  important 
trusts  in  the  party,  and  has  never  failed  to  acquit 
himself  in  a  manner  to  gall  forth  the  approval  of  his 
fellow-citizens.  He  was  never  a  candidate  for  office 
until  he  ran  for  one -of  the  estimators-at-large  of  the 
city  of  Detroit  in  1873.  In  1878,  Mr.  Palmer  declined 
the  nomination  for  Congress,  but  at  the  earnest  solicit- 
ation of  his  friends  lie  accepted  the  nomination  for  State 
senator,  tendered  him  by  acclamation,  and  was  elected. 
Two  years  later,  in  the  convention,  he  made  an 
unsuccessful  race  for  the  nomination  of  governor  of 
liis  State,  but  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  to  succeed 
the  Hon.  T.  W.  Ferry  in  the  United  States  Senate,  for 
a  term  of  six  years,  beginning  March  4,  1883,  and  but 
for  his  voluntary  retirement  from  politics  would  have 


492 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  TJ1E  GKEA  T  WEST. 


been  re-elected  without  opposition  for  a  second  term 
His  name  was  prominently  discussed  for  a  cabinet 
position  before  the  conclusion  of  his  term  of  office  in  the 
Senate.  In  April,  1889,  he  was  nominated  by  President 
Harrison  and  confirmed  as  minister  to  Spain.  He 
resigned  the  office  in  May,  1890,  preferring  the  life  of  a 
private  citizen  at  home  to  that  of  a  government  official 
stationed  in  Madrid. 

In  June,  1890,  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Harrison  as  one  of  the  commissioners-at-large  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  to  be  held  at  Chicago  in 
1893,  and  upon  the  meeting  of  that  body,  June  27th, 
was  unanimously  elected  its  president,  an  office  for 
which  his  native  executive  ability,  and  rich  and 
varied  experiences  as  an  organizer  most  eminently 
fitted  him. 

He  married  Miss  Lizzie  P.,  daughter  of  Charles  P. 
Merrill,  in  1855.  He  has  no  children. 


Personally,  Mr.  Palmer  is  a  man  of  great  firmness 
and  decision  of  character,  and  cool  and  deliberate  in 
his  judgments.  He  is  at  the  same  time  a  man  of 
advanced  and  progressive  ideas,  enterprise  and  good- 
ness of  heart,  that  discover  themselves  in  all  his  acts, 
and  attract  the  admiration  and  win  and  hold  confi- 
dence of  all  witli  whom  he  has  to  do.  He  is  a 
generous  man,  public-spirited,  and  contributes  liberally 
of  his  time,  energy  and  money  to  religious  and  philan- 
thropic interests,  and  to  whatever  conduces  to  the 
welfare  of  his  city  and  the  good  of  his  fellows.  He  is 
a  man  of  fine  literary  tastes,  a  lover  and  liberal  patron 
of  art,  and  was  one  of  the  projectors  and  founders  of 
the  Detroit  Art  Museum.  In  short,  Mr.  Palmer  has 
made  his  life  a  decided  success,  and  with  his  influence 
and  wealth,  and  a  will  to  put  them  to  the  noblest  use, 
he  deservedly  holds  a  leading  place  among  his  fellow- 
citizens. 


CASSIUS  C.  MERRITT, 


DULUTH,   MINNESOTA. 


CASSIUS  C.  MERRITT,  son  of  Lewis  H.  and 
Hephzibeth  (Jewett)  Merritt,  was  born  at  Tid- 
ioute,  Warren  county,  Penn.,  on  the  5th  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1851,  where  the  first  four  years  of  his  life  were 
passed.  In  1855  his  father  went  to  the  "head  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  for  the  time  being  left  his  family  in  Aus- 
tinburg,  (Ashtabula  Co.)  Ohio,  on  account  of  the  ex- 
cellent school  privileges  to  be  enjoyed  there.  In  1856 
the  entire  family  went  to  join  the  father,  making  the 
trip  on  the  popular  "Manhattan,"  and  after  a  stormy 
voyage  of  two  weeks  arrived  in  the  latter  part  of  Nov- 
ember. The  mother  and  younger  children  remained 
in  Superior  for  two  weeks  and  then  went  on  to  Oneota, 
where  the  family  resided  until  1872.  Here  it  was  that 
Cassius  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  and  acquired  his 
education.  He  was  employed  during  the  summer 
working  on  farms,  clearing  land  and  working  in  and 
about  sawmills,  and  attending  school  during  the  winter, 
although  the  better  part  of  his  education  was  acquired 
by  home  study  under  the  tuition  of  his  eldest  brother 
Jerome.  In  1869  his  father  built  a  large  hotel  and 
boarding  house  in  Oneota,  upon  which  he  worked  as  a 
carpenter  during  its  construction,  and  after  its  comple- 
tion worked  in  the  house  in  any  capacity  where  he 
could  be  useful.  During  the  winters  of  1869  and  1870, 
he  taught  the  district  school  at  Fond  du  Lac,  each  term 
lasting  four  months.  In  the  winter  of  1872  he  was 
employed  in,  the  lumber  woods  at  Spirit  Lake,  by  his 
brothers  Napoleon  and  Alfred,  and  during  the  following 
summer  at  Munger  &  Gray's  sawmill  in  Oneota.  In 
September  he  left  the  mills  and  went  to  Chautauqua 
countv,  New  York,  and  to  Wan-en  county,  Penn.,  where 
he  visited  his  old  home  and  his  fathers'  relatives. 

On  his  return  to  Duluth,  on  the  10th  of  October,  he 


entered  the  office  of  Nehemiah  Hulett,  county  treas- 
urer, as  deputy.  Here  he  remained  for  nearly  three 
years  as  acting  deputy  county  treasurer,  deputy  county 
auditor  and  deputy  register  of  deeds,  and  being  for 
many  days  at  a  time,  during  the  winter  of  1873-74-,  the 
only  man  in  the  office  who  was  able  to  attend  to  the 
official  business  without  assistance.  In  June,  1875,  he 
bought  a  one-third  interest  in  a  small  schooner  which 
his  brothers  Alfred  and.Leonidas  had  built  at  Oneota, 
and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month  he  resigned  his 
position  in  the  county  treasurer's  office  and  went  to 
work  on  the  schooner,  helping  to  fit  her  out.  He 
worked  on  the  schooner  during  that  summer  as  a  man 
before  the  mast,  and  when  the  vessel  was  laid  up  for 
the  wifiter  in  Duluth  he  returned  to  the  count}'  audit- 
or's office  where  he  made  out  the  tax  books.  In  the. 
spring  he  got  out  telegraph  poles  for  Alfred  Merritt, 
and  in  the  summer  worked  on  the  vessel, .which  cruised 
between  Duluth  and  South  Shore  ports  as  far  south  as 
Eagle  Harbor.  They  laid  the  vessel  up  for  the  winter 
late  in  November  and  Mr.  Merritt  again  went  into  the 
county  auditor's  office,  where  he  worked  until  the 
20th  of  February.  On  the  27th  of  February  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eliza  Felt,  at  Anoka,  Minn., 
and  went  to  Oeonta  on  the  1st  of  March,  where  he 
worked  again  for  a  few  weeks  at  his  old  place  in  the 
auditor's  office.  In  May  he  moved  to  Duluth,  where 
he  secured  employment  as  head  clerk  in  the  dry  goods 
store  of  L.  G.  Hughes.  Pie  remained  there  until  the 
12th  of  June,  when  he  shipped  as  first  officer  of  the 
schooner  "Alice  Craig,"  which  was  owned  by  L.  G. 
Hughes  and  Leonidas  Merritt,  who  was  also  captain, 
and  remained  in  that  position  until  the  vessel  was  laid 
up  in  November. 


\v* 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


In  January  (1877)  he  hired  out  as  cook  in  a  camp 
of  tie-makers  on  the  Little  Pokegamony  and  staid  until 
the  camp  broke  up  in  March,  when  lie  again  took  his 
famil}'  to  One<;ta.  In  the  following  winter  he  took  a 
contract  to  cut  200  cords  of  wood  for  Wm.  R.  Stone  in 
the  woods  on  the  "Big  Pokegamony,  commencing  on 
the  first  of  January,  having  with  him  two  of  his 
brothers  and  two  other  men.  They  staid  in  the  woods, 
doing  their  own  cooking  and  camp  work,  until  the 
middle  of  March  and  got  out  125  cords  of  wood.  The 
ice  in  the  bay  broke  up  on  the  17th  of  March,  when  he 
went  to  work  on  the  sco.w  for  Thomas  Sandilands  and 
Alfied  Merritt,  who  were  engaged  in  shipping  cord- 
wood  from  Pokegamony  P>ay  to  Wm.  R.  Stone's  dock 
in  Duluth,  and  worked  for  them  until  the  5th  of  May. 
lie  then  went  to  Atchison  county,  Mo.,  and  worked 
upon  the  farm  owned  by  his  brother,  A.  R.  Merritt, 
staying  for  one  year,  at  a  salary  of  $25  per  month.  The 
following  year  he  rented  a  farm  and  raised  a  crop 
besides  doing  work  for  others  when  he  had  spare 
time. 

He  remained  in  Missouri  until  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  which  occurred  March  10,  1880,  and  then 
returned  to  Superior,  where  he  went  to  work  as  a 
book-keeper  for  James  Barton,  remaining  five  months. 
He  then  went  into  the  woods  exploring  pine  lands  in 
Douglas  county,  where  he  spent  seven  months.  He  was 
then  employed  by  Eaton  &  Merritt,  a  Duluth  firm  who 
dealt  in  pine  lands,  and  remained  for  one  year  exploring 
pine  lands  in  northern  Minnesota.  In  the  fall  he  built  a 
store  in  Superior  and  in  partnership  with  A.  N.  Doe  put 
in  a  stock  of  groceries  under  the  firm  name  of  Merritt 
&  Doe.  This  store  they  conducted  for  two  years,  al- 
though most  of  Mr.  Merritt's  time  was  spent  in  the 
pine  woods  exploring.  At  the  end  of  the  two  years 
Mr.  Merritt  disposed  of  his  store  interests.and  until  the 
fall  of  1886  put  in  his  whole  time  in  exploring  land. 
In  September,  1886,  he  went  into  partnership  with  II. 
B.  Crandall,  under  the  firm  name  of  Crandall  & 
Merritt,  and  engaged  in  the  general  real  estate  busi- 
ness. The  partnership,  however,  was  dissolved  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1887,  and  from  that  time  Mr.  Merritt  continued 


495 

alone  the.business  of  handling  real  estate  and  pine  lands 
until  February,  1890. 

In  April,  1889,  Mr.  Merritt  was  employed  by  M.  B. 
Harrison  and  W.  K.  Rogers  to  run  a  preliminary  line 
of  railroad  from  Duluth  to  the  Canadian  boundary  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  and  in  June 
while  crossing  the  Missaba  Heights  he  found  specimens 
of  high  grade  hematite  float,  which  convinced  him  of 
the  presence  of  large  deposits  of  high  grade  iron  ore, 
and  he  so  reported  to  Mr.  Harrison.  As  soon  as  he 
had  finished  the  railroad  line  he  took  charge  of  the 
purchasing  of  iron  lands  in  the  Missaba  region  for  a 
syndicate,  composed  of  M.  B.  Harrison,  Alfred  and 
Leonidas  Merritt,  R.  H.  Palmer  and  himself,  and  so 
spent  a  whole  winter.  They  then  formed  a  company 
for  the  development  of  the  mines,  and  the  result  was 
the  Mountain  Iron  Company,  since  recognized  as  the 
best  company  of  th<i  kind  in  Minnesota.  In  February, 
1890,  Mr.  Merritt  took  into  partnership  with  him  his 
brother,  A.  R.  Merritt,  and  the  business  was  continued 
as  C.  C.  &  A.  R.  Merritt  until  January  1,  1893,  when 
he  retired  in  order  to  give  his  entire  attention  to  his 
duties  as  treasurer  of  the  Duluth,  Missaba  &  Northern 
Railroad,  of  which  road  he  was  one  of  the  projectors, 
and  in  the  interests  of  which  he  has  given  a  great  deal 
of  his  time  and  not  a  little  money. 

Mr.  Merritt  has  been  an  attendant  of  the  Methodist 
church  since  his  earliest  youth  and  joined  the  same 
when  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  has  alwaj's  taken  a 
great  interest  and  a  leading  part  in  church  work  and  is 
well  known  as  a  cheerful  and  generous  contributor  to 
all  calls  for  charity.  Until  1872  he  was  a  Republican, 
but  since  that  time  he  has  been  a  Prohibitionist.  He  is 
a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  enjoys  the  best 
of  health.  Of  decided  convictions,  he  forms  his  opinions 
quickly,  and  once  formed  he  clings  to  his  decisions 
with  a  tenacity  that  nothing  can  shake,  and  is  gener- 
ally found  to  be  in  the  right.  He  has  make  his  own 
way  in  life,  and  what  he  is  to-day  he  owes  to  himself 
and  to  the  habits  of  steady  application,  hard  work,  and 
the  practice  of  the  strictest  integrity — a  trait  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  entire  family. 


JESSE  HOLDOM, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JESSE  HOLDOM  was  born  in  London,  England, 
August  23rd,  1851.  He  received  an  academic 
education  in  his  native  city,  and  upon  its  completion 
entered  a  law  office  in  London,  and  there  gained  a  good 
rudimentary  knowledge  of  English  law.  Upon  coming 
to  the  United  Slates  in  1868,  he  located  in  Chicago, 
and  after  some  two  years  of  additional  study  entered 
the  law  office  of  Messrs.  J.  C.  and  J.  J.  Knickerbocker^ 
in  1870.  Upon  the  election  of  Mr.  J.  C.  Knickerbocker 
as  judge  of  the  probate  court,  Mr.  Holdom  entered  into 


partnership  with  his  brother,  J.  J.  Knickerbocker.  The 
law  firm  of  Knickerbocker  &  Holdom  maintained  a 
leading  position  at  the  bar,  during  the  ten  years  of  its 
existence,  and  developed  a  large  and  extensive  practice. 
In  February,  1889,  the  above  partnership  was  dissolved 
and  since  that  time  Mr.  Iloldom  has  practiced  alone. 
Common  law,  chancery,  real  estate  and  probate  suits 
have  constituted  the  bulk  of  his  business,  and  he  has 
devoted  more  time  to  these  branches  than  to  others. 
He  has  been  connected  with,  and  in  fact,  had  the  entire 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


496 

management  of  some  of  the  largest  estates  that  have 
been  through  the  courts. 

Among  the  cases  which  brought  his  name  into  prom- 
inence was  that  of  Winch,  minor,  vs.  Thomas  Tobin, 
guardian,  which  was  carried  to  the  supreme  court  of 
Illinois.  His  argument  was  based  upon  a  writ  of  error 
sued  out  of  that  court,  attacking  the  constitutionality 
of  the  act  of  the  legislature  conferring  jurisdiction 
upon  the  probate  court  in  guardianship  matters,  and  its 
power  to  order  the  sale  of  a  minor's  real  estate.  An 
order  had  been  made  disposing  of  valuable  property  to 
the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  railroad  com- 
pany. It  was  the  opinion  of  many  leading  lawyers 
that  the  above  court  had  no  jurisdiction  in  such  cases. 
Mr.  Iloldom,  however,  succeeded  in  sustaining  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  probate  court  in  that  case,  and  the 
decision  of  the  supreme  court  set  the  matter  at  rest. 
The  Supreme  Court  Reports  bear  evidence  of  his 
continuous  and  successful  business.  Mr.  Holdom 
possesses,  also,  quite  an  extensive  foreign  clientage, 
and  frequently  visits  Europe  on  behalf  of  the  various 
interests  with  which  he  is  connected. 

His  law  library  is  very  extensive  and  complete, 
besides  which  he  has  a  library'  of  general  literature 
that  numbers  over  three  thousand  volumes,  among 
which  are  many  rare  books  and  some  of  great  value. 
Very  naturally,  he  takes  much  pride  in  the  possession 
of  numerous  rare  works  relating  to  the  history  of  his 
native  city,  comprising,  as  they  do,  a  complete  history 
of  the  city  of  London,  from  the  earliest  to  the  present 


time.  In  his  fine  residence  are  also  to  be  found  many 
rare  works  of  art.  Mr.  Holdom  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League,  Hamilton,  Oakland,  Law  and  other  clubs  of  Chi- 
cago. In  1890  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Fifer  pub- 
lic guardian  for  Cook  county,  and  upon  the  death  of 
Judge  Knickerbocker,  Mr.  Iloldom,  though  not  a 
candidate  for  the  vacant  probate  judgeship,  was  prom- 
inently mentioned  for  the  place,  and  his  name  met 
with  much  favor  from  Governor  Fifer.  , 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  In  his  religious 
connections  he  is  an  Episcopalian,  being  a  member  of 
Trinity  Church.  He  was  married,  in  1876,  to  Miss 
Edith  I.  Foster,  of  Ovid,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has  had 
three  children.  Mrs.  Iloldom  died  in  the  summer 
of  1891. 

Personally  Mr.  Iloldom  is  affable,  genial  and 
sociable,  and  is  fond  of  good-fellowship.  He  is  recog- 
nized for  his  strict  integrity,  and  his  whole  career  has 
been  characterized  by  an  uprightness  of  purpose  and 
conscientious  endeavor.  As  a  lawyer  he  possesses  not 
only  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law,  but  is  an  advo- 
cate of  acknowledged  ability,  convincing  in  his  argu- 
ments drawn  from  his  knowledge  of  the  law  and  the  facts 
of  the  particular  case  he  has  in  hand.  Now  in  the  prime 
of  life,  Mr.  Holdom  has  secured  an  extensive  and  lucra- 
tive practice  and  sustains  a  high  reputation  among  the 
legal  fraternity,  and  as  a  public-spirited,  high  minded 
citizen  who  is  a  credit  to  Chicago,  where  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years  he  has  lived,  and  where  during  much 
of  that  time  he  has  been  a  prominent  figure. 


ALBERT  E.  HUMPHREYS, 


DULUTH,    MINNESOTA. 


ALBERT  E.  HUMPHREYS  was  born  at  Sisson- 
ville,  a  small  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Poca- 
taligo  river,  Wes*;  Virginia,  on  the  llth  day  of  January, 
1860.  He  is  descended  from  stalwart  original  Virginia 
stock  on  both.,  his  father's  and  his  mother's  side.  His 
father,  Ira  A.  Humphreys,  and  his  mother,  Eleanor  A. 
Humphreys,  nee  Dawson,  are  still  living  at  Charleston, 
W.  Va. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
village  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered 
Marshall  College,  Huntington,  W.  Va.,  and  continued 
his  studies  there  for  one  year.  He  then  taught  school 
for  a  short  time,  and  soon  after  the  completion  of  his 
sixteenth  year  took  a  position  as  cierk.in  his  father's 
store.  Ilis  favorite  study  was  mathematics,  and  he 
was  thorough  and  proficient  in  all  the  branches  of  that 
subject  which  were  included  in  his  courses  at  school 
and  college.  At  a  very  early  age  he  developed  a  very, 
marked  capacity  and  preference  for  business  pursuits, 
and  took  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  engage  in 
small  business  ventures  of  his  own,  which  brought  him 
more  or  less  in  contact  with  business  men,  and  his 


inquiring  mind  led  him  to  acquire  information  beyond 
his  years  concerning  the  great  laws  of  supply  and 
demand,  and  the  relations  which  his  small  ventures  bore 
to  the  great  volume  of  trade  which  went  to  make  up 
the  commerce  of  a  nation.  This  natural  bent  of  his 
mind  enabled  him -to  quickly  discern  the  relations 
between  his  studies  and  the  practical  affairs  of  life,  and 
gave  to  them  a  reality  and  interest  which  is  not  usu- 
ally felt  until  much  later  in  life;  so  that  he  early 
acquired  that  habit  of  earnestness  and  concentration 
which  is,  after  all,  the  great  lesson  to  be  learned  in  the 
schools. 

Mr.  Humphreys  is  of  a  naturally  studious  and  philo- 
sophical turn  of  mind,  a  close  observer,  with  a  retentive 
memory,  and  the  limited  education  acquired  by  him 
in  his  comparatively  few  years  of  schooling,  has  since 
been  supplemented  by  an  extended  and  judicious 
course  of  reading,  and  by  continual  contact  with 
leading  men  in  every  profession  and  calling,  until  he 
may  well  be  said  to  possess  a  liberal  education  in  the 
best  sense  of  that  term. 

After  entering  his  father's  store  he  devoted  himself 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


499 


enthusiastically  and  energetically  to  business,  and  with- 
out interfering  with  the  duties  of  his  employment, 
undertook  and  carried  out,  on  his  own  account,  several 
enterprises  from  which  he  netted  a  considerable  sum  of 
monev,  and  in  other  ways  evinced  such  a  pronounced 
business  capacity,  that  at  the  expiration  of  the  year  his  • 
father  took  him  into  partnership.  The  business  was 
continued  at  Sissonville  until  the  year  1884,  when  it 
had  acquired  such  great  proportions  that  it  was  found 
necessary  to  remove  to  Charleston,  "W.  Va.,  which 
place  afforded  greater  facilities  for  distribution  and 
extension. 

In  the  year  1891  Mr.  Humphrey's  attention  was 
attracted  to  Duluth  by  what  he  learned  of  the  great 
opportunities  afforded  for  investment  in  iron  properties 
in  the  ranges  tributary  to  that  city.  He  made  a  careful 
personal  investigation  of  the  region,  and  was  so  favor- 
ably impressed  that  he  at  once  made  large  investments 
in  iron  lands,  and  moved  to  that  city,  where  he  has 
since  resided,  in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  give 
his  personal  supervision  to  the  development  of  the  pro- 
perty he  had  acquired.  His  sagacity  and  judgment 
were  vindicated  in  a  most  marked  degree,  for  he  now 
owns  a  controlling  interest  in  more  valuable  iron 
mines,  in  the  richest  deposits  ever  discovered,  than 
perhaps  any  other  one  man  in  the  world.  He  lias  also 
since  he  came  to  Duluth,  purchased  and  developed 
what  is  probably  the  richest  and  most  remarkable 
gold  mine  ever  discovered,  the  Ophir  mine,  in  what  is 
known  as  .the  'Sudbury  district,  in  the  province  of 
Ontario,  Canada.  Mr.  Humphreys  has  man}'  other 
valuable  properties  in  western  States  and  Canada, 
which  are  in  process  of  development,  after  having  been 
thoroughly  tested  and  proven  of  value.  In  the  course 
of  his  business  Mr.  Humphreys  has  visited  nearly  every 
State  in  the  Union,  and  almost  every  part  of  Canada, 
and  has  many  warm  and  influential  friends  and 
acquaintances  as  widely  distributed.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Elks.  He  is 


liberal  in  his  religious  views,  and  is  a  staunch  Sam  Ran- 
dall, or  protectionist,  Democrat. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  1837,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Alice  K.  Boyd,  the  beautiful  and  accomplished 
daughter  of  Capt.  C.  W.  Boyd,  of  Ripley,  Ohio.  They 
have  one  child,  a  son,  Ira  Boyd  Humphreys,  aged  four 
years.  Mr.  Humphreys  makes  it  an  invariable  custom 
to  leave  his  business  cares  behind  him  when  he  crosses 
the  thresh  hold  of  his  home,  and  once  inside  the  doors 
he  is  solely  and  entirely  the  devoted  husband  and 
father  and  hospitable  friend. 

In  appearance  Mr.  Humphreys  is  a  striking  figure, 
six  feet  tall,  erect,  well  proportioned,  with  a  graceful 
carriage,  and  elastic  step.  He  has  a  clear,  fresh  com- 
plexion, bright  blue- eyes  and  regular  white  teeth.  He 
has  a  kindly  smile  and  pleasant  greeting  for  every  one, 
while  his  whole  bearing  is  dignified  and  manly:  he 
would  attract  a  second  look  anywhere,  and  leave  the 
impression  that  he  was  a  worthy  descendant  of  a  proud 
and  enterprising  race.  In  conversation  he  is  fluent, 
logical  and  convincing;  his  business  methods  are  frank 
and  honest,  and  characterized  by  that  high  sense  of 
honor  which  comes  to  him  as  a  second  nature  from  a 
long  line  of  high-bred  Virginian  ancestry.  He  will 
not  take  up  the  consideration  of  any  new  business 
matter  that  does  not  promise  large  returns,  but  once 
he  consents  to  entertain  a  proposition,  he  gives  it  a 
thorough  and  patient  investigation  downtoits  minutest 
details.  He  sees  clearly  and  quickly  every  advantage 
and  disadvantage,  and  follows  each  proposition  logically 
to  its  ultimate  result  with  remarkable  rapidity,  and  his 
examination  once  completed,  he  promptly  decides  for 
or  against  the  proposition. 

Socially,  Mr.  Humphreys  is  a  genial,  courteous 
gentleman,  a  pleasant,  entertaining  companion  and  a 
warm  friend.  He  is  kind  and  just  to  those  dependent 
on  him,  and  is  manly  and  unostentatious  in  his  dealings 
with  all.  He  has  many  staunch  friends  among  all 
classes  of  men,  who  are  justly  proud  of  the  record  he 
has  made  in  his  brief  career  of  thirty-four  years. 


FRANCIS  W.  WALKER, 

CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS. 


FRANCIS  W.WALKER  comes  of  old  New  England 
stock,  while  his  father,  Lucas  B.,  and  his  mother, 
Lucinda  (Le  Suer)  Walker,  were  natives  of  New  York 
State.  His  ancestry  dates  back  to  the  early  colonial 
days  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  He  was  born 
in  Chicago  on  October  12,  1856,  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  Chicago  schools.  He  is  in  the  fullest 
sense  a  self-made  man,  for,  while  still  a  boy,  the  great 
fire  destroyed  the  business  of  his  father,  who  was  at 
that  time  a  prosperous  merchant  on  South  Water  street, 
and  the  boy  Francis  was  compelled  at  an  early  age  to 
work  out,  alone  and  unaided,  the  career  which  he  had 


decided  upon  for  himself.  His  earliest  ambitions  were 
to  enter  the  profession  of  the  law.  Immediately  after 
the  fire  we  find  young  Walker  filling  a  position  in  the 
mailing  department  of  the  Chicago  Times.  In  addition 
to  this  work  he  established  a  large  paper  route  and  did 
the  work  of  selling  and  distributing  his  papers  himself. 
While  carrying  on  this  work  he  still  kept  up  his 
attendance  at  the  high  school.  After  completing  the 
high  school  course  he  spent  two  years  at  Dyrenforth's 
Academy. 

In     1875  Mr.    Walker   entered    the   law   office  of 
Luther  Laflin  Mills,  carrying  on  his  studies  here  in  con- 


500 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


nection  with  his  course  in  the  Union  College  of  Law. 
After  graduating  with  high  honors  in  1877,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Lawrence  M.  Ennis,  of  this  city, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Ennis  &  Walker.  This  part- 
nership continued  until  December,  1884,  when  Mr. 
Walker  was  appointed  first  assistant  State's  attorney. 
In  the  history  of  this  city  there  ha.s  been  no  period  so 
stormy  and  full  of  exciting  and  important  events  as  the 
three  years  from  1884  to  1887,  during  which  time  Julius 
S.  Grinnell  was  State's  attorney,  and  Francis  W. 
Walker  was  his  first  assistant,  viz.:  the  trial  of  the  anar- 
chists; the  county  commissioners  charged  with  bribery 
and  fraud,  known  as  the  "bocdler  trials,"  the  three 
Italians,  whose  brutal  murders  are  still  fresh  in  the 
minds  of  many,  and  several  other  important  criminal 
trials  which  have  contributed  so  much  to  the  eventful 
history  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  1887,  Mr.  Walker 
resigned  his  position  in  the  State's  attorney's  office  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  Edward  J.  Judd,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Walker  &  Judd,  which  partnership  con- 
tinued until  January,  1892,  when  the  present  firm  of 
Walker,  Judd  &  Hawley  was  formed,  Mr.  Samuel  F. 
Hawley  being  admitted  to  the  firm  at  that  time.  Mr. 
Walker  was  county  attorney  for  Cook  county  in  1891-2. 
He  gives  his  attention  largely  to  the  practice  of  corpor- 
ation law,  having  been  prominently  connected  with 
the  affairs  of  the  South  Side  Elevated  and  the  Metro- 
politan Elevated  railways. 


Mr.  Walker  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Iroquois, 
Douglas  and  Athletic  clubs,  and  of  the  Royal  Arcanum 
and  the  Foresters.  He  is  also  a  Knight  Templar  and  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason.  In  politics  he  is  a  staunch 
Democrat  and  always  found  in  the  front  ranlc^  of 
speakers  in  every  campaign. 

Mr.  Walker  was  married  on  October  16,  1880,  to 
Miss  Lulu  C.  Calhoun,  and  has  a  pleasant  home  life. 

Intellectually,  Mr.  Walker  is  much  more  than  a 
lawyer,  as  the  large  and  well  chosen  library  at  his 
home,  and  his  fondness  for  it,  will  testify.  Metaphy- 
sics, science,  history,  political  economy,  and  in  fact  all 
branches  of  study  he  enjoys  after  the  manner  of  the 
true  scholar.  As  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Walker  finds  his 
natural  place  in  the  court  room.  He  is  recognized  as 
possessing  to  the  fullest  extent  the  qualities  which  go 
to  make  up  the  successful  advocate.  He  has  a  very 
eloquent  and  forceful  manner,  which,  together  with  his 
strong  personality  and  strength  of  character,  have 
placed  him  where  he  stands  to-day,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  members  of  the  Chicago  bar.  Possessing 
personal  and  social  qualities  of  a  higher  o'rder,  Mr. 
Walker  is  much  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him,  and  as 
a  citizen  he  has  the  confidence  and  respect  of  those 
who  appreciate  a  gentleman  of  culture.  As  an  ener- 
getic, upright  and  conscientious  lawyer  and  a  man  of 
attractive  social  qualities,  Mr.  Walker  stands  high  in 
the  estimation  of  the  entire  community. 


EDWIN  JAMES  FRY, 


MARSHALL,  TEXAS. 


EDWIN  JAMES  FRY,  son  of  Thomas  W.  and 
Sarah  J.  (McLaurine)  Fry,  was  born  at  Char- 
lottesville,  Va.,  December  1,-  1845,  and  is  a  descendant 
of  Colonel  Joshua  Fry,  of  Virginia.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  and  also  Oak  Grove  Academy,  a  pre- 
paratory school  for  the  University  of  Virginia.  His 
mother  moved  to  Texas  when  he  was  in  his  tenth 
yea-,  and  that  State  has  been  his  home  since,  though 
he  returned  to  Virginia  to  attend  school  in  1859  and 
stayed  until  early  in  1861,  when  be  returned  to  Texas 
and  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army  (in  1863)  under 
Captain  Edwards,  Company  E,  First  Regiment  Texas 
Rangers,  commanded  by  General  Walter  P.  Lane.  He 
was  soon  promoted,  being  made  orderly  sergeant,  and 
frequently  the  command  of  the  company  devolved 
upon  him.  He  served  gallantly  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  then  went  to  Nacogdoches,  Tex.,  where  he 
engaged  in  business,  remaining  until  1871,  when  he 
removed  to  Marshall,  in  the  same  State,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  is  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  and 
is  also  president  of  the  Marshall  Car  Wheel  and  Foun- 
drv  Company,  president  of  the  Hope  Lumber  Com- 
pany, and  vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank. 
Though  a  loyal  follower  of  the  teachings  of  the  im- 


mortal Jefferson  and  an  ardent  admirer  of  Grover 
Cleveland,  he  has  always  been  averse  to  holding  politi- 
cal positions,  but  was  prevailed  upon,  however,  to 
serve  the  city  of  Marshall  as  alderman,  without  pay. 

He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  is  treasurer  of  the  local  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Com- 
mandery,  and  also  Deputy  Grand  Commander  of  the 
Grand  Commandery  of  Texas,  Knights  Templar.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  relig- 
ion he  is  an  Episcopalian  and  serves  as  senior  warden 
of  Trinity  parish  in  Marshall.  He  is  active  in  church 
work,  and  broad  in  his  charities,  ever  turning  a  will- 
ing ear  to  the  appeals  of  the  needy. 

Mr.  Yry  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Rankin,  of 
San  Augustin,  Texas,  on  the  25th  of  October,  1866. 
Seven  children  have  been  born  to  them,  two  sons  and 
five  daughters. 

Mr.  Fry  is  one  of  the  typical  Southern  businessmen, 
who,  while  with  broken  fortunes  thev  saw  their  hopes 
shattered  by  the  results  of  the  war,  did  not  allow  them- 
selves to  remain  cast  down,  but  started  bravely  to  work 
and  have  built  up  a  new  South,  better  and  more  pros- 
perous than  the  old.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Fry 
went  into  the  general  merchandise  business  at  Nacog- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


503 


doches,  and  by  energy  and  capability  soon  found  his 
position  most  prosperous.  When  he  moved  to  Mar- 
shall he  established  the  private  bank  of  Itaguet 
&  Fry,  which  title  was  in  use  until  1870.  From 
that  time  until  1883,  when  on  account  of  impaired 
health  he  sold  his  interests  to  the  First  National 
Bank,  he  carried  on  the  business  as  E.  J.  Fry,  banker. 
After  a  rest  of  two  years  he  bought  an  interest 
in  the  First  National  Bank,  and  has  since  been  its  vice- 
president. 


He  has  always  taken  a  deep  and  active  interest 
in  every  project  tending  to  develop  the  resources 
of  the  Lone  Star  State,  and  is  very  popular  with  all 
classes,  having  many  friends  and  few,  if  any,  enemies. 
Nearly  six  feet  in  height,  he  is  of  striking  appear- 
ance and  what  most  would  call  a  handsome  specimen 
of  physical  manhood.  He  en  joys  the  fullest  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  people  of  his  section  and  that  he 
has  not  held  leading  positions  of  political  honor  and 
trust  is  due  alone  to  his  own  disinclination. 


ALBERT  BARTLETTE  MOSS, 


PAYETTE,  IDAHO. 


ALBERT  BARTLETTE  MOSS,  son  of  Edward  and 
Mary  (Carter)  Moss,  was  born  at  Belvidere, 
Illinois,  on  the  29th  day  of  November,  1849.  Both 
parents  were  born  in  New  York,  but  removed  to  Bel- 
videre in  1836.  He  attended  the  public  schools  at 
Belvidere  until  his  sixteenth  year,  receiving  a  good 
common  school  education,  and  then  went  West,  spend- 
ing the  next  fifteen  years  of  his  life  in  Nebraska, 
Colorado  and  Wyoming,  where  he  was  engaged  in  con- 
tracting, merchandising  and  in  stock  raising.  In  1882 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  engaging  in 
the  general  merchandise  business,  stock  raising  and  real 
estate  at  Payette,  Idaho.  Here  he  has  lived  ever 
since.  Mr.  Moss  is  vice-president  of  the  Payette 
Valley  Bank. 

He  is  a  Republican  and  has  always  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  politics.  He  was  the  first  mayor  of  Payette 
and  in  1890  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  con- 


vention of  Idaho.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  also  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  broad  and  liberal  in  his  religious  views,  and  does  his 
full  share  toward  alleviating  the  sufferings  of  poverty. 
He  was  married  March  10th,  1880,  to  Miss  Celia  A. 
Mellor,  daughter  of  William  H.  Mellor,  at.  Rock  Springs, 
Wyoming.  Three  sons  have  been  the  result  of  the  union. 
Personally  Mr.  Moss  is  a  man  of  fine  appearance, 
being  six  feet  tall  and  built  in  proportion.  He  is  an 
active,  energetic  business  man  and  owes  his  present 
high  standing  to  his  own  individual  efforts.  Aside 
from  his  sterling  worth  as  a  business  manheis  admired 
for  his  social  qualities  by  hosts  of  warm  personal  and 
political  friends,  who,  having  every  confidence  in  his 
business  ability  and  strict  integrity,  will  be  glad  to 
confer  upon  him  as  occasion  offers  positions  of  high 
honor  and  trust  such  as  he  is  so  well  fitted  to  adorn 
and  which  are  so  justly  his  due. 


ROBERT  LATHAM  OWEN, 

INDIAN  TERRITORY. 


ROBERT  LATHAM  OWEN,  son  of  Robert  L  and 
Narcissa  (Chisholm)  Owen,  was  born  at  Lynch- 
burg,  Virginia,  on  the  2nd  of  February,  1856.  His 
father  was  a  man  prominent  in  business  as  well  as  in 
political  circles,  having  been  civil  engineer,  president 
of  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Rail  way.  a  State  senator, 
and  held  a  commission  as  colonel  in  the  Confederate 
service;  while  his  mother,  though  a. member  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  was  a  descendant  of  an  old  Scotch- 
English  family  and  a  highly  educated  and  accomplished 
woman. 

The  Owen  family,  in  the  male  line,  is  directly  de- 
scended from  Owen  of  Wales  of  the  llth  century,  and 
William  Owen,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  married 
Otwayanna  Carter,  a  niece  of  General  George  Wash- 
inoton.  Young  Owen  attended  various  private  schools 
until  1867,  when  he  went  to  Govanstown,  Baltimore 


county,  Maryland,  where  he  studied  until  1872,  taking 
a  special  course  in  modern  language,  Greek,  Latin,  and 
mathematics.  He  graduated  in  1877  with  the  degree 
of  M.  A.,  was  valedictorian  of  his  class  and  was  voted 
the  gold  medal  of  the  Washington  Literary  Societ}'  as 
its  best  debater. 

During  the  next  few  years  Mr.  Owen 
was  engaged  in  teaching  school  and  in  studying 
law,  and  in  the  summer  of  1879  went  to  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  Indian  Territory,  where  he  was  by 
birth  entitled  to  citizenship  and  to  its  valuable  privi- 
leges. In  January,  1881,  he  located  at  Tahlequah, 
Ind.  Ter.,  and  remained  in  that  place  practicing  law 
until  the  summer  of  1884.  In  August,  1885,  he  was 
appointed  United  States  Indian  agent  for  the  five  civ 
lized  tribes,  and  was  confirmed  by  the  Senate  and 
received  his  commission  April  16,  1886.  He  held  this 


504 

position  until  March,  1889,  when  he  resigned  to  serve  as 
fiscal  agent  for  the  Cherokee  nation,  in  which  position 
lie  gave  a  bond  for  $1,000.000,  and  while  in  office  dis- 
bursed nearly  one  and  one-half  millions  of  dollars, 
making  his  final  settlement  on  the  24th  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1889,  on  which  occasion  he  received  a  vote  of 
thanks  and  confidence,  passed  unanimously  by  both 
houses  of  the  Choctaw  legislature,  was  confirmed  by 
the  principal  chief,  and  endorsed  by  the  legislatures  of 
the  Cherokee,  the  Creek,  the  Choctaw,  and  the  Chick- 
asaw  nations,  and  also  by  the  Indian  International  Con- 
vention. Mr.  Owen  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  since  1882,  and  is  now  a  32d  degree  Mason. 

A  Democrat,  he  has  twice  been  elected  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  National  Committee  by  the 
Democratic  conventions  of  Indian  Territory,  both 
times  on  the  first  ballot,  and  stands  high  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  party. 

Since  1872,  Mr.  Owen  has  been    a   member   of   the 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


Episcopal  church  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  Christian 
religion,  and  has  been  active  in  its  promulgation  and 
in  works  of  charity. 

On  the  31st  day  of  January,  1889,  Mr.  Owen  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Daisy  Deans  Hester,  daugh- 
ter of  Geo.  B.  Hester,  of  North  Carolina. 

It  was  Mr.  Owen  who,  in  1890,  secured  the  passage 
of  an  act  by  Congress  authorizing  the  establishment  of 
national  banks  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  who  or- 
ganized the  First  National  Bank  of  Muscogee,  the  first 
national  bank  established  in  the  Territory,  and  of  which 
he  has  been  president  since  its  organization.  He  has 
besides  established  many  other  enterprises  giving  em-- 
ployment  to  many  men. 

He  practices  his  profession  of  the  law  only  in  special 
cases,  one  of  which  was  to  urge  the  claim  of  the  Choc- 
taw Nation  for  compensation  for  the  Leased  District 
Country,  securing  from  Congress,  in  1891,  an  appropri- 
ation of  £2,991,450  as  partial  payment  therefor. 


EDWIN   HARTLEY  PRATT,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  LL.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  life  and  achievements  of  him  whose  name  heads 
this  biography  worthily  illustrates  what  may 
be  done  by  persistent  and  painstaking  effort. 

Edwin  Hartley  Pratt  is  a  native  of  Towanda,  Penn., 
and  was  born  November  6,  1849,  the  son  of  Leonard 
Pratt,  M.D.,  and  Betsey  (Belding)  Pratt,  both  of  whom 
are  of  English  descent.  The  father,  now  a  resident  of 
San  Jose,  Cal.,  was  formerly  connected  with  Hahne- 
mann  Medical  College,  Chicago,  and  for  many  years 
was.  one  of  the  most  distinguished  physicians  in  the 
northwest.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  ideas,  noted 
for  ability  and  integrity  of  character,  gentleness  of 
manner  and  promptness  in  all  things.  The  maternal 
ancestors  were  long-lived  people,  and  the  mother  of 
our  subject  inherited  a  rugged  constitution.  She  is  a 
woman  of  large  stature,  energetic,  fearless,  and  perse, 
vering,  and  when  convinced  of  the  Tightness  of  a 
purpose  or  plan  allows  no  obstacle  to  stand  in  the  way 
of  its  achievement.  Dr.  Pratt  possesses  a  happy  com- 
bination of  many  of  the  qualities  and  characteristics 
of  both  his  parents.  In  ph}'sical  organization  he  most 
resembles  the  Beldings,  being  large  in  stature,  six  feet 
tall,  finely  proportioned  and  weighing  250  pounds. 
In  mental  make-up  he  has  the  cheerfulness  and  hope- 
fulness of  his  father,  combined  with  his  mother's 
indomitable  energy,  courage  and  perseverance.  His 
only  living  sister,  Nettie  L.  Pratt,  is  a  young  lady 
noted  for  her  unusual  musical  attainments.  She  re- 
sides at  San  Jose,  Cal.  Another  sister,  Ilattie,  died 
when  thirteen  years  of  age  of  malignant  diphtheria,  it 
being  one  of  the  first  cases  in  this  country.  An  only 
brother  died  in  infancy. 

Prior  to  his   fifteenth  year  Edwin   attended   the 


common  schools,  and  spent  a  year  at  Mt.  Carroll  (111.) 
seminar}'.  In  order  to  give  him  the  advantage  of  a 
college  education  his  father  removed  to  Wheaton,  Du 
Page  county,  111.,  where  he  pursued  the  first-year  pre- 
paratory course  at  Wheaton  College.  Upon  the  open- 
ing of  the  second  year,  the  college  authorities  learning 
that  he  had  interested  himself  in  the  organization  of  a 
Good  Templars'  lodge,  and  being  opposed  to  secret 
societies,  demanded  that  he  sever  his  connection  with 
the  lodge.  He  was  only  a  day  student,  living  at  his 
own  home,  and  his  father  was  a  member  of  the  lodge, 
and  feeling  the  injustice  of  the  demand  he  refused  to 
comply  with  it.  Leaving  the  school,  he  at  once  entered 
the  second-year  class  in  the  preparatory  department  of 
the  University  of  Chicago.  He  remained  at  this  insti- 
tution six  years,  completing  a  thorough  classical  course 
of  study,  and  graduating  with  the  class  of  1871,  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  In  college  he  was  known  as  a 
hard  worker,  and  developed  a  special  aptitude  for 
geometry,  logic,  metaphysics,  grammar  and  rhetoric, 
and  was  especially  fond  of  the  Odes  of  Horace  and  Ars 
Poetica,  by  reason  of  their  help  to  him  in  writing  and 
speaking.  In  the  literary  society  to  which  he  belonged, 
the  *'Tri  Kappa,"  he  was  a  leader  in  debate,  and 
among  the  foremost  writers  and  speakers,  and  made 
himself  popular  among  his  fellow  students  by  entering 
heartily  into  the  true  spirit  of  college  life.  He  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  "  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  "  fra- 
ternity. He  also  had  fine  musical  tastes  and  talents. 
His  own  choice  was  to  fit  himself  for  the  practice  of 
law,  but  knowing  the  disappointment  of  his  father 
should  he  not  enter  the  medical  profession,  he  yielded 
his  own  wishes,  and  in  October,  1871,  entered  Hahne- 


Vo\ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T   WEST. 


mann  Medical  college,  and  was  graduated  in  the  spring 
of  1873  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  During  his  medical 
course  he  acted  as  quizmaster  in  connection  with  his 
father's  chair,  that  of  special  pathology  and  diagnosis, 
and  also  during  his  la?t  year  filled  the  position  of  dem- 
onstrator of  anatomy,  under  appointment  of  the  incum- 
bent of  that  chair.  After  listening  to  his  valedictory 
address,  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  college  were  so 
favorably  impressed  that  they  at  once  invited  him  to 
become  demonstrator  and  adjunct  professor  of  anat- 
omy. In  order  to  better  qualify  himself  for  the  place, 
he  visited  Philadelphia  and  spent  the  spring  term  in 
Professor  Keen's  school  of  anatomy,  and  in  Jefferson 
Medical  College. 

In  the  fall  of  1873  he  entered  upon  his  duties  as 
teacher  in  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  lecturing  twice 
each  week,  and  in  addition  filled  the  place  of  the  pro- 
fessor of  anatomy,  when  that  gentleman  was  absent, 
and  as  he  was  present  but  twice  during  the  entire  win- 
ter, the  responsibilities  of  the  position  mainly  devolved 
upon  Dr.  Pratt.  Although  the  mental  strain  was 
severe  he  bore  up  under  it,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year 
had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his  work  was 
highly  satisfactory.  Dr.  Pratt  was  now  tendered  the 
professorship  of  anatomy,  but  the  desire  to  engage  in 
active  practice,  and  the  thought  that  he  could  no  longer 
afford  to  donate  his  services,  led  him  to  at  first  decline 
the  offer.  The  college  authorities,  however,  knowing 
the  value  of  his  services,  were  reluctant  to  let  him  go, 
and  at  once  tendered  him  a  fair  salary.  Under  this 
arrangement  he  accepted  the  position,  and  filled  it 
until  the  spring  of  1876.  At  this  time,  owing  to  dis- 
sensions between  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  college 
and  the  faculty,  ten  of  the  thirteen  professors  resigned, 
and  organized  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Medical 
College.  With  these  doctors  Dr.  Pratt  sympathized 
most  heartily,  believing  them  to  be  in  the  right,  and 
although  the  Hahnemann  College  desired  him  to  con- 
tinue his  connection  there  at  the  same  salary,  a  sense  of 
duty  impelled  him  to  decline  the  offer,  and  accept  the 
professorship  of  the  same  chair  in  the  new  institution 
without  remuneration.  This  chair  he  filled  for  seven 
years,  during  which  tune  the  IIomo3Opathists  were 
admitted  to  the  wards  of  the  Cook  County  Hospital. 
Dr.  Pratt  was  elected  a  member  of  the  hospital  staff, 
ahd  occupied  a  position  first  in  the  theory  and  practice 
department,later  in  the  gynaecological  department,and 
afterwards  was  elected  attending  surgeon  of  the 
hospital. 

In  1883  a  vacancy  occurring  in  the  chair  of  surgery 
in  the  college,  Dr.  Pratt,  with  the  consentof  the  faculty, 
retired  from  the  chair  of  anatomy,  and  accepted  that 
of  surgery.  It  was  here,  while  handling  the  compli- 
cated and  obscure  cases  at  the  college  clinic  that  he 
discovered  what  has  at  once  marked  an  era  in  the 
treatment  of  chronic  diseases.  Inspired  by  the  thought 
of  his  discovery,  he  was  about  to  announce  it  to  his 
class,  but  a  second  thought  prompted  him  to  dismiss 
them  witli  the  announcement  that  his  next  lecture 
would  be  "  Chronic  Diseases  from  a  Surgical  Stand- 


point."  He  had  promised  an  article  for  a  medical 
journal  and  being  pressed  for  time  he  employed  a 
stenographer  to  report  this  lecture  in  fulfillment  of 
that  promise.  His  purpose  of  presenting  something 
new  had  been  noised  about,  and  when  he  entered  the 
lecture  room  he  found  it  crowded  toils  fullest  capacity, 
among  the  audience  being  many  visitors  from  other 
colleges.  It  was  a  moment  of  supreme  importance  to 
him,  and  as  he  advanced  in  his  lecture,  the  heavy, 
tired  and  restrained  feeling  which  he  experienced  at 
the  opening  passed  away,  there  came  from  him  a  flood 
of  light  and  he  spoke  as  under  the  power  of  inspiration, 
holding  his  auditors  spell-bound  to  the  close,  when 
their  breathless  silence  was  broken  by  loud  and  long 
applause  Such  was  the  effect  of  the  lecture  that, 
although  it  was  within  three  weeks  of  the  close  of  the 
term,  and  the  students  were  busy  with  examinations 
and  tired  from  their  winter's  work,  sixteen  members 
of  the  class  presented  themselves  for  treatment  under 
the  new  discovery,  which  the  discoverer  had  named 
the  Orificial  Philosophy.  The  result  of  the  treatment 
upon  these  cases  was  so  satisfactory,  and  so  many  were 
cured  that  the  new  philosophy  was  at  once  pronounced 
a  marvellous  success.  From  that  time  the  surgical 
clinic  of  the  college  was  conducted  on  the  orificial 
principle,  and  for  a  year  was  visited  by  physicians  of 
all  schools  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  who 
came  to  witness  the  workings  of  the  new  philosophy. 
The  spread  of  the  new  idea  brought  so  many  inquirers 
that  Dr.  Pratt  found  the  demands  upon  his  time  and 
strength  more  than  he  could  endure  and  keep  up  his 
private  practice,  and  this  led  him  to  receive  and 
instruct  his  professional  brethren  in  orificial  work  in 
classes  instead  of  singly,  as  was  at  first  his  custom. 
He  now  holds  these  classes  semi-annually  for  a  week, 
and  during  that  time  he  devotes  the  time  to  the  lectures 
and  clinical  work,  allowing  members  of  the  class  to 
bring  their  most  difficult  cases,  upon  which  he  publicly 
operates.  After  the  second  c'ass  of  this  kind,  those 
present  organized  the  National  Association  of  Orificial 
Surgeons,  electing  Dr.  Pratt  as  honorary  member,  and 
providing  in  their  constitution  that  there  never  should 
be  but  one.  This  association  has  had  a  wonderful 
growth,  and  promises  to  be  one  of  the  largest  medical 
societies  in  the  United  States.  Such  has  been  the 
effect  of  the  new  method  for  treating  chronic  cases 
that  four-fifths  of  those  apparently  incurable  are 
speedily  restored  to  health.  In  recognition  of  his  ser- 
vices the  Chicago  Homcepathic  Medical  College  estab- 
lished a  chair  of  "orificial  surgery,"  to  be  filled  by  Dr. 
Pratt.  Other  medical  colleges  followed  the  example, 
and  now  this  new  philosophy  is  taught  in  all  the  med- 
ical colleges  of  this  country  that  pretend  to  keep  up 
with  the  progress  of  the  age. 

Dr.  Pratt  was  honored  with  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 
by  his  alma  mater  in  1886.  lie  is  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  the  Missouri  Medical  Society,  the  Ohio  Medical 
Society,  the  Kentucky  Medical  Society,  and  the  South- 
ern Association  of  Physicians,  and  'an  active  member 
of  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Association,  the  Chicago 


508 

Academy  of  Medicine  and  the  American  Institute  of 
Homoeopathy.  He  has  a  very  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice. He  is  a  hard  student,  has  an  elegant  library  tilled 
with  several  thousand  of  the  choicest  books,  and  con- 
tributes largely  to  current  literature,  besides  being  the 
author  of  a  beautifully  illustrated  work  on  oriricial 
surgery,  now  in  its  second  edition. 

Dr.  Pratt  was  married  June  26,  187",  to  Miss  Isa 
M.  Bailey,  of  Jersey  Heights,  N.  J.  Mrs.  Pratt  is  a 
lady  of  unusual  attainments,  with  literary  and  musical 
tastes  and  abilities  of  a  very  high  order,  and  withal  a 
woman  of  rare  good  sense,  and  a  charming  hostess. 
Both  she  and  Dr.  Pratt  are  members  of  the  Apollo 
Club,  of  which  the  latter  was  one  of  the  founders,  and 
is  now  a  director.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  by 
two  children.  A  daughter,  Isabel,  died  when  eighteen 
months  old.  A  son,  Edwin  Bailey  Pratt,  a  remarkably 
precocious  child,  was  killed  in  a  street  car  accident,  at 
the  age  of  eight  and  one-half  years. 

The  celebrated  and  beautiful  Lincoln  Park  Sanita- 
rium was  built  for  Dr.  Pratt's  use  and  is  a  Mecca  for 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


the  increasing  throng  of  doctors  who  are  seeking  to 
master  the  principles  and  practice  of  oriiicial  surgery. 
The  patronage  of  this  place  is  extensive  and  of  a  high 
grade.  Drs.  F.  D.  Holbrook,  C.  A.  Weirick,  T.  E. 
Costain,and  T.  H.  Trine  are  the  doctor's  medical  corps 
of  assistants.  The  nursing  department  is  under  the 
able  superintendence  of  Miss  Emma  L.  Baumbach,  who 
manages  a  superior  training  school— known  as  the 
"Lincoln  Park  Training  School  for  Nurses."  The 
school  numbers  about  40  members  at  present,  and  has 
33  alumni.  The  nurses  are  selected  with  great  care 
and  are  exceptionally  competent  in  every  way.  Dr. 
Pratt  is  president  of  the  Lincoln  Park  Sanitarium 
Co.  and  also  of  the  training  school.  He  is  also  editor-in- 
chief  of  the  Journal  of  Orificial  Surgery — having  Drs. 
F.  D.  Holbrook  and  C.  A.  Weirick  associated  with 
him.  This  monthly  journal  is  wielding  a  great  influ- 
ence in  the  medical  profession,  rapidly  making 
converts  to  the  orificial  philosophy,  which  seems  des- 
tined to  revolutionize  the  present  manner  of  treating 
chronic  diseases. 


C.  PORTER  JOHNSON, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


C  PORTER  JOHNSON  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  hav- 
.  ing  been  born  at  State  Line  City,  Vermillion 
county,  on  August  15,  J 866.  His  father  was  Joseph 
Simpson  Johnson,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Matilda  Kemper,  the  former  being  a  Kentuckian  and 
the  latter  a  Virginian.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  lived 
on  a  farm  until  he  was  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of 
age,  meantime  acquiring  such  education  as  was  afforded 
in  the  common  schools.  Later  he  attended  Lees 
Academy  at  Loxa,  111.,  for  two  years,  after  which,  in 
1885,  he  went  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and  studied  law, 
being  admitted  to  the  Indiana  bar  the  following  year, 
in  1886.  In  1887,  young  Johnson  came  to  Chicago  for 
the  practice  of  his  profession  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Illinois  bar  during  the  same  year.  By  industry  and 
steady  application  to  his  work,  he  soon  built  up  a  satis- 
factory practice,  which  has  increased  continually  until 
the  present  time,  when  he  finds  himself  a  very  busy 
man.  He  confines  his  large  practice  mainly  to  civil 
cases,  in  which  he  has  a  wide  range. 

In  November,  1892,  Mr.  Johnson  was  elected  to  the 
Illinois  Senate  from  the  second  senatorial  district,  and 
the  fact  that  he  was  the  first  and  only  Democrat 
elected  to  that  body  from  the  second  district  strikingly 
attests  his  popularity  with  his  fellow  citizens  of  all 
classes.  In  the  senate  he  made  a  good  record  and  was 
placed  on  several  important  committees,  where  he  was 
known  as  a  working  member. 

Mr.  'Johnson's  social  relations  are  indicated  by 
membership  in  fraternal  societies  and  clubs  which  are 
composed  of  gentlemen  of  the  highest  character.  His 


name  is  on  the  roll  of  the  Iroquois,  the  Waubansee.  the 
Harvard  and  the  Whitechapel  clubs.  He  is  also  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a 
member  of  all  the  bodies  from  the  blue  lodge  to  the 
Scottish  Rite,  thirty-second  degree,  the  latter  degree 
having  been  conferred  by  Oriental  Consistory,  A.  A. 
S.  R.  As  a  Knight  Templar  he  is  identified  with 
Chevalier  Bayard  Commandery.  He  is  also  an  Odd 
Fellow,  Knight  of  Pythias,  and  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters, 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  of 
Medina  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

In  his  religious  affiliations  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  Baptist, 
and  with  his  family,  makes  his  church  home  with  the 
Englewood  Baptist  church,  to  which,  and  its  collateral 
charitable  work  and  benevolent  enterprises  he  is  a 
liberal  contributor,  as  he  also  is  to  other  worthy  enter- 
prises. On  August  21,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Derelle  West,  of  Georgetown,  111.,  and  is  happy  in  his 
home  life. 

In  his  law  practice  Mr.  Johnson  enjoys  an  excellent 
reputation  as  an  industrious,  painstaking  and  capable 
attorney,  systematic  in  his  work  and  conscientious  in 
the  service  which  he  renders  to  his  clients.  In  per- 
sonal appearance  he  is  of  medium  size,  with  a  good 
physiquo,  and  carrying  an  air  of  open-hearted  friend- 
liness, which,  whether  in  social  circles  or  in  business, 
makes  him  popular.  He  is  distinctly  democratic  in 
his  tastes,  in  the  best  sense,  and  is  always  easily  ac- 
cessible to  all  classes,  believing  that  personal  worth, 
not  adventitious  circumstances,  makes  the  true  man. 


n  BIQIJ  Ac  Co  Ckcaac 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 

SAMUEL  RAYNOR  SMITH, 

FAR  ROCKAWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  is  the  son  of  Carman 
and  Ruthclla  Smith,  and  was  born  at  Merrick, 
Queens  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  28th  of  June,  1862. 
Jonathan  Smith,  who  held  a  commission  under  George 
III.  (as  captain  of  the  Light  Horse  Guards)  was  his 
ancestor  some  five  generations  back,  and  the  commis- 
sion, written  on  parchment,  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
thefarnilv,asare  also  some  silver  spoons  made  from  the 
buckles  worn  by  the  said  Jonathan  Smith  on  his  knee- 
breeches  and  sandals.  Joseph  Smith,  the  great-grand- 
father of  Samuel,  was  very  active  and  quite  prominent 
in  the  war  of  1812,  and  his  father  before  him  ren- 
dered gallant  service  in  helping  to  drive  the  British 
from  American  soil. 

Samuel  attended  the  public  schools  at  Merrick  and 
at  Freeport,  N.  Y.,  and  when  fifteen  years  of  age  made 
his  preparations  for  taking  a  classical  course  at  college. 
Two  years  later  he  entered  the  New  York  University, 
but  was  soon  forced  by  recurrence  of  severe  headaches 
to  abandon  study.  Soon  after  he  entered  a  printing 
office  to  learn  the  trade,  where,  at  the  end  of  two  years, 
with  little  compensation  meantime,  he  commanded  $6  a 
week  for  his  work  and  was  offered  $12  a  week  to  stay  for 
another  year.  He  left  the  printing  office,  however,  and 
secured  a  position  in  New  York  as  bill  clerk,  with  the 
large  commission  and  auction  firm  of  Wilmerding, 
Hoguet  &  Co.  The  two  years  spent  with  this  firm 
Mr.  Smith  regards  as  being  most  valuable  to  him,  for 
though  his  employer  was  a  kind-hearted  man  he  was 
one  who  would  tolerate  no  idleness  or  carelessly  done 
work.  Everything  had  to  be  done  promptly  and  with 
care  j  no  accidents  were  allowed N to  happen  and  no 
mistakes  were  condoned.  This  work  and  his  previous 
studies  in  Latin,  Greek,  Geometry  and  Algebra  have 
been  invaluable  to  Mr.  Smith  throughout  his  business 
life,  for  he  never  attempts  any  new  enterprise  without 
carefully  looking  into  each  detail  and  by  a  careful 
examination  satisfying  himself  as  to  the  probable 
result.  After  resigning  his  position  with  Wilmerding, 
Hoguet  &  Co.,  Mr.  Smith  went  to  Drayton,  North 
Dakota,  arriving  on  the  21st  of  May,  1882,  which  date 
he  will  long  remember  on  account  of  the  terrible 
blizzard  that  was  raging  on  his  arrival.  The  next 
day  he  obtained  a  position  as  clerk  for  Wallace  Bro- 
thers, who  were  running  a  general  store.  Three  months 
later  he,  with  a  young  Canadian  as  his  partner,  bought 
the  firm's  old  stand  and  continued  the  business,  Wal- 
lace Brothers  starting  another  store  in  the  next  block, 
and  being  their  only  competitor.  The  young  merchants 
did  well  for  the  next  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  Mr.  Smith  bought  his  partner's  interest  and  also 
stalled  another  general  store  at  St.  Thomas,  sixteen 
miles  distant  and  on  the  railroad.  This  was  in  1885, 
and  during  the  succeeding  two  years  Mr.  Smith  attended 
to  both  places  of  business  driving  from  one  to  the 
other  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  and  built  up  an  average 


trade  of  about  $50,000  per  annum.  Before  leaving 
home  he  had  promised  his  mother  that  his  stay  in  the 
West  should  not  exceed  five  years,  and  accordingly  he 
disposed  of  his  mercantile  interests  and  started  the 
First  Bank  of  Drayton,  N.  D.,  with  a  capital  of 
$10,000,  all  paid  up,  but  which  had  increased  in  less 
than  five  years  to  $50,000,  making  the  bank  one  of  the 
most  solid  financial  institutions  in  the  Red  River  Val- 
ley. Mr.  Smith  returned  to  his  home  in  Freeport,New 
York,  in  1888  and  shortly  afterwards  he  started  a  pri- 
vate banking  business  at  Far  Rockaway,  N.  Y.,  which 
however  was  soon  merged  in  the  Far  Rockaway  Bank, 
which  then  had  a  capital  of  $25,000  and  a  surplus  of 
$5,000.  The  surplus  has  since  been  increased  to  $20,- 
000  and  the  bank  has  something  like  $415,000  in 
deposits  which  makes  it  the  most  prosperous  bank  of 
its  size  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Mr.  Smith  was 
elected  its  president  on  January  1,  1893,  prior  to  which 
time  he  had  acted  as  cashier  and  manager.  Mr.  Smith 
also  started  the  Bank  of  Reynolds,  at  Reynolds,  but 
being  unable  to  obtain  efficient  help  he  sold  it  out  at  a 
premium  and  recently,  in  company  with  such  men  as 
C.  P.  Huntington,  Thurlow  Weed  Barnes,  A.  Hennen 
Morris  and  John  C.  Furman  as  stockholders,  organized 
the  Bank  of  Westchester,  at  Westchester,  New  York, 
with  a  capital  of  $50,000  and  a  surplus  of  $10,000.  He 
has  also  recently  completed  a  business  block  in  Dray- 
ton, N.  D.,  which  is  said  to  be  the  finest  building  in 
the  count\%  and  has  many  business  interests  in  both 
New  York  and  Dakota  besides  those  mentioned. 

Mr.  Smith  takes  no  active  part  in  politics,  although 
he  has  given  the  subject  considerable  study,  and  has 
formed  some  valuable  and  decided  opinions  of  his  own. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  since 
1873,  but  is  liberal  in  his  views,  and  thinks  that  it 
would  be  far  better  if  there  were  considerably  more 
tolerance  between  the  different  sects.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  building  committee  of  the  Freeport  M.  E. 
church,  and  under  its  management  the  edifice  was  built 
and  dedicated  free  of  debt,  although  it  cost  $20,000. 

In  March,  1885,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ella  E  Boynton,  daughter  of  Rev.  C.  F. 
Bovnton,  a  Presbyterian  minister  from  Maine,  and 
grand-niece  of  Alden  Boynton,  one  of  the  ablest  descen- 
dants of  the  old  Puritan  stock,  and  who  spent  the  best 
part  of  his  life  in  compiling  a  dictionary  of  great  merit, 
but  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  just  as  it  was  com- 
pleted. Mr.  Smith's  great  success  is  due  more  than  to 
any  other  cause,  to  his  thorough  understanding  of 
whatever  he  undertakes.  His  foresight  has  almost  the 
accuracy  of  prophecy,  and  those  who  know  him  best 
seldom  question  the  soundness  of  bis  judgment.  Public 
spirited  and  enterprising,  he  is  liberal  alike  to  public 
institutions  and  private  charities,  while  personally  he 
is  genial  and  pleasant,  and  enjoys  the  warmest  esteem 
of  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 


512 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

THOMAS  HENRY  MATHIS, 


ROCKPORT,  TEXAS. 


NO  one  who  has  been  at  all  conversant  with  the 
southern  coast  of  .Texas  for  the  past  twenty- 
five  years  can  have  failed  to  hear  the  name  of  Thomas 
Henry  Mathis.  His  manly  form,  well  chiseled  features 
and  vigorous  step  form  a  fitting  index  to  the  volume 
of  his  good  deeds.  Under  any  circumstances  he  must 
have  been  prominent,  and,  indeed,  the  sequel  to  this 
narrative  will  show  that  he  has  developed  a  fine 
character,  not  under  the  fuv*or  of  plain  sailing,  but 
despite  the  bufferings  of  dame  Fortune.  Such  a  success 
as  he*  has  achieved  could  not  have  been  accidental. 
Accidents  do  not  occur  on  such  a  colossal  scale. 
•  He  was  born  in  Stewart  county,  Tenn.,  July  14, 
1834.  His  parents  were  James  and  Isabella  Mathis, 
the  former  of  whom  died  in  1864,  and  the  latter  in 
1S76.  They  were  both  highly  esteemed  for  their 
sterling  religious  character.  Thomas  received  his 
early  education  in  the  country  schools  of  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky,  and,  being  raised  on  a  farm,  he  was 
taught  the  value  of  a  dollar  by  digging  for  it  early  and 
late.  As  a  boy  he  was  proud  to  "  hoe  his  own  row," 
and  as  a  youth  to  swing  his  scythe  with  the  foremost. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  resolved  to  strive  for  a 
higher  education,  and  this  marks  a  turning  point  in  his 
life,  as  he  was  thenceforth  thrown  entirely  on  his  own 
resources.  Ardently  as  his  father  longed  to  encourage 
his  aspirations,  he  could  not  do  so  in  justice  to  his 
other  children.  But  nothing  daunted,  Thomas  left  the 
paternal  roof  to  enter  the  school  of  Dr.  J.  T.  Mathis  in 
Southern  Arkansas.  At  the  end  of  the  second  session 
here  he  negotiated  a  loan  of  one  thousand  dollars  from 
his  father,  to  be  paid  back  by  him,  or  deducted  from 
the  estate  on  final  settlement  of  the  same.  With  this 
aid  he  continued  another  session  at  school.  At  the 
expiration  of  this  time  he  took  a  school  at  Warren, 
Bradley  county,  Arkansas.  In  conjunction  with  a  lady 
teacher,  he  conducted  his  school  successfully  one  year, 
and  then  went  to  Bethel  College  where  he  finished  his 
education,  in  1857.  In  1858  he  removed  to  Murray, 
Kv.,  where  he  assisted  Dr.  J.  T.  Mathis  in  teaching 
one  session.  • 

In  1859  he  went  to  southwest  Texas,  where  his 
career  as.a  business  man  commenced.  His  very  first 
enterprise  was  fraught  with  extreme  peril,  from  which 
men  of  less  courage  shrank.  It  was  on  the  3d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1859,  that  he  left  Gonzales,  Texas,  with  a  party 
of  eighteen,  to  make  a  trading  tour  into  Mexico.  Any 
one  familiar  with  border  troubles  and  border  char- 
acters, even  at  this  late  day,  can  have  some  conception 
of  the  hazards  of  this  trip  in  the  next  decade  after  the 
Mexican  war.  On  reaching  Rio  Grande  tjity  the  party 
was  informed  that  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  think 
of  crossing  over  into  Mexico,  as  the  country  was  full 
of  robbers  and  brigands.  Of  the  party  of  eighteen, 
only  T.  H.  Mathis  and  his  cousin,  J.  M.  Mathis,  had 
the  nerve  to  cross  the  Rio  Grande.  Two  young  Ala- 


bamians,  who  were  not  of  the  original  party,  also 
crossed  with  them  into  the  kingdom  of  the  Montezu- 
mas,  together  with  a  Mexican  guide.  As  they  lay  in 
camp  on  San  Juan  river,  at  China,  the  first  night 
after  reaching  Mexico,  the  custom  house  officer  de- 
manded of  them  a  duty  of  six  per  cent,  of  all  their 
money  on  the  penalty  of  being  imprisoned  and  having 
all  the}7  had  confiscated.  They  sent  their  interpreter 
to  tell  the  officer  that  they  were  buying  stock  in  his 
country,  and  would  leave  all  their  money  there ;  but 
that  if  he  persisted  in  demanding  the  six  per  cent,  he 
might  come  and  get  it,  that  there  were  four  of  them 
well  armed  with  shotguns  and  six-shooters,  and  that 
man}'  of  the  Mexicans  would  bite  the  dust  in  the 
attempted  robbery.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  Mathis 
and  his  party  were  left  unmolested.  They  remained 
in  the  country  six  weeks,  camping  at  night  and 
throwing  out  pickets  like  a  regular  army.  But 
for  this,  they  would  doubtless  have  been  robbed 
or  murdered.  Though  this  trip  was  quite  success- 
ful, it  was  never  deemed  prudent  to  repeat  it. 
After  making  another  business  trip  to  the  Texas  side 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  Mathis  temporarily  left  the  stock 
business  and  opened  a  five-months  school  in  Gonzales 
county  in  the  spring  of  1861.  In  the  summer  of  that 
year  he  removed  to  Victoria  and  extended  the  scope  of 
his  business  transactions;  but  was  compelled  to  close 
his  business  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  on  account  of  the 
closing  of  the  Gulf  ports  at  the  outbreak  of  the  great 
Civil  War. 

He  then  went  to  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  and 
bought  a  large  lot  of  tobacco,  the  price  of  which  was 
rapidly  rising  in  Texas.  He  barely  succeeded  in  getting 
out  with  this  commodity  from  Paris,  Tenn.,  before  the 
town  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Federal  troops.  He 
shipped  this  tobacco  to  Alexandria.  La.,  and  to  it  added 
another  lot  purchased  in  New  Orleans.  Meantime  he 
sold  the  whole  in  Texas  for  one  dollar  a  pound,  in  Con- 
federate money. 

In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1862  he  was  busily 
engaged  in  forwarding  supplies  from  Texas  to  the  Con- 
federate soldiers  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  department. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  joined  Duff's  regiment, 
Company  E,  and  fought  for  the  Confederacy  till  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  is  not  ashamed  of  the  cause  he 
espoused,  nor  of  the  part  he  played  in  it.  Yet  when 
the  flag  of  the  Confederacy  was  furled  he  realized  that 
the  war  was  over  indeed.  The  same  magnanimous 
spirit  with  which  he  now  treats  the  "boys  who  wore 
the  blue"  enabled  him  to  speedily  forget  the  bitteiness 
of  the  struggle,  and,  though  with  reduced  resources,  to 
recommence  his  business  career.  He  again  engaged  in 
the  tobacco  trade  between  Tennessee  and  Texas,  in 
which  he  continued  a  year. 

In  February,  1867,  he  settled  on  Aransas  Bay,  and 
selected  the  site  on  which  the  thriving  little  city  of 


.<j-  ' 


•V-VH3.CKoavo.l5 


*^' 

^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WE!>  /'. 


515 


Rockport  now  stands.  The  firm  of  J.  M.  &  T.  II. 
Math  is  built  the  first  wharf  which  was  established 
there,  and  chartered  the  first  steamship,  "  The  Prince 
Albert,"  that  ever  entered  Aransas  Bay  for  commer- 
cial purposes.  After  this  was  lost  at  sea,  they  induced 
the  Morgan  Line  to  run  their  ships  to  Rook  port,  and 
became  their  agents.  This  part  of  our  narrative 
deserves  to  be  emphasized.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  founder  of  Eockport  in  a  sense  in  which  no 
one  else  can  claim  that  honor.  In  1869  the  Mathisfirm 
expended  $5,500  for  the  improvement  of  Aransas  bar, 
thus  blazing  the  way,  like  hardy  pioneers,  of  the  future 
highway  of  commerce.  It  was  about  the  same  time 
that  they  built  the  Orleans  Hotel,  and  erected  a  num- 
ber of  other  good  buHdings  in  Rockport.  They  also 
built  bridges,  made  good  county  roads  and  aided  in 
securing  many  other  public  improvements.  Later  on, 
T.  II.  Mathis  contributed  liberally  toward  bringing  the 
Union  Telegraph  to  Rockport,  and  to  the  building  of 
the  first  telephone  line  to  that  part  of  the  State.  He 
was  also  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  establishment  of 
the  first  cold  storage  meat  refrigerating  plant  in  Texas. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  first  men  in  the  state  to  intro- 
duce blooded  cattle  and  horses  into  southwest  Texas', 
and  he  is  said  to  possess  the  banner  ranch  of  his  portion 
of  the  State,  with  regard  to  the  quality  of  his  stock. 
When  the  Aransas  Pass  railroad  was  built  into  Rock- 
port,  in  1888,  he  was  one  of  the  principal  promoters  of 
the  enterprise,  and  it  is  one  of  the  best  additions  to  the 
city  which  bears  this  name. 

When,  in  1872,  the  firm  of  J.  M.  &  T.  H.  Mathis 
was  enlarged  to  that  of  Colerman,  Mathis  &  Fulton, 
again  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  subject  of  this  narra- 
tive was  felt  when  the  firm  of  which  he  was  from 
the  beginning  a  member,  built  the  first  large  pasture 
that  was  ever  established  in  the  State.  In  1879  this  firm 
was  dissolved,  and  J.  M.  &  T.  II.  Mathis  were  the  fol- 
lowing year  again  associated  in  business  by  themselves. 
Since  that  time  T.  H.  Mathis  has  been  doing  business 
on  his  own  account,  with  the  exception  of  the  purchase 
of  a  one-half  interest  in  about  24,000  acres  of  land  in 
Wharton  county,  which  he  subsequently  sold.  He  now 
owns  about  24,000  acres  of  fine  agricultural  land  in  San 
Patricio  county,  on  the  Nueces  river,  well  fenced  and 
stocked  with  fine  horses  and  cattle.  On  the  same 
estate  are  several  farms,  orchards  and  vineyards.  The 
town  of  "  Mathis"  is  named  for  him,  and  is  a  portion 
of  his  original  ranch.  The  growth  of  a  to.wn  so  near 
the  body  of  his  ranch  cannot  fail  to  appreciate  the 
value  of  every  acre  of  it.  Even  at  the  present  low 
prices  of  land,  this  is  a  princely  estate,  while  its  pro- 
spective value  is  very  considerable  indeed.  Mr.  Mathis 
possesses  an  ordinary  fortune,  entirely  aside  from  these 
fine  lands.  He  owns  one  of  the  best  homes  in  Rock- 
port,  besides  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  reality  in 
different  portions  of  that  city.  He  is  liberally  insured, 
to  the  amount  of  $60,000  in  old  line  companies.  He  is 
a  principal  stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Rockport,  of  which  institution  he  is  also  president. 
Such  is  an  imperfect  statement  of  the  material  re- 


sults attending  a  successful  business  career.  But  no  cor 
rect  inventory  of  Mr.  Mathis'  wealth  can  be  made  that 
does  not  include  his  character  as  the  main  part.  He  has 
not  achieved  financial  success  at  the  expense  of  char- 
acter, as  is  too  often  done.  He  was  well-equipped  for  his 
career,  both,  by  nature  and  acquirements,  and  hence  had 
no  occasion  to  resort  to  dishonest  methods.  His  ex- 
perience in  the  school  room  made  an  indelible  impres- 
sion on  his  life.  Possibly  he  would  have  made  as  much 
Tnoney  without  it,  but  he  would  not  otherwise  have 
held  money  in  as  strict  subjection  to  higher  ends  as  he 
now  does.  Without  such  culture  he  might  have  been 
made  the  slave  instead  of  the  master  of  his  large  pos- 
sessions. He  impresses  one  as  being  a  man  who  was 
not  shut  up  to  run  in  a  narrow  groove.  There  are  jets 
of  wit,  coruscations  of  humor,  and  keen  logical  obser- 
vations in  his  ordinary  conversation  which  show  that 
he  would  have  been  a  successful  literary  or  professional 
character,  had  he  turned  his  attention  in  that  direction. 
His  public  utterances  are  as  rare  as  they  are  weighty. 
The  writer  remembers  an  occasion  when  hundreds  of 
people  from  all  parts  of  Texas,  and  beyond  its  borders, 
were  assembled  at  Rockport,  to  consider  matters  of 
great  public  weal.  Naturally,  there  was  a  good  deal 
of  "orating,"  and  that  too  by  professional  speakers. 
Mr.  Mathis  was  called  on  for  a  speech  with  a  unanimity 
that  was  irresistible.  He  arose,  and  his  well  chosen 
words  sped  like  arrows  from  a  strong  bow.  There  was 
no  resisting  his  logic.  He  made  the  best  speech  of  the 
day,  though  he  sat  down  entirely  unconscions  of  it. 

No  one  ever  doubted  his  convictions.  An  instance 
will  suffice  to  show  that  he  is  not  a  man  to  count  the 
number  of  his  opponents.  A  few  years  since  an  effort 
was  made  to  change  "  Rockport  "  to  "  Aransas  Pass." 
In  fact,  the  name  of  the  post-office  was  so  changed. 
This  Mr.  Mathis  resented.  There  was  no  good  reason 
for  it,  he  thought.  He  threw  himself  into  the  breach, 
and  his  influence  with  the  Legislature  prevented  the 
change  of  the  name  of  the  city.  Later  on,  the  same 
influence,  exerted  in  a  different  direction,  caused  the 
post-office  name  to-  be  changed  back  to  "  Rockport." 
This  was  not  a  mere  triumph  of  opinion,  but  it  pre- 
vented endless  confusion  among  the  half-dozen  places 
around  the  bay  that  have  appropriated  the  name 
"  Aransas"  in  some  connection  or  other. 

He  is  a  Democrat  of  the  Jefferson-Jackson-Cleve- 
land type.  He  is  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Religiously,  as  otherwise,  his  professions  are 
not  loud,  and  need  not  be.  Instead  of  them,  he  pre- 
sents the  broad  front  of  a  consistent  life,  and  deeds 
of  constant  benefaction.  It  would  be  hard  to  find  a 
beneficent  institution  near  him  that  has  not  been  helped 
by  him  or  that  might  not  have  been  for  the  mere 
asking. 

He  was  married  twice.  In  1869  to  Mrs.  Cora  C. 
Caldwell,  of  Gonzales  county,  Tex.,  who  died  two 
months  afterwards,  and  in  1875  to  his  present  wife 
(nee  Miss  Mary  J.  Nold),  in  Murray,  Ky.  She  was 
born  in  Goliad,  Tex.,  July  15,  1856,  and  educated  in 
Kentucky.  Her  parents  were  Henry  and  Mrs.  E.  M. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Nold.      Her   father,   an    eminent    educator,   died    at     since  it  was  an  unbroken  family,  when  little  Allie,  aged 


Murray,  Ky.,  November  2,  1886.  Her  mother  is  still 
living  in  Murray.  Mr.  Mathis  is  the  father  of  eight 
children  :  Walter  N.,  Henry,  May,  Thomas  E  ,  Edgar, 


seventeen  months  and  thirteen  days,  was  taken  from 
the  bosom  of  the  family,  demonstrating  that  "our 
life  is  even  a  vapor,  that  appeareth  for  a  little  time 


Arthur,  Lizzie  Belle  and    Allie.     Until  a  few    months     and  then  vanisheth  away." 


THOMAS  BARLOW  WALKER, 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


THOMAS  BARLOW  WALKEE,sonof  Platt  Bayliss 
and  Anstis( Barlow)  Walker,  was  born  at  Xenia,O., 
on  the  first  day  of  February,  1S±0.  His  parents  had  moved 
to  Ohio  from  New  York  State,  where  they  were  con- 
nected with  many  highly  respected  families  and  some  of 
whose  members  had  attained  eminence.  Mrs.  Walker 
was  a  daughter  of  lion.  Thomas  Barlow,  and  a  sister  of 
Judge  Thomas  Barlow,  of  Canastota,  N.  Y.,  and  of 
Judge  Moses  Barlow,  of  Ohio.  When  young  Walker 
was  eight  years  of  age  his  father  invested  all  of  his 
means  in  helping  to  fit  out  a  train  bound  for  the  gold 
field  of  California.  The  expedition  started,  and  while 
en  route  Mr.  Walker  was  stricken  with  cholera  and 
died,  and  as  his  partners  in  the  enterprise  were  not 
overburdened  with  conscientious  scruples  nor  over  high 
notions  of  commercial  honor,  his  widow  was  left  penni- 
less, and  never  received  a  dollar  of  what  should  have 
come  to  her  as  his  share.  Left  in  almost  destitute 
circumstances  with  her  four  children,  one  of  whom  was 
still  a  babe,  she  bravely  faced  the  world  and  commenced 
the  battle  against  ad  verse  circumstances.  Though  young 
in  vears,  she  made  a  brave  fight,  and  later  reaped  the 
fruits  of  her  labor  in  seeing  her  children  grown  to  man- 
hood and  womanhood,  highly  respected  and  conscien- 
tious Christians.  Her  latter  years  were  spent  with 
Thomas,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  in  his  home  at 
Minneapolis,  and  there  she  peacefully  passed  away  on 
the  23d  of  May,  1883. 

The  youth  of  Thomas  was  similar  to  that  of  any 
other  boy  in  like  circumstances,  but  when  sixteen  vears 
of  age,  the  family  moved  to  Berea,  Cuyahoga  county, 
Ohio,  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  educational 
facilities  of  the  Baldwin  University.  Here  for  the  first 
time  he  fully  realized  the  importance  of  a  good  ed- 
ucation, and  throwing  aside  all  boyish  habits  he  became 
a  studious  man,  bending  every  energy  to  the  acquiring 
of  an  education  His  tastes  led  him  to  devote  much  of 
his  time  to  the  study  of  the  higher  mathematics  and 
the  sciences,  in  which,  notwithstanding  he  could  not 
attend  more  than  one  term  at  the  university  each  vear 
he  made  great  progress  and  often  outstripped  those 
who  were  fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to  attend  during 
the  entire  school  year.  He  obtained  a  situation  as  a 
traveling  salesman  for  Hon.  Fletcher  Ilulet,  the  man- 
ufacturer of  the  Berea  grindstones.  While  traveling, 
the  most  important  part  of  his  baggage  was  his  heavy 
case  of  books  to  which  he  devoted  every 


minute  of  his  spare  time.  The  determination 
with  which  he  stuck  to  his  books  has  always  been  one 
of  his  leading  characteristics.  Obstacles  onty  seemed 
to  stimulate  him  to  greater  effort,  and  he  would  never 
rest  until  they  were  overcome.  When  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age  his  business  took  him  to  the  small  town  of 
Paris,  III.,  where  he  conceived  the  idea  of  buying  tim- 
ber lands  and  cutting  ties  for  the  Terre  Haute  and  St. 
Louis  Railroad  Co.,  whose  road  was  then  under  con- 
struction. This  was  a  stupendous  undertaking  for  one 
who  was  without  capital  or  experience  in  the  business 
and  who  was  yet  but  a  boy  in  years,  but  by  steady  ap- 
plication and  hard  work  he  got  the  project  under  way 
and  was  in  a  fair  way  to  make  money  out  of  his  con- 
tract when  the  railroad  company  failed  and  his  profits 
only  amounted  to  a  few  hundred  dollars.  With  the 
small  amount  of  money  that  he  had  saved  he  returned 
to  his  mother's  home  and  to  his  books  and  during 
the  following  winter  he  taught  for  one  term  a  near-by 
district  school.  In  teaching  he  was  highly  successful. 
At  this  time  he  ranked  the  profession  of  teaching  above 
all  others,  owing  to  the  important  trust  confided  to 
those  who  have  in  their  hands  the  molding  and  direc- 
tion of  the  plastic  mind  of  youth ;  and  thinking  to 
adopt  the  profession  as  the  vocation  of  his  life,  in  1862 
he  made  application  to  the  board  of.  the  Wisconsin 
State  University  for  the  position  of  assistant  teacher 
of  mathematics.  While  waiting  the  result  of  his  ap- 
plication he  continued  his  commercial  travels,  and  at 
McGregor,  Iowa,  he  met  a  citizen  of  the  then  small 
hamlet  of  Minneapolis,  Mr.  J.  M.  Robinson,  who  so 
successfully  painted  the  beauties  and  prospects  of  the 
then  straggling  village,  that  Mr.  Walker  determined  to 
visit  the  place  and  see  for  himself  whether  this  was  not 
the  place  for  which  he  had  been  looking  in  which  to 
establish  his  home.  Accordingly  he  took  the  next 
steamer  for  St.  Paul  taking  with  him  a  consignment  of 
grindstones  for  Mr.  D.  C.  Jones  of  that  city.  On  the 
wharf  at§St.  Paul  he  met  an  energetic  young  man, 
whose  duties  were  those  of  both  clerk  and  workman 
for  the  transportation  company,  and  who  sorted  over 
the  grindstones,  picking  out  and  putting  to  one  side  all 
that  were  ''nicked  or  spalted,"  and  which  Mr.  Jones 
was  permitted  to  reject.  That  young  man  was  James 
J.  Hill,  who  has  since  become  so  justly  celebrated  in 
railway  circles,  and  that  day  upon  the  wharf  at  St. 
Paul  commenced  a  fr.endship  between  himself  and  Mr. 


v^X* 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


519 


Walker  that  time  has  never  shaken  although  butli  have 
since  grown  wealthy  and  celebrated. 

Finishing  his  business  in  St.  Paul  Mr.  Walker 
traveled  over  the  entire  length  of  the  only  railroad  in 
Minnesota,  which  was  nine  miles  long  and  operated 
between  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis,  and  two  hours  after 
his  arrival  in  the  latter  place  he  had  engaged  to  go  out 
on  a  government  survey  with  Mr.  George  B.  Wright, 
who  was  the  leading  surveyor  of  l hat  section.  As  he 
hail  no  technical  knowledge  of  surveying,  Mr.  Walker 
engaged  to  carry  the  chain,  while  his  employer  manip- 
ulated the  instrument,  but  they  had  only  been  out  a 
short  time  when  Mr.  Wright  carried  the  chain  and 
committed  the  instrument  to  his  employe.  The  expe- 
dition, however,  was  not  finished,  for  the  Indian  out- 
break caused  them  to  abandon  it  and  forced  them  to 
take  refuge  at  Fort  Riple\7.  Mr.  Walker  returned  to 
Minneapolis  and  during  that  summer  his  time  was 
devoted  to  surveying  for  the  first  trial  line  of  the  St. 
Paul  &  Duluth  railroad.  Shortly  after  he  arrived  in 
Minneapolis  he  was  notified  that  the  board  had  ap- 
pointed him  assistant  teacher  of  mathematics  for  the 
University  of  Wisconsin,  but  the  decision  was  delayed 
too  long,  as  he  had  already  engaged  himself  to  Mr. 
Wright.  In  1868  Mr.  AValker  began  his  first  deal  in 
pinelands.  His  knowledge,  gained  on  his  many  sur- 
veying tours,  of  the  vast  tracts  of  as  yet  unlocated  pine 
lands,  strongly  impressed  him  with  the  idea  of  their 
immense  value  and  he  determined  to  open  them  up. 
Mr.  Walker  had  but  little  money  at  this  time,  so  he 
took  as  partners  in  his  enterprise  the  Hon.  L.  Butler 
and  Howard  W.  Mills,  the  last  two  gentlemen 
furnishing  the  necessary  capital  while  Mr.  Walker 
supplied  the  brains  and  labor.  They  first 
engaged  in  locating  pine  lands  and  afterwards  in  log- 
ging,  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  in  selling  pine 
stumpage.  This  partnership  continued  for  two  years, 
when  Mr.  Mills  was  compelled  to  withdraw  on  account 
of  ill  health  and  the  firm  of  Butler  &  AValker  was 
formed,  which  continued  the  business  until  several 
years  later,  when  fire  destroyed  the  mills,  the  machinery 
in  two  of  which  belonged  to  this  firm,  and  the  loss 
entailed  was  so  heavy  that  they  were  forced  to  form  a 
partnership  known  as  L.  Butler  &  Co.,  the  partners 
being  Mr.  Walker,  Dr.  Levi  Butler,  O.  C.  Merriam  and 
James  W.  and  Levi  Lane.  They  operated  the  large 
shore  mill  on  the  east  side  of  the  dam  and  for  several 
years  did  the  largest  manufacturing  business  in  the 
city.  This  firm  was  succeeded  in  1871  bv  Butler  & 
Walker,  which,  however,  closed  up  in  1872,  because 
Mr.  Walker  was  unwilling  to  conduct  the  business 
during  the  depression  which  followed  and  which  en- 
tailed heavy  losses  upon  those  who  continued  in  busi- 
ness. In  1877  the  firm  of  Camp  &  Walker  was  formed, 
the  partner  being  Major  George  A.  Camp,  who  had 
been  for  many  years  surveyor  general  of  logs  and 
lumber  in  the  district  and  who  was  an  expert  at 
handling  logs.  The  Pacific  mill,  which  had  long  been 
operated  by  Joseph  Dean  &  Company,  was  purchased 
and  operated  until  the  fall  of  1880,  when  it  was  destroyed 


by  tire.  During  the  succeeding  winter,  it  was  rebuilt 
on  the  old  site,  after  completion  being  the  best  mill 
that  had  ever  been  erected  in  Minneapolis.  It  was 
continued  in  operation  until  the  ground  on  which  it 
stood  was  required  for  railroad  purposes,  when  it  was 
torn  down,  in  1887.  Owning  their  own  pine  lands  the 
firm  of  Camp  and  Walker  did  a  large  business,  by  far 
the  largest  in  the  city.  Mr.  Walker  had  located  some 
valuable  pine  land  up  about  the  sources  of  the  Red 
River,  and  in  1882  he,  with  his  eldest  son.  Gilbert  M., 
organized  the  Red  River  Lumber  Company,  and  built  a 
large  saw  mill  at  Crookston  and  another  at  Grand 
Forks  on  this  river.  These  mills  have  been  in  operation 
each  year  since  their  construction  up  to  the  present 
time,  the  management  being  conducted  by  Gilbert  M. 
Walker.  These  various  mills  have  given  employment 
each  year  to  thousands  of  men,  and  besides  this  the 
Red  River  valley  mills  have  so  cheapened  the  cost  of 
material  that  it  has  greatly  helped  many  a  poor  man 
in  the  erection  of  his  home.  Besides  his  lumber 
business  Mr.  Walker  is  largely  interested  in  many 
other  enterprises  both  public  and  private,  chief  of 
which  is  probably  the  "Flour  City  National  Bank"  of 
Minneapolis  of  which  he  is  president. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Mr.  Walker  has  valued 
books  and  the  knowledge  to  be  acquired  from  them  as 
among  the  most  important  things  of  this  life.  We 
have  seen  how  he  devoted  every  minute  of  spare  time 
to  study  in  his  younger  days,  and  the  affection  for 
books  has  never  wavered,  in  fact  his  old  text-books, 
worn  by  constant  use,  and  soiled  by  oil  that  dripped 
from  many  different  lights,  now  find  a  place  in  his 
handsome  library,  occupying  the  post  of  honor.  It  is 
not  therefore  strange  that  when  the  Minneapolis 
Athenaeum  was  founded  -he  was  a  liberal  contributor 
and  a  large  stockholder.  But  this  did  not  nearly  meet 
his  idea  of  what  was  needed,  for  the  Athenaeum  was  a 
close  corporation  and  its  reading  rooms  and  library 
were  open  only  to  stockholders.  Mr.  Walker  desired  to 
give  its  benefits  a  much  wider  range,  and  to  accomplish 
this  he  gave  years  of  labor  and  freely  of  his  money, 
though  opposed  by  many  of  the  stockholders.  He 
commenced  by  buying  shares  which  he  distributed 
among  many  young  people,  and  later  he  succeeded 
in  lowering  the  price  of  shares  and  in  having 
the  doors  of  the  reading  room  thrown  open  to 
the  public,  and  the  books  of  the  library  available 
to  those  who  paid  a  nominal  fee.  Yet  these  concessions 
did  not  meet  with  his  views  of  what  the  public  really 
needed,and  through  the  agitation  caused  by  the  changes 
already  made  and  by  his  persistent  labors  for  a  really 
free  library,  given  in  many  cases  to  the  detriment  of 
his  private  business  and  against  the  determined  oppo- 
sition of  many,  he  finally  saw  success  crown  the  efforts 
to  give  Minneapolis  her  magnificent  public  library.  In 
this  work  Mr.  Walker  was  for  a  time  much  misunder- 
stood and  the  opposition  to  him  was  for  a  time  bitter 
in  the  -extreme.  The  plan  adopted  was  both  unique 
and  comprehensive.  The  books  and  property  of  the" 
Athenapum  were  transferred  to  the  city  library, 


520 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


together  with  the  fund  that  Dr.  Kirby  Spencer  had 
bequeathed  to  it,  a  large  subscription  by  Mr.  Walker 
and  several  other  liberal  citizens  and  an  appropriation 
by  the  city,  were  used  for  the  erection  of  the  building, 
and  a  tax  of  one-half  mill  upon  the  dollar  of  valuation 
of  city  property  w.as  authorized  for  its  support.  After 
the  present  magnificent  building  was  finished,  quarters 
were  provided  in  the  building  for  the  Academy  of 
National  Science  and  for  the  Society  of  Fine  Arts,  in 
both  of  which  Mr.  Walker  has  taken  an  especial  inter- 
est. The  Art  Gallery  is  liberally  filled  with  many 
specimens  of  rare  and  costly  paintings,  many  of  which 
came  from  Mr.  Walker's  private  collection  or  from  that 
of  his  life-long  friend  Jas.  J.  Hill.  The  library  board 
elected  Mr.  Walker  as  its  president,  which  position  he 
still  holds  as  a  well  deserved  and  graceful  compliment 
to  his  devotion  to  this  great  work.  The  Minneapolis 
Land  and  Investment  Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Walker  is  also 
president,  is  another  gigantic  undertaking,  which  owes 
its  being  to  his  inspiration.  Its  leading  idea  was  to 
benefit  Minneapolis  by  furnishing  suitable  sites  for 
manufacturing.  Acordingly  1,700  acres  of  land 
were  purchased  just  west  of  the  city  limits  and  already 
a  new  city  is  springing  up  there. 

On  December  19, 1863,  Mr.  Walker  was  married  to 
Miss  Harriet  G.  Hulet,  daughter  of  Hon  Fletcher  Hulet,. 
of  Berea,  O.  She  has  ever  since  shared  his  struggles  and 
in  later  years  his  prosperity,  having  ever  been  a  loving 
wife  and  mother  and  a  valuable  helpmate.  Eight  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  this  union,  all  of  whom  are 
still  living  excepting  Leon,  the  second  son,  who  was 


taken  away  just  as  he  was  entering  upon  manhood's 
estate. 

Mr.  Walker  erected  his  present  residence  on  the 
corner  of  Ejghth  street  and  Hennepin  avenue  in  1S74-. 
One  of  its  chief  attractions  is  the  art  gallery,  which  con- 
tains the  finest  private  collection  of  paintings  in  the 
West,  all  collected  by  Mr.  Walker,  who  is  an  enthusi- 
astic admirer  and  an  excellent  judge  of  art.  Besides 
his  great  public  acts  of  charity  Mr.  Walker  has  for 
years  been  quietly  disbursing  immense  sums  among 
the  needy,  following  strict!}'  the  admonition  which 
says,  "let  not  your  left  hand  know  what  your  right 
hand  doeth."  When  the  grasshopper  visitation  came 
upon  the  farmers  of  the  western  part  of  the  State, 
causing  them  to  lose  all  their  crops,  Mr.  Walker  bought 
up  all  the  buckwheat  and  turnip  seed  on  sale  in  Min- 
neapolis, St.  Paul  and  Chicago  and  personally  superin- 
tended its  distribution  throughout  the  afflicted  district, 
these  being  two  crops  that  could  be  raised  even  at  that 
late  season,  and  through  this  distribution  much  suffering 
was  allayed  and  many  cattle  were  saved  from  starvation. 
This  brief  sketch  gives  a  partial  idea  of  what  manner 
of  man  is  Mr.  Thomas  B.  Walker.  His  struggle  com- 
menced at  a  very  early  age  and  what  he  has  done  has 
been  done  unaided.  No  enterprise  once  undertaken  bv 
him  has  been  allowed  to  fail,  and  though  he  has  several 
times  been  seriously  setback  by  both  fire  and  flood  he 
has  kept  resolutely  at  work  and  in  the  end  has  con- 
quered. He  is  still  actively  engaged  in  business  and 
enjoys  the  hearty  good  wishes  and  the  esteem  of  the 
communitv. 


WILLIAM  T.  MURRAY, 

BLACK  RIVER  FALLS,  WISCONSIN. 


WILLIAM  T.  MUERAY,  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  central  Wisconsin,  is  the  son 
of  William  M.  and  Hannah  (Price)  Murray,  and  was 
born  in  Huntington  county,  Penn.,  September  19,  1838. 

His  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  but  in  the 
year  1858  he  became  a  resident  of  the  State  of  Iowa, 
where  he  passed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  as  one 
of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  that  commonwealth.  His 
mother  was  a  sister  of  Hon.  Hiram  Price  of  Iowa  and 
Hon.  William  T.  Price  of  Wisconsin,  both  of  whom 
were  members  of  Congress  from  their  respective  States. 
Hiram  Price  was  Commissioner  of  Indian  affairs  under 
President  Garfield  and  is  still  living  in  Washington, 
D.  C.  William  T.  Price  died  December  6,  1886,  and 
his  family  now  lives  at  Black  River  Falls,  Wis. 

William  T.  Murray  received  his  early  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  State,  and  when  eighteen 
years  of  age,  removed  with  his  father's  family  to  Black 
River  Falls,  Wis.,  arriving  there  in  the  year  1857. 
One  year  later  the  family  moved  to  Iowa,  where  they 
afterward  lived,  but  as  young  Murray  had  secured 


employment  as  agent  for  the  Price  &  Douglas  Stage 
Line  he  remained  at  Black  River  Falls. 

Shortly  after  this  Mr.  Douglas  was  elected  treasurer 
of  Jackson  county  and  placed  young  Murray  in  charge 
of  the  treasurer's  office,  and  though  he  had  not  yet 
attained  his  majority  he  remained  in  charge  of  that 
office  for  two  years.  He  then  entered  the  office  of  C. 
R.Johnson,  where  he  remained  two  years,  engaged  in 
the  study  of  law.  Later  he  left  Wisconsin  and  went  to 
what  was  then  considered  the  ''Far  West,"  going  over- 
land to  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  which  was  then  nothing 
more  than  a  small  frontier  town.  Finding  upon  his 
arrival  that  the  opportunities  and  prospects  for  business 
in  that  place  had  been  mucli  over-rated,  he  returned  to 
Black  River  Falls,  and  resumed  his  law  studies  in  the 
office  of  Mr.  Johnson.  Shortly  afterwards  this  gentle- 
man was  elected  to  the  Legislature  and  Mr.  Murray 
was  then  given  entire  charge  of  the  office  and  business. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  Mr.  Murray  decided  to  abandon 
the  legal  profession  and  entered  the  employ  of  D.  J. 
Spaulding  with  whom  he  remained  for  eighteen  years; 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


523 


in  1862  he  was  appointed  deputy  provost  marshal,  but 
combined  the  duties  of  that  office  with  his  work  for 
Mr.  Spaulding,  with  whom  he  and  M.  R.  Warner  after- 
wards formed  a  partnership,  the  firm  being  known  as 
Warner,  Murray  &  Co.,  dealers  in  land,  logs,  and 
lumber  on  the  Black  river.  This  partnership  remained 
in  existence  for  eleven  years,  when  Messrs.  Warner  and 
Murray  purchased  Mr.  Spaulding's  interest.  Soon 
afterwards  Mr.  Murray  bought  out  the  Warner  interest 
and  thereafter  carried  on  the  business  alone  until  1887, 
when  he  discontinued  active  operations,  though  lie  still 
owns  large  tracts  of  timbered  and  cleared  lands,  in  Clark 
and  Taylor  counties,  Wisconsin,  a  portion  of  which  he 
operates  as  a  stock  farm.  In  1874  he  entered  into  a 
partnership  with  R.  B.  Jones,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Jones  and  Murray,  which  firm  is  still  in  existence  and 
doing  to-day  the  largest  hardware  business  in  their 
section  of  the  State. 

In  1884  he,  with  his  son  and  others,  incorporated 
the  Bowden  &  Murray  Lumber  Company,  with  head- 
quarters and  main  offices  at  Minneapolis  and  lumber 
yards  throughout  Minnesota  and  Dakota.  His  connec-  . 
tion  with  this,  however,  was  afterwards  dissolved,  and 
he  with  his  son,  Wm.  P.  Murray  and  Mr.  D.  H. 
McEwen  formed  a  corporation  with  headquarters  at 
New  Orleans,  La.,  styling  the  firm  McEwan  &  Murray, 
Limited,  with  a  capital  of  $500,000,  to  deal  in 
southern  lands,  logs  and  lumber.  They  operate  the 
largest  saw-mill  in  New  Orleans,  several  steam  logging 
pull-boats,  steam  tugs,  etc.,  and  are  one  of  the  heaviest  - 
lumber  concerns  in  the  South.  Mr.  Murray  himself 
takes  no  active  part  in  the  business,  but  usually  makes 
the  South  his  home  in  the  winter  on  account  of  the 
climate. 

He  is,  in  addition  to  his  other  business  interests, 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank  and  of  the  Price 
Manufacturing  Company,  at  Black  River  Falls,  Wis.,  a 


director  of  the  Bank  of  Dawson,  and  of  the  Lac-Qui- 
Parle  County  Bunk  in  western  Minnesota.  He  has 
never  aspired  to  political  honors  although  he  has  at 
different  times  been  a  member  of  the  city  school  board 
and  of  the  city  council,  and  was  for  four  years  chairman 
of  the  county  board  of  supervisors.  He  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  and  been  a  heaity  supporter 
of  all  religious  and  educational  projects,  giving  liberally 
of  his  means  for  the  maintenance  of  such  institutions. 
He  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Cutts, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Wm.  M.  Cutts  and  Anna  (Lee)  Cutts, 
natives  of  England.  Mrs.  Murray  was  born  at  Belle- 
ville, N.  J.,  in  1842  and  came  to  Wisconsin  with  her 
brother-in-law,  Mr  Jeremy  Taylor,  who  was  a  well 
known  citizen  of  Jackson  county,  in  1860.  On  Decem- 
ber 17th,  1879,  at  the  home  in  Black  River  Falls,  Mrs. 
Murray  died,  leaving  five  children,  the  youngest  not 
three  years  old,  and  upon  Mr.  Murray,,  in  addition  to 
the  cares  of  his  large  business  interests,  devolved  the 
responsibility  of  rearing  his  children,  a  duty  which  has 
been  most  conscientiously  and  devotedly  performed. 
Always  of  a  strongly  domestic  nature  he  has  since  the 
death  of  his  wife  subordinated  every  interest  to  the 
welfare  of  his  children,  and  in  them  has  centered  to  an 
unusual  extent  his  hopes  and  affections.  The  three 
younger  children,  are  still  with  him.  The  eldest 
daughter  Anna,  is  the  wife  of  P.  W.  Jones,  a  promi- 
nent merchant  of  Black  River  Falls,  and  the  eldest  son, 
Wm.  P  Murray,  is  a  resident  of  New  Orleans. 

As  has  been  stated  above,  Wrn.  T.  Murray  is  a  man 
of  strong  domestic  tastes  and  he  is  withal  a  man  of 
distinctive  executive  ability,  as  is  evidenced  by  the 
many  successful  business  ventures  in  which  he  has  been 
engaged.  His  name  is  a  synonym  for  integrity  and 
honor  throughout  central  Wisconsin,  and  his  energy' 
and  ability  are  shown  by  the  eminent  position  he  has 
gained  in  the  business  world. 


JUDGE  OLIVER  HARVEY  HORTON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


OLIVER  HARVEY  HORTON,  son  of  Harvey  W. 
Horton,  was  born  in  Cattaraugus  county,  N.  Y., 
October  20, 1835.  His  father  was  a  Baptist  clergyman, 
and  a  native  of  Vermont.  His  mother  was  a  relative 
of  Rufus  Choate,  the  celebrated  New  England  lawyer. 
Young  Horton  came  early  to  Chicago  and  passed 
through  all  the  stages  from  poverty  to  prosperity,  from 
a  "  lumber-shover"  to  judge.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  for  a  time  and  when  quite  young  commenced 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Hoyne,  Miller  &  Lewis, 
of  which  firm  he  subsequently  became  a  member.  In 
1863  he  graduated  from  the  law  school  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago,  though  having  previously  been  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  In  1865  he  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Hoyne,  Horton  &  Hoyne,  and  for  many 
years  enjoyed  an  extensive  practice. 


In  1887  Mayor  Roche  appointed  Mr.  Horton  cor- 
poration counsel  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 
was  elected  to  the  bench  as  judge  of  the  circuit  court, 
la  1891  he  was  re-elected,  and  at  the  present  time 
holds  the  same  honorable  position.  Judge  Horton  is 
the  author  of  the  bill,  which  became  a  law,  restricting 
the  laxity  o'f  practice  with  regard  to  granting  divorces 
by  the  courts  of  Illinois.  He  is  regarded  as  an  authority 
on  corporation  law,  and  as  judge  has  tried  some  noted 
cases  in  this  line.  Of  especial  importance  may  be 
mentioned  the  case  in  which  he  decided  that  the  rail- 
roads cannot  charge  demurrage  on  freight.  He  also 
heard  the  noted  stock-yards  cases  and  sustained  the 
police  authorities  in  their  legal  battle  with  the  Garfield 
Park  race-track  people. 

Judge  Horton  is  a  man  very  popular  with  his  many 


524 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


friends,  and  well  known  in  many  different  circles  of 
Chicago's  complex  society.  All  those  who  meet  him 
are  at  once  placed  on  friendly  terms  with  him  by  his 
kind  and  cordial  manner,  and  are  ever  after  his  friends. 
As  a  judge  on  the  bench  he  has  more  than  sustained 
the  reputation  he  made  as  a  lawyer  at  the  bar,  as  on 
the  bench  he  tempers  a  strict  construction  of  the  law 
with  a  kind  tolerance  for  human  weaknesses. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Literary  club, 
Veteran  Union  League  and  Union  League  club.  For 
three  years  he  was  president  of  the  Methodist  Social 
Union;  was  first  presiding  officer  of  the  Union  College, 
and  for  many  years  superintended  the  Grace  Church 
Sabbath  school.  He  was  actively  connected  with  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  1884,  and  was 
elected  lay  delegate  to  the  Ecumenical  Conference 
which  met  in  London.  He  has  also  been  treasurer  and 
president  of  the-  Chicago  Law  Institute.  He  is  a 


Kepublican  in  politics,  and  believes  firmly  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  his  party  on  all  issues  of  national  importance, 
but  exercises  the  right  to  vote  independently  in  local 
or  municipal  elections,  believing  that  only  by  this  course 
on  the  part  of  voters  can  the  misrule  of  municipal 
affairs  be  mitigated. 

Judge  Horton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Frances  B.  Gould.  They  have  had  three  children, 
all  dying  in  infancy,  however.  Both  the  judge 
and  his  worthy  wife  are  very  fond  of  children,  and 
feeling  keenly  their  own  great  loss,  they  have  given 
the  love  which  was  bestowed  upon  their  own  little 
ones  to  four  other  adopted  children,  two  of  whom  the 
kindly  judge  has  placed  under  the  charge  of  special 
tutors.  Judge  Horton  may  with  entire  truthfulness  be 
called  the  upright  judge,  and  no  occupant  of  the  bench 
in  Cook  county  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
the  bar  and  the  people  in  greater  measure  than  does  he. 


WALTER  M.  SEMPILL, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Kinness-wood, 
Kinross-shire,  Scotland,  in  1851.  He  is  the  son 
of  the  late  Hagart  Sempill,  surgeon,  and  was  educated 
at  the  puplic  schools  under  Simon  Forrest,  and  was 
apprenticed  to  Wm.  M.  Dale,  druggist,  at  the  age  of 
thirteen,  where  he  remained  for  four  years.  He  then 
took  charge  of  Dr.  Clarkson  Cuthbert's  drug  store  in 
Edinburgh,  in  which  position  also  he  remained  four 
years.  During  this  time  he  improved  his  education  by 
attending  classes  after  business  hours,  and  at  the  same 
time  perfected  himself  in  a  knowledge  of  the  drug 
business.  While  he  was  in  Dr.  Cuthbert's  employ  he 
accepted  a  'position  in  the  laboratory  of  the  Canadian 
Copper  Pyrites  company,  near  Montreal,  and  came  to 
Canada,  but  owing  to  a  misunderstanding  between  the 
managing  directors  the  matter  was  brought  to  an 
abrupt  termination,  when  Mr.  Sempill,  with  many 


others,  was  thrown  out  of  employment.  Proceeding 
to  Montreal,  he  at  once  obtained  employment  in  the 
wholesale  drug  house  of  Evans,  Mercer  &  Co.,  wherehe 
remained  for  eight  months,  when  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  entered  the  drug  business  in  the  employ  of  his  old 
tutor,  from  whom  he  first  learned  his  profession,  Mr. 
William  M.  Dale.  This  was  in  1873,  from  which  time 
he  remained  in  Mr.  Dale's  employ  until  that  gentle- 
man's death,  when  he  succeeded  to  the  business. 

Mr.  Sempill  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Ketail 
Druggist  Association.  He  stands  high  in  the  business 
in  which  he  is  engaged,  and  commands  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  who  know  him,  because  of  his  well  known 
integrity  and  uniform  urbanity  and  kindness.  Mr. 
Sempill  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Katie  Walker, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Walker.  They  have 
one  son  and  one  daughter  living. 


A.   S.    GARRETSON, 

SIOUX  CITY,  IOWA. 


AS.  GAEEETSON,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
.  (England)  Garretson,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Morgan  county,  Ohio,  in  1851.  His  parents  were 
Quakers,  and  his  early  life  was  spent  upon  the  farin 
and  in  aoquiring  an  education.  In  1874  he  left  his 
home  in  Ohio,  and  moved  to  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  where 
he  has  since  remained.  He  has  ever  been  actively 
identified  with  every  project  by  which  Sioux  City's 
interests  could  be  advanced,  and  though  personally 
used  to  habits  and  methods  of  economy,  in  enterprises 


of  a  public  character  and  in  the  support  of  religious 
institutions  and  charities,  he  has  always  been  a  generous 
contributor. 

In  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow  men  he  has  ever 
displayed  a  spirit  of  fairness,  and  all  of  his  dealings  are 
characterized  by  strict  integrity.  Few  men  of  Mr. 
Garretson's  age  have  climbed  so  high,  but  for  him  the 
top  of  the  ladder  is  not  yet  reached,  for  one  of  his 
nature  and  attainments  cannot  fail  to  reach  the  highest 
point. 


w 
tf 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

JAMES  GRAHAM  LOWDON, 

• 

ABILENE,  TEXAS. 


527 


JAMES  GRAHAM  LOWDON,  son  of  William  L. 
and  Elizabeth  (Graham)  Lowdon,  was  born  in 
New  York  city,  on  the  10th  day  of  December,  1856. 
His  father  was  a  well-known  and  successful  business 
man  of  New  York,  and  his  mother  enjoyed  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  mathematician,  which  gift  has 
descended  in  no  small  measure  to  her  son.  He  acquired 
his  education  in  the  common  and  high  schools,  and 
immediately  after  his  graduation  from  the  latter  he 
embarked  in  business,  preferring  mercantile  to  profes- 
sional life. 

He  first  engaged  with  Haviland  &  Co.,  in  the 
importing  business,  but  in  1885  removed  to  Texas,  and 
there  engaged  in  the  banking  business.  He  there 
enjoys  the  highest  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and 
has  several  times  served  his  party  (the  Republican)  in 
office.  He  has  been  twice  elected  treasurer  of  Abilene, 
Texas,  once  mayor,  and  once  as  a  member  of  the 


board  of  aldermen.  He  has  been  from  his  earliest 
years  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  is 
active  in  all  church  and  charitable  work. 

lie  is  a  Mason  and  is  treasurer  of  the  Royal  Arch 
Masons'  Chapter,  of  Abilene,  and  also  treasurer  and 
member  of  Abilene  Commandery  Knights  Templar, 
and  has  also  held  the  position  of  State  representative 
of  the  Abilene  Lodge  Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  the  20th  day  of  May,  1879,  Mr.  Lowdon  was 
married  to  Miss  Alice  Crane,  daughter  of  Eenj.  F. 
Crane,  who  at  one  time  held  the  responsible  position  of 
superintendent  of  the  parks  of  New  York  city. 

Mr.  Lowdon  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  and  per- 
sonally is  very  popular,  both  in  business  circles  and  in 
society.  His  popularity  is  also  shared  by  his  charming 
wife,  who  is  a  great  favorite  of  the  young  people,  and 
is  frequently  called  upon  to  assist  and  lead  them  in 
their  pleasures. 


CAPT.  B.  F.  HOUSTON, 


McKINNEY,   TEXAS. 


BF.  HOUSTON,  son  of  Major  A.  and  Esther 
«  (Walker)  Houston,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm 
sixteen  miles  southwest  of  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  on  the  7th 
day  of  January,  1830.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
Capt.  Andrew  Walker,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  was 
born  and  reared  at  the  old  and  well  known  Walker 
homestead.  In  1840  Major  Houston  left  North  Caro- 
lina and  moved  to  his  lands  lying  on  the  Tallahatchie 
river,  northeast  of  Oxford,  Miss.  Here  young  Houston 
obtained  the  first  rudiments  of  his  education  in  a  little 
log  suhoolhouse,  improving  upon  his  limited  opportu- 
nities for  five  years,  when  the  death  of  his  father 
occurred,  and  he,  being  the  eldest  son  then  at  home, 
had  to  leave  school  and  work  the  farm.  Though  but  a 
lad  of  fifteen  years  he,  aided  by  his  mother's  counsel, 
made  an  unqualified  success  of  his  work,  but  five  years 
later  he  obtained  his  mother's  consent  to  go  back  and 
live  with  his  brother,  a  merchant  in  North  Carolina, 
where  he  completed  his  rather  limited  education.  In 
this  he  succeeded  far  beyond  his  expectations,  becoming 
proficient  in  mathematics,  book-keeping  and  business 
training.  His  brother  finally  proposed  that  he  should 
return  to  Mississippi,  where  he  was  to  be  supplied  with 
all  the  necessary  stock  to  start  a  store,  and  to  share 
equally  in  the  profits.  This  offer  he  accepted,  but  after 
returning  from  a  business  tour  through  Texas  he  was 
notified  of  his  brother's  death  and  asked  to  return  to 
North  Carolina  and  take  charge  of  the  business.  This 
offer  he  declined,  prefering  to  return  to  farming,  and 
in  1853  he  bought  a  farm  two  miles  from  his  mother's 


place  and  began  to  accumulate  land,  negroes  and  other 
property.  This  he  continued  to  do  until  1861,  when 
he  entered  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment  Mississippi  Vol- 
unteers as  a  private.  He  was  advanced  from  time  to 
time  until  he  was  severely  wounded  while  leading  his 
company  in  a  charge  upon  the  Federal  breastworks  at 
Jonesboro,  Ga.,  and  was  sent  to  the  hospital  camps 
where  he  remained  until  the  final  surrender  in  1865. 
After  the  surrender  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Miss 
issippi,  a  cripple,-  to  find  that  he  had  dependent  upon 
him  a  crippled  wife  and  four  helpless  children.  His 
negroes  were  freed,  his  mules  had  been  taken  by  the 
Federals,  and  his  wife  was  trying  to  raise  as  much  on 
the  farm  as  she  could  with  one  superannuated  mule, 
having  to  contend  with  many  other  difficulties  caused 
by  dilapidated  fences  and  a  lack  of  ready  money. 
Notwithstanding  the  bad  outlook,  he  determined  to 
restore  his  estate  to  its  former  position,  and  by  hard 
work  raised  enough  corn  to  last  over  until  the  next 
season,  besides  three  bales  of  cotton. 

In  November,  1865,  some  of  his  friends,  knowing 
of  his  business  ability,  proposed  that  he  abandon 
farming  and  become  a  partner  in  a  mercantile  business, 
he  to  attend  to  the  buying  and  look  after  the  finances. 
This  offer  he  accepted,  and  in  the  spring  of  1866 
bought  a  stock  which  he  hauled  home  in  wagons  and 
handled  with  great  success.  From  that  time  his 
success  has  been  remarkable.  He  started  another 
store  in  October,  1866,  at  Abbeville,  Miss.,  which  was 
a  railroad  station,  and  commenced  to  trade  in  lands. 


528 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T 


He  built  a  storehouse  and  a  cotton  gin  at  Abbeville, 
and  besides  his  other  business,  kept  the  hotel,  bought 
and  sold  mules,  and  furnished  wood  and  ties  to  the 
railroad  company.  His  business  assumed  enormous 
proportions,  and  ever}'  dollar  that  he  could  spare  from 
it  he  invested  in  lands.  In  1876,  he  exchanged 
fourteen  lots  that  he  owned  in  South  St.  Louis  for 
Texas  farm  lands,  which  he  immediately  began  to 
cultivate  and  improve.  He  kept  adding  to  his  posses- 
sions until  their  extent  required  his  personal  supervi- 
sion, and  he  removed  his  family  to  McKinney,  Texas, 
where  they  have  since  resided. 

In  1853,  when  he  purchased  his  first  farm,  Capt. 
Houston  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha 
Driver,  a  daughter  of  Col.  G.  L.  Driver,  of  Mississippi. 
The  union  has  been  a  happy  one,  and  to  Mrs.  Houston's 
helpful  advice,  careful  management  and  cheerful  self- 
sacrifice  in  the  gloomy  days  of  the  war.  is  due  much  of 
the  prosperity  that  has  since  been  realized.  They  have 
reared  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters, 
and  well  ma}'  they  be  proud  of  their  family,  for  the 
sons  are  all  careful,  conscientious  business  men,  highly 
respected  by  all;  while  the  daughters  are  highly  ac- 
complished women,  being  equally  well  versed  in  the 
mysteries  of  successful  housekeeping,  keeping  a  set 


of  books,  or  discussing  current  literature  and  music. 
Captain  'Houston  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  but 
though  often  solicited  to  accept  public  office,  or  to 
allow  his  name  to  be  placed  upon  party  tickets,  has  as 
often  declined  the  honor,  excepting  such  as  local  public 
school  interests  demanded  of  him.  He  has  ever  been  a 
liberal  contributor  to  public  and  private  charities,  and 
to  the  cause  of  Christianity,  never  closing  his  ears  or 
his  purse  to  those  who  are  worthy  and  deserving  of 
aid,  though  having  but  little  toleration  for  pretense  of 
any  kind.  He  has  now  retired  from  active  business  life, 
having  turned  over  the  care  of  his  interests  to  his  child- 
ren, who  attend  to  the  management  and  only  require 
their  father's  advice  in  matters  of  special  importance. 
He  is  now  taking  life  easily  and  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his 
labor  of  other  years.  He  enjoys  the  honor  and  respect 
of  the  entire  community  where  he  resides,  and  none 
envy  him  the  prominent  position  to  which  he  has 
mounted  notwithstanding  the  almost  hopeless  chaos 
into  which  his  affairs  were  plunged  by  the  war,  which 
left  him  not  only  poor,  but  a  cripple.  His  example 
may  well  be  emulated,  for  though  he  mav  have  made 
some  mistakes  he  never  made  a  failure,  and  his  dealings 
with  his  fellow  men  have  always  been  marked  by 
fairness  and  strict  business  integrity. 


FELIX   GRUNDY  FARRELL, 

JACKSONVILLE,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  son  of  John  and 
Abigail  (Turley)  Farrell,  was  born  in  Cumber- 
land county,  Ky.,  on  'the  13th  day  of  October,  1829. 
Both  parents  died  during  his  infancy,  and  consequently 
he  was  at  a  very  early  age  thrown  entirely  upon  his 
own  resources.  His  boyhood  days  were  .spent  on  a 
farm  doing  farm  work  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough, 
and  attending  the  short  terms  of  the  district  school,  in 
which  he  acquired  his  education.  When  lie  had 
attained  his  eighteenth  year  he  quit  farm  work  and 
learned  the  trade  of  brickmaker  and  burner,  but  had 
eventually  to  abandon  the  occupation  on  account  of 
lack  of  strength  for  the  heavy  work. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Link  &  Powell,  proprietors  of  a  country  store  in  his 
neighborhood,  working  in  the  store  during  the  fall  and 
winter,  and  in  summer  driving  a  peddler's  wagon  about 
the  country  selling  goods  for  his  employers.  This 
lasted  three  years,  and  then  he,  with  his  uncle,Thomas 
Turley(who  had. just  returned  from  California),  bought 
out  his  employers,  the  uncle  supplying  the  money  and 
he,  to  balance  the  account,  giving  his  experience.  The 
store  was  situated  in  the  small  village  of  Arcadia,  and 
there  they  stayed  until  March,  1853,  when  thev  went 
to  Pleasant  Plains  in  an  adjoining  county,  where  he 
stayed  until  February,  1857,  when  he  again  removed, 
going  this  time  to  Jacksonville,  Illinois.  Here  he 


carried  on  the  same  business  until  July,  1864,  when, 
with  others,  he  organized  the  First  National  Bank,  at 
Jacksonville,  and  has  been  actively  engaged  with  it  in 
an  official  capacity  ever  since,  having  been  cashier 
since  1867. 

He  has  always  been  a  loyal  follower  of  the  political 
doctrines  taught  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  and  though  his 
party  has  generally  been  in  a  minority  in  his  section 
since  1859,  he  is  still  strong  in  the  faith.  lie  served  the 
Democratic  party  in  the  Legislature  in  1867  and  1868, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  water  commis- 
sioners of  Jacksonville  for  many  years.  He  has  been 
an  active  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  since  1851,  and 
while  never  having  gone  into  the  higher  branches,  has 
passed  through  all  of  the  chairs  of  his  lodge  and  was 
its  treasurer  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  has  been  an 
elder  of  the  Presbyterian  chu-rch  at  Jacksonville,  since 
1872.  having  united  with  that  church  in  1868,  and  has 
always  been  an  active  and  zealous  worker  in  church 
and  charitable  affairs,  doing  all  that  la}7  in  his  power 
to  help  the  cause  and  always  giving  ready  heed  to  the 
calls  on  his  benevolence. 

Mr.  Fan-ell  was  married  September  IS.  1855,  to 
Miss  Mary  Jane  Dun  lap,  daughter  of  Judge  Stephen 
Dunlap.  His  wife  died  on  February  22.  1864.  leaving 
him  four  daughters,  three  of  whom  are  now  living,  and 
who  with  their  husbands  and  children  reside  within  a 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


531 


fe\v  minutes  walk  of  his  home.  In  May,  1866,  he  was 
again  married,  this  time  to  Miss  Anna  Epler,  of  Pleas- 
ant Plains,  Ky.  Two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter, 
have  blessed  this  union,  the  son  having  been  connected 
with  his  father's  bank  since  1888. 

Mr.  Farrell  has  traveled  quite  extensively  both  in 
this  country  and  in  Europe.  He  first  went  to  Europe 
in  1878  with  his  three  daughters,  visiting  the  principal 
cities  and  points  of  interest  in  England,  Ireland,  Scot- 
land and  continental  Europe,  and  also  visiting  Pales- 
tine and  Egypt.  In  1884  he  visited  California,  seeing 
the  Yosemite  Vallev  and  all  of  the  principal  cities  of 
the  West,  and  in  1888,  went  to  Mexico,  where  he  became 
familiar  with  all  of  the  places  and  regions  of  interest, 
including  Vera  Cruz  and  the  tropics.  Again,  in  1892, 
he  made  another  trip  to  Europe,  with  his  youngest 
daughter  and  four  of  her  friends  and  classmates  who 


had  just  graduated  from  school.  Mr.  Farrell,  while  not 
robust,  has  always  enjoyed  the  best  of  health,  and  is  a 
quick,  energetic  business  man. 

Left  an  orphan  in  his  early  infancy,  he  has  had 
to  work  out  his  own  destiny  as  best  he  could.  With 
such  an  education  as  he  could  get  at  the  short  winter 
terms,  in  the  little  log  school  houses  of  half  a  century 
ago,  he  started  business  in  a  small  country  store,  and 
by  hard  work,  untiring  energy  and  business  sagacity 
he  now  finds  himself  a  rich  man,  surrounded  by  an  in- 
teresting family  and  esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who 
know  him.  Fond  of  music  and  society,  in  his  youth  he 
mastered  the  violin,  and  has  always  been  a  prime  fac- 
tor in  social  gatherings.  He  takes  great  interest  and 
finds  his  greatest  pleasure  in  church  work  and  in  the 
society  of  his  family  and  friends,  by  all  of  whom  his  loss, 
should  it  occur,  would  be  most  keenlv  felt. 


ALBERT  F.  SCHOCH, 


OTTAWA,  ILLINOIS. 


ALBERT  F.  SCHOCH,  son  of  Philip  and  Caroline 
Schoch,  was  born  in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  on  the  18th 
day  of  December,  1857.  He  attended  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  his  native  city,  and  after  graduating  from 
the  latter  he  took  special  courses  in  the  French  and 
German  languages.  Understanding  while  quite  young 
that  his  success  in  life  would  largely  depend  upon  his 
own  exertions,  owing  to  the  fact  that  his  parents  were 
in  moderate  circumstances,  he  applied  himself  assidu- 
ouslv  to  his  books,  and  though  fond  of  all  out-door 
sports  he  eschewed  most  of  them  and  spent  as  much  as 
possible  of  his  spare  time  in  doing  errands  and  writing 
for  business  men. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  secured  a  position  in 
the  postoffice,  in  which.he  remained  for  sixteen  months, 
leaving  to  enter  the  competitive  examination  for  the 
appointment  to  West  Point,  from  his  district.  In  this 
examination  he  was  one  of  some  twenty-two  young 
men,  and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  some  of  them 
were  fresh  from  the  schoolroom,  young  Schoch  stood 
second.  He  afterward  occupied  a  position  as  messen- 
ger in  the  Ottawa  National  City  Bank,  which  he 
retained  until  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  book- 
keeper some  three  years  later.  He  acted  in  that  capa- 
city for  five  years,  when  he  was  made  assistant  cashier 
and  teller,  in  which  positions  he  served  until  1890, when 
he  was  elected  vice-president,  the  position  which  he  has 
held  since. 

Mr.  Schoch  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest 
in  the  public  school  system  and  has  twice  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Ottawa  school  board.  He  was 
school  treasurer  of  the  township  from  1887  to  1891. 
and  from  1887  to  1889,  he  acted  as  a  trustee  of  the 
Red  clock  Public  Library  board. 

In  1889  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  for 


city  treasurer,  and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the 
city  is  strongly  Democratic,  he  was  elected  by  a  good 
majority.  He  was  afterwards  nominated  for  mayor  of 
Ottawa,  and  elected  by  a  majority  of  over  600  votes, 
and  in  each  case  was  the  only  candidate  upon  the 
Republican  ticket  who  was  elected. 

Mr.  Schoch  was  for  man}'  years  a  member  of  the 
volunteer  Fire  Company  of  Ottawa,  and  participated 
with  that  company  in  the  great  firemen's  tournament 
held  in  Chicago  in  1875.  He  has  always  taken  a  great 
interest  in  the  Ottawa  fire  department,  and  has  spent 
considerable  time  and  money  in  the  advancement  of 
its  interests.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of  the  LaSalle  club 
a  social  organization  of  the  business  men  of  Ottawa. 
A  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  from  his 
early  youth,  his  religious  views  are  broad  and  liberal, 
while  in  advancing  the  cause  of  Christianity  and 
relieving  the  distressed  he  has  ever  been  notably 
generous. 

On  the  17th  day  of  December,  1879,  Mr.  Schoch 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Myra  Wolf,  of  Ottawa. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them,  and  in  the 
family  circle  Mr.  Schoch  finds  his  greatest  and  truest 
pleasure. 

Personally,  Mr.  Schoch  is  a  man  of  medium  height, 
and  as  he  wears  neither  beard  nor  mustache,  has  an 
appearance  of  youth  which  caused  him  to  be  known 
during  his  term  of  office  as  "  the  boy  mayor."  In 
disposition  he  is  lively  and  sociable,  and  extremely  fond 
of  out-door  exercise,  in  which  he  indulges  as  often  as 
possible.  He  has  many  friends,  and  judging  from  the 
excellent  record  already  made,  although  he  is  as  yet  a 
young  man,  his  future  career  cannot  fail  to  add  much 
greater  triumphs  to  those  already  won. 


532 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

CHARLES    H.  ALDRICH, 


CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS. 


/CHARLES  H.  ALDRICH  was  born  August  26, 
V>  1850,in  LaGrange  county,  Ind.  His  parents,  Ham- 
ilton Metcalf  Aldrich  and  Harriet  Sherwood  Aldrich, 
were  of  English  descent,  whose  immediate  parents, 
however,  had  emigrated  to  Indiana  from  Vermont  and 
New  York  respectively.  They  were  farmers  and 
descendants  of  farmers,  and  the  son,  who  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  followed  the  usual  life  of  a  farmer's 
boy,  attending  district  school  and  doing  manual  labor 
upon  the  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  when  the 
parents  moved  to  Orland,  Steuben  county,  Ind.,  for 
the  purpose  of  affording  their  children  better  educa- 
tional advantages  From  the  seminary  at  this  place 
Charles  went  later  to  the  high  school  at  Cold  water, 
Mich.,  and  still  later  to  the  high  school  at  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1871.  He 
entered  Michigan  University,  classical  course,  that  year 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1875.  The  president 
and  faculty  of  the  University  entertained  the  highest 
opinion  of  the  character  and  talents  of  young  Aldrich 
at  that  time,  and  letters  then  written  by  these  officers 
show  that  in  this  case  at  least  they  were  not  mistaken. 
The  University  has  recently  conferred  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  upon  its  distinguished  son. 

Mr.  Aldrich  chose  the  profession  of  the  law,  and  in 
1876  commenced  its  practice  in  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 
From  the  first  his  devotion  to  his  profession  was 
marked,  and  he  soon  took  high  rank  at  the  bar  of 
Indiana.  His  reading  from  the  first  went  far  beyond 
the  mere  case  in  hand,  and  he  always  came  to  the  bar 
of  the  court  thoroughly  prepared.  In  1884  he  lacked 
but  a  few  votes  of  receiving  the  nomination,  by  the 
Republican  party  of  Indiana,  for  the  office  of  attorney- 
general  of  the  State,  though  he  had  not  visited  a  place 
in  the  State  in  the  interest  of  his  candidacy.  In  1886 
he  came  to  Chicago,  and  from  the  first  took  a  high  place 
at  the  Cook  count}7  bar.  It  is  thought  that  the  mem- 
bers of  the  profession  are  accurate  in  their  estimate  of 
a  lawyer's  abilities,  and  judged  by  this  standard  Mr. 
Aldrich  ranks  high,  as  he  has  for  several  years  received 
a  considerable  income  as  counsel  in  important  causes, 
and  his  services  command  what  would  be  considered 
by  many  large  compensation.  He  has  steadily  de- 
clined annual  employments  by  corporate  interests, 
preferring  the  independence  of  selecting  his  business. 
He  is  able  and  tactful  as  counsel,  and  as  a  trial  lawyer 
has  few  if  any  superiors  at  the  Chicago  bar.  One 
feels  in  listening  to  his  presentation  of  a  cause  that  it 
is  not  merely  the  able  intellectual  effort  of  a  thoroughly 
trained  analytical  mind,  but  that  this  is  fortified  and 
strengthened  by  a  high  character  and  sincere  purpose. 

Mr.  Aldrich  first  came  into  national  prominence  as 
a  lawyer  by  his  presentation  of  the  issues  involved 
in  the  cases  of  the  United  States  against  the  Central 
Pacific  and  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  companies, 
and  later,  the  United  States  against  the  Union 


Pacific  Railway  Company  and  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Company,  in  which  he  was  opposed  by 
counsel  standing  among  the  first  at  the  American 
bar,  and  in  both  of  which  he  prevailed.  These 
cases  led  to  his  selection  as  solicitor-general  of 
the  United  States  to  succeed  William  II.  Taft,  who 
had  been,  in  the  winter  of  1891-2,  appointed  a  judge 
of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals.  Mr. 
Aldrich  held  the  office  of  solicitor-general  from  March, 
1892,  until  June  1,  1893.  In  that  brief  time  he  made  a 
reputation  as  a  lawyer  and  an  official  of  high  executive 
ability  such  as  is  ordinarily  only  obtained  through  the 
slow  growth  of  years.  There  were  no  differences  of 
opinion  as  to  the  highly  creditable  manner  in  which 
the  important  duties  of  the  office  were  discharged  by 
Mr.  Aldrich,  and  this  is  high  honor,  as  the  office  itself 
is  probably  the  most  desirable  one  at  the  bar  of  this 
country  for  an  able  lawyer.  The  Cherokee,  the  Hat 
Trimmings  and  the  Chinese  Registration  cases  were  a 
few  of  the  notable  ones  which  were  argued  by  Mr. 
Aldrich  at  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  while  his 
opinions  upon  the  powers  of  the  national  government 
to  establish  quarantine,  the  power,  to  issue  bonds  to 
maintain  resumption,  the  relations  of  the  State  and 
Federal  governments  under  the  election  laws  of  Con- 
gress, and  other  public  questions,  bore  ample  evidence 
of  his  broad  grasp  of  principles  and  his  clearness  of 
statement. 

His  firm  and  conciliatory  course  when  acting  attor- 
ney general,  just  prior  to  the  elections  of  1892,  and  when 
conflict  between  the  State  and  Federal  authorities 
seemed  imminent,  won  the  hearty  approval  of  the  press 
and  public  opinion  of  the  country  irrespective  of  party. 
His  fearlessness  was  again  illustrated  in  his  action 
urging  the  institution  of  a  suit  by  the  United  States  to 
annul  the  Berliner  telephone  patent  and  to  terminate 
the  period  of  a  monopoly  which  he  regarded  as  oppres- 
sive to  the  people  and  already  sufficiently  extended. 
At  the  same  time  his  delicacy  of  conduct  was  exempli- 
fied by  his  statement  to  the  president  and  attorney- 
general,  that  while  he  held  positive  views  concerning 
the  validity  of  the  patent  referred  to,  he  desired  them 
to  take  the  opinion  of  some  leading  lawyer,  and  also 
some  gentleman  skilled  in  science  before  any  action 
was  taken,  as  he  had  represented  interests  adverse  to 
the  Bell  company,  though  in  no  way  connected  with 
any  patents. 

Upon  retiring  from  the  office  of  solicitor-general, 
Mr.  Aldrich  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Chicago,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  many 
important  cases,  both  there  and  elsewhere.  He  enjovs 
to  the  highest  degree  the  friendship  and  esteem  of  the 
leading  lawyers,  judges  and  citizens.  But  it  may 
be  truthfully  said  that  Mr.  Aldrich  does  not  seek  his 
friendships  among  these.  He  loves  young  men  and  his 
time  is  often  devoted  to  efforts  to  help  such  in  the 


Tfte  Century Billishmg  &  Engraving  Co.  CMcigo. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


535 


battle  of  life,  and  these  are  always  welcome  to  his 
beautiful  and  hospitable  home.  A.  young  man  said  to 
the  writer  of  this  sketch  :  "  Mr.  Aldrich  inspires  me. 
I  always  feel  stronger  after  I  have  been  with  him,  and 
I  know  many  other  young  men  who  say  the  same 
thing." 

In  politics  Mr.  Aldrich  is  a  Eepublican,  and  a  firm 
believer  that  the  welfare  of  the  country  requires  the 
ascendency  of  that  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  League,  University,  Chicago  Literary,  Law.  and 
Evanston  clubs,  and  also  of  the  bar  associations,  county, 
State  and  National.  He  is  president  of  the  Lav  Club, 
and  has  served  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Chicago 
Law  Institute  and  the  committee  on  political  action  of 


the  Union  League  Club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Evanston,  and  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  the  religious  and  charitable  work  of 
that  and  kindred  organizations.  He  is  domestic  in  his 
habits  and  tastes,  and  notwithstanding  his  busy  life  and 
many  activities,  is  happiest  and  at  his  best  around  the 
family  fireside  and  among  his  books.  He  finds  time  to 
read  widely  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  great  ques- 
tions of  the  day. 

Mr.  Aldrich  was  married  October  13,  1875,  to  Miss 
Helen  Roberts,  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  woman, 
to  whom  he  always  attributes  such  success  as  has  come 
to  him.  They  have  three  children,  one  son  and  two 
daughters. 


WILLIAM    J.  CAMPBELL, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  J.  CAMPBELL  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Dec.  12,  1850.  He  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Mary  Campbell,  both  natives  of  the  north  of  Ire- 
land, but  of  Scotch  descent.  He  removed  with  his 
family  to  Boone  county,  Illinois,  forty  years  ago,  and 
received  his  primary  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  that  place,  supplementing  same  with  courses,  later 
in  life,  at  Lake  Forest,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  Union  Law  School  of  Chicago,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  graduated  in  due  course. 

He  at  once  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession  in  Chicago,  and  by  his  sterling  ability  and 
shrewd  management  of  the  interests  of  his  clients,  he 
rapidly  built  for  himself  a  reputation  equaled  by  few 
of  Chicago's  prominent  lawyers,  and  established  the 
same  upon  a  basis  at  once  exceptionally  remunerative 
and  distinctive  His  popularity  with  his  fellow  citi- 
zens is  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  was  nominated  and 
elected  by  them  to  serve  as  their  representative  in  the 
State  senate  continuously  for  eight  years.  Here  his 
natural  gift  of  leadership  was  appreciated,  and  for  six 
years  he  was  chosen  to  fill  the  chair  as  presiding  officer 


of  that  august  body.  A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr. 
Campbell  is  a  power  in  his  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  National  Republican  committee  and  of  the 
executive  committee,  on  which  he  has  done  good 
service,  and  was  selected  as  chairman  of  the  National 
Republican  committee  in  1892.  This  honor  he  was 
forced  to  decline,  however,  on  account  of  his  large 
law  practice. 

Mr.  Campbell  has  served  long  as  a  trustee  of  the 
Armour  Mission  and  Institute,  and  socially  is  a  well- 
known  member  of  the  Chicago  and  Union  League 
Clubs.  He  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Rebecca  Mc- 
Eldowney.  They  have  five  children  and  reside  in  the 
beautiful  suburban  village  of  Riverside.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell practices  law  with  J.  R.  Custer,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Campbell  &  Custer.  Personally  he  is  a  gen- 
tleman of  attractive  appearance,  a  good  conversation- 
alist, an  obliging  friend,  and  noted  for  the  qualities  of 
geniality  and  comradeship  which  make  him  popular 
with  his  associates,  while  in  his  business  intercourse  he 
is  regarded  as  a  man  of  uniform  courtesy  and  trusted 
for  his  integrity. 


JOHN   M.  H.  BURGETT, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  M.  H.  BURGETT  is  a  native  of  Vermont, 
and  was  born  in  Hartland,  April  28,  1850.  He  is 
the  third  son  of  Daniel  A.  and  Adeline  (Myron)  Bur- 
gett.  descendants  of  early  settlers  in  New  England.  In 
1854  his  parents  removed  from  Vermont  to  Fulton 
county,  111.,  and  for  many  years  have  resided  in  Lewis- 
town  in  tl;at  county,  where  his  father  has  owned  a 
flouring  mill.  He  attended  the  public  schools  at 
Bernadotte  and  Lewistown  in  the  county  named,  and  in 


18G9  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann 
Arbor,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in 
1872  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy,  con- 
ferred upon  graduates  of  the  Latin  and  scientific  course. 
He  entered  college  with  the  intention  of  taking  the 
degree  of  civil  engineer,  and  nearly  finished  the  course 
of  study  prescribed  for  such  degree,  when  he  broadened 
his  studies  and  included  those  of  the  scientific  and  the 
Latin  and  scientific  courses.  Much  of  his  success  in 


536 

professional  work  Mr.  Burgett  attributes  to  the  mental 
training  derived  from  his  mathematical  studies.  On 
leaving  college  he  taught  school  for  a  year  at  Yermont, 
111.,  and  then  read  law  in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  K.  B. 
Stevenson,  at  Lewistown. 

In  June,  1875,  Mr.  Burgett  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  and  in  the  following 
September  settled  in  Chicago,  where  he  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  April,  1877,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Abner  Smith  (now  Judge 
Smith),  under  the  name  of  Smith  &  Burgett,  which 
partnership  continued  until  April,  1887.  Immediately 
after  the  dissolution  of  this  partnership  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Henry  S.  and  Frank  S.  Osborne, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Osborne  Brothers  &  Burgett. 
Of  this  firm  Henry  R.  Pebbles  and  Nelson  G.  Park- 
hurst  were  for  a  time  members.  The  firm  now  con- 
sists of  Henry  S.  Osborne,  Mr.  Burgett  and  Frank 
Sayre  Osborne.  Osborne  Brothers  &  Burgett  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  strongest  law  firms  in  Chicago,  having  a 
very  large  office  practice  'as  well  as  court  business. 

Beginning  with  the  case  of  Silverman  vs.  Chase  in 
the  90th  volume  of  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court  Reports 
there  are  found  in  the  last  fifty-eight  volumes  of  such 
reports  and  in  the  forty-eight  volumes  of  the  Illinois 
Appellate  Court  Reports  a  large  number  of  cases  in- 


PROMINENT  MRN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


volving  important  interests  wherein  Mr,  Burgett  was 
counsel.  One  of  the  most  important  cases  with  which 
he  has  been  associated  was  in  1892,  involving  the  title 
to  Gore's  Hotel,  of  this  city.  His  first  case  in  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  was  Drury  vs.  Hayden 
(111.  U.  S.  Reports),  which  he  argued  in  1883. 

Mr.  Burgett  has  a  mind  strongly  logical,  with  rare 
powers  of  analysis.  He  is  quick  to  see  the  turning 
points  of  a  case.  To  great  accurate  knowledge  of  the 
law  he  adds  untiring  industry  and  methods  of  work  and 
study  thoroughly  systematic.  He  has  an  unusually 
strong  memory  of  adjudicated  cases.'  To  be  always 
prepared  for  strength  in  an  adversary  and  lack  of  legal 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  court,  has  been  a  fixed 
principle  of  conduct  with  him.  He  prepares  his  briefs 
with  great  care  and  consummate  skill.  The  judges  of 
the  Appellate  Court  of  the  first  district  of  Illinois  for 
the  March  term,  of  1892,  paid  Mr.  Burgett  a  high  com- 
pliment by  the  statement  that  the  abstracts  and  briefs 
received  by  the  court  from  him  excelled  all  others  re- 
ceived from  the  Chicago  bar  in  form,  method  of 
arrangement,  lucidity  and  all  that  facilitates  the  cor- 
rect understanding  of  the  case ;  and  the  judges  expressed 
a  wish  that  the  bar  might  be  formed  into  a  school  and 
instructed  by  him  in  his  method  of  preparing  abstracts 
and  briefs. 


HON.  WILLIAM    W.  WHEELOCK, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  born  on  Sept.  24-,  1861,  at  Felt's  Mills, 
Jefferson  county.  When  five  months  old,  his  parents 
removed  to  Canton,  N.  Y.,  where,  after  attending  the 
public  school,  young  Wheelock  finished  his  early 
education  at  the  Union  High  School,  afterward  taking 
a  special  course  of  three  years  at  St.  Lawrence  Univer- 
sity, and  later  attending  the  Union  College  of  Law  of 
the  Northwestern  University. 

In  1883.  Mr.  Wheelock  went  to  Watertown,  N.  Y., 
and  entered  the  office  of  McCartin  &  Williams,  for  the 
study  of  the  law.  After  two  years,  or  in  1885,  he 
went  to  New  York  city  and  entered  the  law  office  of 
Hascall,  Clarke  &  Yander  Poel.  In  1887  he  came 
westward,  locating  in  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  successful  practice  of  his  profession  and  became 
prominent  in  political  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
house  of  representatives  of  the  Illinois  legislature 
from  the  first  senatorial  district  of  Chicago,  having 
been  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  in  November, 
1S92,  serving  with  acceptance  to  his  constituents  and 
with  great  credit  to  himself.  In  August  of  1892,  he 
was  appointed  assistant  attorney  of  the  Sanitary  Dis- 
trict of  Chicago,  which  has  in  charge  the  construction 
of  the  great  ship  and  drainage  canal  connecting  the 


great  lakes  with  the  Mississippi  river,  which  position 
he  still  holds. 

In  social  life  Mr.  Wheelock  has  been,  and  is  still,  a 
prominent  figure  in  Chicago.  He  is  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Lincoln  Club,  which  is  one  of  the 
three  principal  Republican  clubs  in  Chicigo,  and 
served  as  its  secretary  from  its  organization  until 
February,  1894,  when  he  was  chosen  president, 
in  recognition  of  his  faithful  and  valuable  services  in 
its  behalf.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ashland 
Club,  and  of  the  Sons  of  New  York,  an  influential 
association. 

As  above  indicated,  Mr.  Wheelock  is  a  staunch 
Republican  in  politics,  and  noted  in  the  councils  of  that 
party.  In  his  religious  views  he  is  very  liberal,  confin- 
ing himself  and  his  activities  to  no  particular  church, 
but  helpful  in  the  interests  of  all. 

Personally,  Mr.  Wheelock  is  a  gentleman  of  fine 
appearance,  and  his  characteristics  are  such  as  to  make 
him  deservedly  popular  with  his  more  immediate 
friends;  while  his  genial  courtesy  to  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact  in  his  business  relations,  has  invaria- 
bly won  for  him  a  favorable  place  in  their  regards. 
The  future  of  Mr.  Wheelock  is  regarded  by  his  friends 
as  very  auspicious. 


I 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 

HENRY    MASPERO,  \ 

NEW  ORLEANS,  LOUISIANA. 


539 


HENRY  MASPERO,  son  of  Pierre  and  Emma 
(Olivier)  Maspero,  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  La., 
on  the  30th  day  of  September,  1859.  His  father  was 
a  prominent  figure  in  the  business  circles  of  New 
Orleans,  having  been  vice-president  of  the  Mutual 
National  Bank,  senior  partner  of  the  late  firm  of  P. 
Maspero  &  Co.,  large  sugar  planters  and  factors,  and  a 
director  in  many  prominent  corporations,  remaining  in 
active  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1884. 
Young  Maspero  attended  the  private  schools  of  New 
Orleans  until  he  had  attained  his  fourteenth  year  and 
then  went  to  Norwood  College  in  Virginia  for  three 
vears,  graduating  in  the  English  and  modern  language 
course.  He  then  attended  the  Eastman  National  Busi- 
ness College  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  Master  of  Accounts.  After  gradua- 
tion, he  returned  to  New  Orleans  and  secured  employ- 
ment as  a  clerk  in  the  offices  of  Agar  &  Lelong,  sugar 
merchants.  He  retained  this  position  for  two  years, 
and  then  entered  the  Mutual  National  Bank  as  exchange 
clerk,  but  desiring  to  engage  in  a  more  active  business 
life  he  resigned  at  the  end  of  one  year  and  became  con- 
nected with  the  firm  of  Miller,  Gregsby  &  Co.,  who 
were  engaged  in  the  western  produce  business. 

Here  he  remained  but  a  short  time,  and  when  he 


attained  his  twenty-first  year  he  started  in  business  for 
himself,  under  the  firm  name  of  Maspero  &  Robelot, 
and  is  still  carrying  on  the  sugar  factorage  business  in 
his  own  name.  In  1887  he  founded  the  Traders'  Bank 
of  New  Orleans,  and  being  then  elected  its  president, 
has  since  fulfilled  the  duties  of  that  position  \vitHgreat 
satisfaction,  although  when  first  elected  he  was  said  to 
be  the  youngest  bank  president  in  the  United  States. 
He  is  also  president  of  the  Union  Homestead  Associa 
tion.  Mr.  Maspero  is  a  Democrat,  and  though  he  never 
aspired  to  public  office,  stands  high  in  the  councils  of 
his  party.  He  is  an  aid-de-camp  to  the  Governor  of 
Louisiana,  holding  the  rank  of  major,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  New  Orleans  Board  of  Trade,  the  Louisiana 
Sugar  Exchange,  the  Southern  Yatch  Club,  the  Pick- 
wick Club  and  of  the  La  Variete  Association. 

He  attends  tlie  Catholic  church,  in  social  matters 
stands  high,  and  is  a  general  favorite.  A  descendant 
from  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  families  of  his 
native  State,  he  has  added  a  still  greater  lustre  to  the 
family  name.  His  business  career  up  to  the  present 
time  has  been  a  remarkable  one,  and  even  now,  should 
he  retire  from  business,  he  could  point  with  pride  to  a 
record  that,  considering  his  age,  is  second  to  hone  in 
the  entire  South. 


RISDON    D.   GRIBBLE, 


GAINESVILLE,  TEXAS. 


RISDON  D.  GRIBBLE,  son  of  Joseph  B.  and 
Margaret  (James)  Gribble,  was  born  on  a  farm 
near  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  on  the  26th  of  April,  1836.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Devonshire,  England,  and  came 
to  America  with  their  family  in  1831,  and  settling  in 
Pennsylvania  remained  until  1848,  when  they  went  to 
New  Orleans.  Young  Gribble  received  his  earlier  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  of  the  Keystone  State,  but 
as  the  school  terms  were  of  but  about  three  months' 
duration  each  year  his  advantages  did  not  amount  to 
much  until  after  the  family  located  in  New  Orleans, 
where  he  took  advantage  of  its  excellent  school  system 
and  completed  his  education.  In  the  summer  of  1849  he 
secured  employment  in  a  cotton  factor's  office  and 
began  to  earn  his  own  livlihood.  He  afterwards  held 
positions  with  other  firms,  each  time  bettering  his  con- 
dition, until  1853,  when  he.  secured  a  good  position 
with  a  large  commission  house  with  whom  he  remained 
in  different  capacities  until  1870.  The  firm  then  estab- 
lished him  in  the  banking  business  in  Jefferson,  Tex., 
where  he  had  gone  to  represent  them.  In  1873  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  Citizens  Bank  of  Jefferson, 
from  which  position  he  resigned  in  1879,  owing  to  the 
restriction  of  business  caused  by  the  building  of  rail- 


roads. After  leaving  Jefferson  he  located  in  Gains- 
ville,  Tex.,  where,  with  Captain  O.  T.  Lyon,  he  entered 
the  lumber  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Lyon  & 
Gribble,  and  under  which  title  the  business  is  still 
carried  on.  It  has  increased  to  an  enormous  extent, 
with  branch  offices  in  many  of  the  better  towns  of  the 
Lone  Star  State,  as  well  as  the  large  sash  and  door  fac- 
tory at  Houston,  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
R.  D.  Gribble  &  Co.  Besides  his  lumber  business,  Mr. 
Gribble  has  been  and  is  connected  with  many  enter- 
prises of  both  public  and  private  character.  He  has 
been,  in  both  Jefferson  and  Gainsville,  president  of 
different  building  and  loan  associations  which  have 
done  much  towards  helping  people  to  own  their 
own  homes.  At  the  present  time  he  is  the  president  of 
the  Hesperian  Building  and  Loan  Association  at  Gains- 
ville, Tex.,  and  president  of  the.  Texas  Lumberman's 
Association,  having  held  this  office  for  six  consecutive 
years.  In  June,  1890,  when  the  United  Association  of 
Lumbermen  was  organized  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Gribble  was 
elected  president  of  the  association,  was  re-elected  in 
1891,  and  was  offered  another  re-election  in  1892,  but 
declined  the  honor  and  named  as  his  successor  Mr. 
Joseph  Weaver  of  Ohio. 


540 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


In  1862  Mr.  Gribble  obtained  a  leave  of  absence 
from  his  employers  and  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
"Crescent  Regiment"  Louisiana  Volunteers,  which 
immediately  went  to  Corinth,  Miss.,  to  the  relief  of 
Generals  Johnston  and  Beauregard,  and  just  one  month 
after  leaving  home  received  his  first  taste  of  war's 
grim  horrors  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Shortly  after  he 
was  appointed  quartermaster  of  the  regiment  and  filled 
this  position  until  he  was  placed  on  special  duty  to  help 
prepare  for  Gen.  Bragg's  campaign,aml  after  returning 
from  Kentucky  was  posted  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee, 
where  he  remained  until  that  city  was  surrendered  to 
the  federal  forces.  He  was  then  ordered  to  take 
charge  of  the  post  at  Madison,  Florida,  and  remained 
at  that  place  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  final 
surrender  he  found  himself  with  nothing  left,  and 
returned  to  New  Orleans  on  transportation  furnished 
by  the  U.  S.  government,  where  he  was  enabled  only  to 
buy  food  for  his  wife  and  himself  through  the  kindness 
of  a  comrade  who  sold  his  watch  and  lent  the  destitute 
soldier  a  part  of  the  money.  Mr.  Gribble  has  been  a 


member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  from  his  early 
3Touth  and  has  been  ever  ready  to  take  upon  himself 
his  share  of  church  work  and  charities.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  on  the  llth  of  February,  1864,  to  Miss 
Addie  L.  Hodges,  of  New  Orleans.  The  ceremony 
was  performed  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  to  which  city  Miss 
Hodges  and  her  mother  went  under  a  flag  of  truce. 
His  wife  accompanied  him  back  to  his  post  and  there 
remained  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  they  returned 
together  to  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Gribble  has 
been  for  years  a  member  of  the  Knights  and 
Ladies  of  Honor  and  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and 
has  ever  been  a  staunch  follower  of  the  doctrines  of 
Democracy.  lie  is  without  doubt  one  of  the  best  ex- 
amples of  what  a  poor  boy,  without  any  capital  beyond 
a  pair  of  willing  hands  and  a  determination  to  succeed, 
can  do  for  himself  now  to  be  found  in  the  Lone  Star 
State.  He  is  well  and  honorably  known  not  only  in 
his  own  section  but  throughont  the  entire  country,  and 
wherever  his  name  is  known  he  finds  warm  and  true 
friends  who  delight  to  do  honor  to  his  sterling  worth. 


JULIUS   SCHWABACHER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JULIUS  SCHWABACHER,  son  of  Lazarus  and 
Julia  (Kurtz)  Schwabacher,  was  born  inOberdorf, 
Wurtemberg,  German}',  on  the  13th  day  of  August, 
1839.  His  father  was  a  man  prominent  alike  in  business, 
in  politics  and  in  social  affairs.  He  was  a  manufac- 
turer of  woolens  and  cloths,  a  large  dealer  in  foreign 
and  domestic  wool  and  furs,  and  the  treasurer  of  a  sav- 
ings institution,  besides  being  a  member  of  the  town 
council  and  a  deacon  of  the  congregation.  Julius  was 
the  eldest  of  twelve  children,  of  which  nine  are  still 
living,  and  recsived  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  under  the  instruction  of  private 
tutors.  From  early  youth  he  wished  above  all  things 
to  visit  America,  and  seized  the  first  opportunity  to 
carry  his  desire  into  effect.  This  was  offered  when  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age  by  an  aunt  who  was  coming 
to  America,  and  after  obtaining  his  father's  consent 
young  Schwabacher  set  sail  for  New  York.  He  re- 
mained in  New  York  for  a  short  time  and  then  went 
to  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  where  he  obtained  employment  as  a 
clerk  in  his  uncle's  clothing  store.  He  remained  in  the 
store  for  nearly  five  years,  and  then  accepted  a  posi- 
tion as  clerk  in  the  post  office,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  for  two  years. 

He  resigned  his  position  in  the  post  office  in  the 
spring  of  1862,  and,  in  partnership  with  Jacob  Schloss, 
started  in  the  grocery  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  Schloss  &  Schwabacher.  This  business  was  con- 
tinued until  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and  then,  in  the 
fall  of  1862,  Mr.  Schwacher  disposed  of  his  interests 
and  became  sutler  in  Major  Barry's  battery  of  artil- 


lery, and  later  occupied  a  similar  position  with  the 
Ninety-sixth  Regiment  Ohio  Infantry,  with  which  he 
remained  until  after  the  fall  of  Vrcksburg.  He  then  quit 
the  sutler  business  and  obtained  a  government  license 
to  open  a  dry  goods  store  in  Vicksburg,  which  he 
conducted  successfully  until  the  spring  of  1866,  when 
he  disposed  of  the  business  and  went  to  New  Orleans. 
Before  engaging  in  business  there  he  paid  a  visit  to 
Europe  and  his  old  home  with  his  bride,  remaining 
nine  months,  and  on  his  return  to  New  Orleans  began 
business  as  an  importer  of  fine  white  goods,  laces, 
embroideries,  etc.,  and  conducted  the  same  until  the 
spring  of  1868,  when  he  sold  out,  and  in  the  following 
September  purchased  the  interest  of  his  brother-in-law, 
Henry  Friedlander,  in  the  whiskey  business,  owned  by 
Frey  &  Friedlander,  and  the  business  was  changed 
from  whiskey  to  western  produce  and  provisions, 
which  were  handled  on  commission.  On  the  first  day 
of  January,  1869,  Abe  Hirsch  was  admitted  to  part- 
nership, and  in  July  of  that  year  Messrs.  Schwabacher 
&  Hirsch  bought  the  interests  of  Mr.  Frey.  The  bus- 
iness was  then  conducted  under  the  name  of  Schwa, 
bacher  &  Hirsch  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Hirsch  in  1882, 
when  it  was  changed  to  J.  &  M.  Schwabacher,  Morris 
Schwacher,  a  brother,  having  been  admitted  to  part- 
nership in  the  fall  of  1879.  The  business  was  continued 
under  this  name  until  October  1,  1890,  when,  in  order 
to  give  Max  Schwabacher  and  some  old  and  faithful 
employes  of  the  house  an  interest  in  the  business,  it 
was  changed  to  a  stock  company  under  the  name  of  J. 
&  M.  Schwabacher,  Limited,  and  Mr.  Schwabacher 


\NV 


«*V 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T   WEST. 


543 


was  elected  president.  The  house  has  now  completed 
the  twenty  -fifth  year  of  its  existence,  and  for  the  last 
twenty  years  has  been  the  leading  produce  and  provi- 
sion firm  in  New  Orleans,  having  brandies  in  many  of 
the  larger  western  centers. 

Mr.  Schwabacher  opened  the  first  branch  in  Cincin- 
nati, in  1869,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  packing 
business  was  moving  West  he  moved  to  Chicago  in  1878, 
and  lias  since  maintained  an  office  in  that  city,  running 
it  in  connection  with  the  New  Orleans  business.  Since 
coming  to  Chicago  the  firm  has  done  a  large  business 
on  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  1889  the  North  American 
Provision  Company  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  Illinois  for  the  purpose  of  entering  the  pork  packing 
business.  Mr.  Schwabacher  was  elected  its  first 
president,  but  after  serving  one  year  withdrew  from 
all  active  participation  in  its  management,  in  fact,  since 
1886  he  has  retired  from  all  active  business,  excepting 
that  he  devotes  a  part  of  his  time  to  looking  after  the 
interests  of  the  New  Orleans  house. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  March,  1866,  Mr.  Schwa- 
bacher was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nancy  Fried- 
lander,  daughter  of  Samuel  Friedlander,  one  of  the 
leading  cotton  factors  of  New  Orleans,  who  after 
nearly  seven  years  of  happy  life,  passed  away  on  the 
14th  day  of  January,  1873,  leaving  two  children, 
Florence,  now  the  wife  of  Maurice  L.  Horner,  and 
Henry  H.  Schwabacher.  On  November  5,  1879,  Mr. 
Schwabacher  was  marriad  to  Miss  Emma  Loeb,  only 
daughter  of  Louis  Loeb,  a  retired  merchant  of  Missis- 
sippi, a  highly  educated  and  accomplished  lady,  to 
whose  charming  presence  is  due  the  great  attractiveness 
of  their  elegant  home,  3L33  Michigan  avenue,  which  he 
built  upon  his  return  .from  Europe  in  1888. 

Julius  Schwabacher  was  born  of  a  Jewish  family 
and  reared  in  the  Jewish  faith,  and  while  broad  and 
liberal  in  his  religious  views,  as  he  is  in  all  others,  he 
has  always  adhered  to  his  early  teachings,  and  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  Sinai  Congregation  of  Chicago, 


which  is  in  charge  of  Rev.  Dr.  E.  G.  Hirsch.  He  has 
been  for  a  year  past  president  of  the  Chicago  Panop- 
tican,  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  the 
Art  Institute  and  the  Standard  Club.  A  Master 
Mason,  he  has  been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
Cincinnati  Lodge,  No.  133,  of  that  fraternity,  and  is  a 
past  president  of  Spinoza  Lodge,  No.  108,  Cincinnati, 
of  the  Independent  Order  B'nai  B'rith.  He  has  retained 
his  membership  in  both  of  these  lodges  up  to  the 
present  time,  although  a  resident  of  another  city. 

Mr.  Schwabacher  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest 
in  all  organizations  having  for  their  object  the  amelior- 
ation of  the  condition  of  those  in  need  of  help,  and  is 
prominently  connected  with  many  institutions  having 
that  end  in  view,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the 
Chicago  Home  for  the  aged  and  infirm  Jews,  the  Cleve- 
land Orphan  Asylum  and  the  Touro  Infirmaryof  New 
Orleans.  He  has  traveled  extensively  in  the  United 
States  and  has  three  times  visited  Europe,  where  he 
spent  nine  to  eighteen  months  each  time,  and  besides 
going  to  hisold  home,  visited  most  of  the  important 
cities  and  places  in  England  and  on  the  continent. 

Politically,  Mr.  Schwacher  is  a  Democrat,  though 
confining  his  interest  in  politics  to  the  casting  of  his 
vote,  as  his  immense  business  interests  have  required 
his  almost  undivided  attention.  The  position  that  he 
holds  to-day  in  the  business  and  social  world  he  owes 
to  his  own  endeavors,  having  arrived  in  this  country  a 
boy  with  no  capital,  save  a  willingness  to  work  and  a 
brain  to  direct  his  efforts  in  the  right  channel.  It  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  has  been  successful,  and 
can  in  the  prime  of  life  look  back  upon  a  record  sur- 
passed by  none  and  equalled  by  few.  He  has  always 
experienced  the  best  of  health,  with  the  exception  of 
an  attack  of  yellow  fever  in  1866.  He  is  popular  alike 
in  business  and  society  circles;  in  manner  he  is  genial, 
modest  and  unostentatious.  His  advice  is  often  sought, 
and  when  given  is  valued  by  his  friends  and  business 
associates. 


S.  P.  SIMPSON, 

EAGLE  PASS,  TEXAS. 


SP.  SIMPSON  was  born  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio, 
•  January  llth,  1838,  the  son  of  Sidney  and  Mary 
(Dorsey)  Simpson,  his  mother  being  a  descendant  of 
General  Dorsey,  an  officer  in  the  American  army 
during  the  Revolutionary  war,  whose  sword  is  still  on,e 
of  the  most  treasured  heir-looms  of  the  Dorsey  family. 
His  mother's  brother,  Michael  Dorses',  is  the  oldest 
man  living  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  at  this  writing 
being  eighty-eight  years  of  age,  and  is  still  in  business, 
as  hale  and  hearty  as  many  men  of  half  his  a"ge. 

Mr.  Simpson's  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools  and  at  Marietta  College  in  Ohio,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  January,  1859.  After 


graduation  he  secured  the  position  of  second  clerk  on 
the  steamer  "Silver  Star,"  an  Ohio  river  packet,  and 
after  he  had  acquired  experience  as  to  his  duties,  was 
promoted  to  the  position  of  first  clerk  on  the  "  Boston" 
and  held  the  same  position  afterwards  on  other  large 
packets  engaged  in  the  Cincinnati  trade.  When  the 
war  broke  out,  the  boats  were  laid  up,  and  Mr.  Simp- 
son bscame  junior  partner  of  the  wholesale  grocery 
house  of  W.  W.  Hanly  &  Co.  at  Cincinnati.  While  a 
member  of  the  firm  he  was  entrusted  with  much  of  its 
business,  which  was  in  the  main  with  that  portion  of 
the  South  that  remained  loyal  to  the  Union. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  the  firm  was  dissolved  and 


544 

Mr.  Simpson  went  into  business  at  Lexington,  Ky., 
where  he  remained  for  several  vears,  when  he  went  to 
North  Plait,  Neb.,  where  he  operated  a  cattle  ranch 
until  1879.  He  then  moved  to  Texas  and  located  at 
Eagle  Pass,  where  he  established  the  first  bank  in  Texas 
west  of  San  Antonio.  The  business  of  the  bank  has 
since  increased  year  by  year,  until  now  the  banking 
house  of  S.  P.  Simpson  &  Co.  is  one  of  the  best  known 
in  the  southwest.  The  business  of  this  house  in  south- 
west Texas  and  in  Mexico  is  easily  the  largest  done  by 
any  in  the  State. 

Mr.  Simpson  is  Democratic  both  in  politics  and  in 
relation  with  his  fellow-men,  believing  that  a  low 
tariff  is  preferable  to  too  much  protection,  and  "that  one 
man  is  just  as  good  as  another  as  long  as  he  behaves 
himself  and  fulfills  his  duties  as  a  man  in  society  and 
as  a  citizen  in  the  community.  He  has  no  complicated 
views  on  religious  subjects,  granting  freely  to  all  men 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


the  right  to  their  own  opinions.  He  believes  that  he  is 
doing  all  that  is  required  who  follows  the  Golden 
Rule. 

He  was  married  in  May,  1866,  to  Miss  Mary  Reed, 
daughter  of  Henry  W.  and  Martha  Reed,  both  of  Lex- 
ington, Ky. 

Mr.  Simpson  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  with  ex- 
pressive grey  eyes  and  is  of  an  active,  nervous  temper- 
ament and  exceedingly  open  and  frank  in  manner, 
making  many  friends,  who  are  led  to  admire  him  more 
as  their  friendship  lengthens.  His  position  in  life  is 
largely  due  to  his  own  unaided  efforts  and  he  may  well 
be  proud  of  his  success.  It  is  to  him  and  others  of  like 
character  and  enterprise  that  western  Texas  owes  her 
wonderful  development,  and  while  such  spirits  rule  she 
will  continue  to  prosper.  Altogether  he  is  of  the  sort 
of  men  who  help  any  community  to  develop  its  best 
points  in  every  way. 


PHILEMON    L.  MITCHELL, 

ROCK  ISLAND,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch,  Mr.  Philemon  L.  Mitch- 
ell, who  is  the  senior  member  of  the  banking 
house  of  Mitchell  &  Lynde,  at  Rock  Island,  111.,  was. 
born  in  the  State  of  Maine  in  1812.  For  some  years, 
from  1852  to  1856,  he  was  cashier  of  the  Georgetown 
branch  of  the  "  Farmers'  Bank  of  Kentucky."  At  the 
end  of  this  time  Mr.  Mitchell  removed  to  Rock 
Island,  where,  in  company  with  Mr.  P.  L.  Cable,  he 


organized  the  bank  of  Mitchell  &  Cable,  which, 
in  1860,  was  changed  to  Mitchell  &  Lynde.  Under 
this  name  the  bank  has  continued  ever  since.  It  is 
among  the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest,  banking  house  in 
the  State  of  Illinois,  and  Mr.  Mitchell,  its  senior 
member,  is  probably  the  oldest  man  now  any- 
where actively  engaged  in  the  banking  business  in 
the  State. 


WILLIAM  SIDNEY  ELLIOTT,  JR., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  SIDNEY  ELLIOTT,  JR.,  is  the  son  of 
William  Sidney  and  Caroline  (Morse)  Elliott, 
and  was  born  at  Niles,  Mich.,  on  May  1,1849.  His 
father,  who  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Niles,  was  a 
lineal  descendant  of  John  Eliot,  the  noted  Indian 
apostle  of  colonial  days. 

The  early  education  of  young  Elliott  was  acquired  in 
the  public  schools  of  Quincy,  111.,  at  which  place  he  also 
took  an  academical  course.  Leaving  home  at  the  early 
age  of  sixteen,  he  had  his  own  way  to  make  in  the 
world,  and  after  leaving  school  entered  the  banking 
house  of  L.  &  C.  H.  Bull,  of  Quincy,  111.,  where  he 
remained  for  four  years,  commencing  at  the  lowest 
position  and  working  his  way  to  the  highest.  To  the 
valuable  training  acquired  in  this  house,  and  especially 
to  the  kindly  interest  shown  in  his  welfare  by  the 
brothers  Bull,  Mr.  Elliott  largely  attributes  the  success 
in  life  which  he  has  since  achieved. 

Desiring  a    wider  field  of  operations  he  resigned 


his  position  in  the  bank,  arriving  in  Chicago  on 
March  4,  1869.  He  took  a  position  secured  for  him 
by  the  Messrs.  Bull  with  the  old  State  Insurance 
Company  of  Chicago,  with  which  he  remained  for  one 
year,  leaving  the  same  thereafter  to  enter  into  the 
insurance  brokerage  business  which  he  then  followed 
during  the  succeeding  ten  years,  working  up  one  of  the 
best  paying  patronages  of  the  great  Chicago  fire 
period.  In  1879,  through  the  kind  interposition  of 
Luther  Laflin  Mills,  Mr.  Elliott  secured  a  position  in 
the  law  office  of  Emery  A.  Storrs  with  whom,  after 
two  or  three  years  of  study,  he  formed  a  partnership 
which  ended  in  1887,  when  he  was  appointed  assistant 
State's  attorney  under  Judge  Longenecker.  His  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  was  in  March,  1882. 

Mr.  Elliott  remained  in  the  position  of  assistant 
State's  attorney  for  five  years,during  which  time  he  con- 
ducted more  cases  on  behalf  of  the  State  than  were  ever 
before  disposed  of  in  the  same  period  of  time.  When 


rfr 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


547 


it  is  stated  that  nearly  6,000  cases  were  conducted  by 
him  during  that  time,  or  an  average  of  1,200 each  year, 
some  idea  of  the  work  done  may  be  gained.  Among 
some  of  the  most  noted  cases  tried  under  Mr.  Elliott's 
management  may  be  mentioned  the  following: 

John  Conti,  charged  with  the  murder  of  the  Italian 
Nicholas  Senne,  convicted  on  purely  circumstantial 
evidence  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  life;  McGrath 
and  Mortel,  for  the  killing  of  Policeman  Fryer, 
awarded  a  life  sentence,  though  on  a  new  trial  ac- 
quitted; Henry  McCabe,  for  the  murder  of  James  M. 
Howard,  a  lawyer  of  Valparaiso,  Ind.,  convicted  on 
circumstantial  evidence  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary; 
Thomas  White,  for  the  murder  of  the  "Black  Diamond," 
also  convicted  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary;  Michael 
Foy,  Robert  Russell  and  William  Jackson,  sent  to  the 
penitentiary  for  life  under  the  habitual  criminal  act, 
for  robbery,  being  the  only  instance,  it  is  said,  up  to 
that  time  of  any  one  receiving  a  life  sentence  for  that 
offence;  John  Dennison,  convicted  and  given  a  life  sen- 
tence for  the  murder  of  John  Dillon.  Mr.  Elliott  also 
tried  the  well  remembered  case  of  Mrs.  Rawson  for  the 
shooting  of  lawyer  Whitney,  and  that  of  August 
Hetzke,  who  was  sentenced  to  be  hung  for  whipping 
his  boy  to  death.  On  condition  of  pleading  guilty, 
Hetzke  was  granted  a  new  trial  and  sentenced  for  life. 
The  wife  murderer.  Mat  bias  Busch,  was  also  tried  and 
given  a  life  sentence.  In  1888,  the  anarchist,  Hronek, 
who  conspired  to  assassinate  Judge  Gary  and  Prosecut- 
ing Attorney  Grinnell,  was  tried  and  convicted  and  got 
a  twelve  year's  sentence  in  the  penitentiary.  Among 
other  convictions  secured  were  those  of  the  notorious 
real  estate  swindler,  Edward  A.  Trask,  sent  up  for 
eighteen  years;  George  Hathaway,  for  the  killing  of 
Alderman  Whalen,  sentenced  for  life,  afterwards 
granted  a  new  trial  and  given  three  years  in  the  peni- 
tentiary upon  his  plea  of  guilty  of  manslaughter:  James 
Prendergast,  for  the  murder  of  John  Bain,  convicted 
of  manslaughter  before  a  jury  and  given  thirty  years, 
the  longest  sentence  for  that  crime  before  known; 
Thomas  Kelly,  given  a  life  sentence  for  rape;  James 
Briscoe,  for  the  assault  with  intent  to  rob  Mr.  Edwin 
Walker,  the  eminent  attorney,  sent  to  the  penitentiary 
for  thirty  years;  and  Joseph  Bales  for  the  murder  of  a 
stevedore,  convicted  and  sentenced  for  twenty-five 
years.  Mr.  Elliott  also  conducted,  in  1892,  the  famous 
case  of  John  Redmond,  the  father  of  the  notorious  Annie 
Redmond,  charged  with  the  murder  of  Dr.  F.  M.  Wilder. 
Redmond  was  given  a  life  sentence. 

Upon  leaving  the  office  of  the  State's  attorney,  in 
the  fall  of  1892,  to  resume  his  private  practice,  Judge 
Tuthill  took  occasion  to  pay  Mr.  Elliott  a  high  compli- 
ment, from  the  bench,  for  his  untiring  energy  and 
eminent  ability  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  on  behalf 
of  the  people.  Members  of  the  bar  made  speeches  of  a 
similar  tenor,  and  Kate  Kane,  the  woman  lawyer, 
especially  complimented  him  for  his  uniform  champion- 
ship of  the  cause  of  unprotected  women  and  children,  a 
compliment  confessedly  deserved.  In  this  connection, 
as  indicating  the  rare  powers  of  persuasion  and  elo- 


quence'overjjuries  possessed  by  Mr.  Elliott,  we  cannot 
do"}  better  than  to  quote  a  few  sentences  from  the 
remarks  of  the  late  Judge  Ketelle,  of  the  Superior 
Court,  in  granting  the  motion  of  the  defense  for  a  new 
trial  in  the  case  of  James  Prendergast  for  the  murder 
of  John  Bain,  above  referred  to.  Judge  Ketelle  said: 

"The  jury  did  not  (ind  the  defendant  guilty  of 
murder,  but  of  manslaughter,  and  I  do  not  understand 
why,  under  that  finding,  the  punishment  was  so  severe, 
unless  it  was  theeloquenceand  logical  address  of  State's 
Attorney  EllioU,  who  held  the  jury  spellbound  and 
swayed  their  minds  as  the  tempestuous  storm  bends  the 
willow  to  its  will.  This  verdict  is  a  monument  to  his 
power  over  the  minds  of  jurors;  his  persuasive  logic  to 
mould  their  opinions  and  his  eloquence  in  so  impressing 
them  as  to  force  from  them  a  verdict  which  is,  in  the 
mind  of  the  court,  excessive  and  unjust."  Other  judges 
before  whom  Mr.  Elliott  has  tried  numerous  cases,  have 
expressed  themselves  to  the  writer  in  a  similar  strain, 
and  speak  in  high  terms  of  his  ability. 

Since  leaving  the  State's  attorney's  cffice  Mr. 
Elliotthas  devoted  himself  to  his  private  practice,  and 
though  giving  a  large  share  of.  his  attention  to  civil 
cases,  is  much  sought  after  in  criminal  cases,  and  enjoys 
a  large  patronage.  During  the  eighteen  months  since 
he  resumed  practice  Mr.  Elliott  has  conducted  the  de- 
fense in  at  least  five  criminal  cases  of  importance,  in  all 
of  which  he  secured  acquittals,  excepting  one — that  of 
John  Ryan  for  wife  murder,  who  was  awarded  the 
light  sentence  of  four  years  in  the  penitentiary.  Three 
others — Michael  McSherry,  charged  with  the  murder 
of  Daniel  Denehv,  one  of  the  most  stubbornly  contested 
cases  of  late  years;  John  Hoffman,  for  murder,  and  Dr. 
R.  S.  Wickham,  for  the  killing  of  "Wm.  Clapper,  were 
all  acquitted  on  jury  trials.  He  also  conducted  the 
defense  of  George  Craig,  charged  with  the  ravishment 
and  murder  of  little  Emma  Werner,  and  after  a  three 
week's  trial,  day  and  night,  secured  a  disagreement  of 
the  jury.  It  may  be  mentioned  also  that  while  in  the 
State's  attorney's  office,  Mr.  Elliott  prosecuted  and  se- 
cured the  conviction  of  George  Painter,  recently  hung 
for  the  murder  of  his  mistress,  Alice  McLane;  and  that 
during  the  desperate  effort  last  winter  to  secure,  first  a 
pardon  from  Governor  Altgeld,  and  failing  in  that,  to 
secure  a  commutation  of  the  death  sentence 
to  imprisonment  for  life,  Mr.  Elliott  was  called 
into  the  case  by  State's  attorney  Kern  and  Governor 
Altgeld,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  defeating  the 
above  attempts.  In  the  case  of  Prendergast,  under 
death  sentence  in  March  last  for  the  murder  of  Mayor 
Harrison,  Mr.  Elliott,  at  the  request  of  the  defense, 
participated  in  the  arguments  before  Judge  Chetlain, 
for  a  stay  of  execution  of  sentence  pending  an  investi- 
gation into  the  insanity  of  the  prisoner. 

In  social  life  Mr.  Elliot  is  prominent,  and  besides 
being  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  affiliates  with 
several  societies  and  clubs.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
directors  of  the  Apollo  Musical  Club,  and  as  such  con- 
tributed greatly  by  his  enterprise  and  energy  in  estab- 
lishing that  organization  upon  the  firm  basis  upon 


548 

which  it  now  rests.  He  is  an  active  member,  and  has 
been  an  official  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the 
Royal  League,  the  National  Union  and  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Foresters  of  America,  of  which  latter  order 
he  was  elected  the  first  supreme  chief  ranger  for  the 
United  States.  In  all  church  and  charitable  work  Mr. 
Elliot  is  especially  interested.  He  is  a  member  and 
attendant  of  the  Congregational  church,  and  entertains 
liberal,  yet  evangelical,  views  on  religious  subjects. 

Politically,  Mr.  Elliot  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and 
has  for  several  years  been  a  power  in  his  party.  In 
political  campaigns  his  well  known  eloquence  has 
brought  his  services  into  requisition,  and  his  voice  has 
been  frequently  heard  on  the  platform  in  every  ward, 
village  and  hamlet  in  Cook  county,  as  well  as  in  the 
general  campaign  field. 

On  October  14-,  1871,  Mr.  Elliot  was  married  to  Miss 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


Alinda  Caroline  Harris,  of  Janesville,  Wis.,  and  a  family 
of  five  bright  children  now  blesses  their  home,  viz.: 
Lorenzo  Bull,  Daniel  Morse,  Charles  Sutnner,  and 
Emery  Storrs  Elliott;  while  a  bright  girl,  Jessie  Flor- 
ence, completes  the  circle.  Of  the  above,  Lorenzo,  the 
eldest  son,  a  graduate  of  the  Kent  Law  School,  is  now 
in  the  office  of  his  father. 

In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Elliot  is  a  man  of  more 
than  average  size,  being  fully  six  feet  tall  and  weighing 
about  200  pounds.  He  is  well  proportioned  and  of  a 
winning,  yet  commanding  presence.  One  of  his  lead- 
ing characteristics  in  his  business  affairs  is  his  fine 
sense  of  order  and  complete  system  and  the  habit  of 
giving  careful  attention  to  details.  On  his  social  side, 
he  is  exceptionally  genial,  always  companionable  and 
is  deservedly  popular  with  his  friends,  whose  number 
is  large  and  ever  increasing. 


WILLIAM    LEONARD   JOY, 


SIOUX  CITY,  IOWA. 


WILLIAM  LEONARD  JOY,  son  of  William  H. 
and  Kittie  (Leonand)  Joy,  was  born  at  Towns- 
hend,  Vt.,  on  the  17th  of  August,  1830.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  his  father 
was  a  farmer  and  an  owner  of  milling  property.  His 
early  education  was  acquired  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  there  he  remained  for  the  first 
twenty  years  of  his  life,  preparing  for  college  and 
helping  his  father  in  the  business.  When  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  entered  Amherst  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  1855, 
though  he  had  taught  school  three  winters  during  his 
college  course,  and  afterwards,  while  studying  law 
in  the  office  of  Judge  Roberts,  he  taught  classes  in 
Leland  Seminary.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the 
spring  of  1857,  and  immediately  started  for  the  West5 
reaching  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home,  on  the  5th  day  of  May  in  that  year. 

Here  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  N.  C. 
Hudson,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Hudson  &  Joy 
they  continued  business  until  1866.  Mr.  Joy  then 
practiced  alone  for  two  years,  after  which  he  took  as 
a  partner,  Mr.  C.  L.  Wright,  the  firm  being  known  as 
Jov  &  Wright,  and  was  recognized  for  twenty  years  as 
the  leading  firm  of  attorneys  in  Woodbury  county. 
They  were  the  local  attorneys  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  and  the  general  attorneys  for  the 
Sioux  Citv  &  Pacific,  the  Dakota  Southern,  the  Cov. 
ington,  Columbus  &  Black  Hills  Railroads,  and  for  the 
Iowa  Falls  and  Sioux  City  Railroad  Land  Company. 
Mr.  Joy  has  always  had  a  large  practice  in  the  State 
and  Federal  courts,  and  has  thereby  accumulated  a 
large  property,  which,  owing  to  his  prudent  manage- 
ment, yields  large  and  satisfactory  returns. 

Politically,  Mr.  Joy  is   a   staunch   Republican,  and 


represented  his  district  in  the  State  Legislature  in  the 
seasons  of  1864  and  1866.  In  the  house  his  record 
was  one  that  showed  earnest  application  and  much 
hard  work  in  the  interests  of  his  constituents.  He  was 
elected  to  look  after  the  railroads  interests  of  North- 
western Iowa,  and  succeeded  in  carrying  through 
those  measures  most  in  the  interests  of  his  constituents, 
and  when  his  work  was  done  retired,  ever  since 
resolutely  declining  to  allow  his  name  to  go  before  the 
people  as  a  candidate  for  office.  His  friends  have 
more  particularly  desired  him  to  become  a  candidate 
for  a  judgeship  in  the  District  and  Circuit  Courts,  or 
in  the  Supreme  Court,  but  though  so  well  fitted  in 
every  way  to  adorn  the  bench,  he  has  adhered  strictly 
to  his  resolution,  and  his  friends,  knowing  that  he 
would  really  be  the  sufferer,  in  a  pecuniary  sense,  have 
been  obliged  to  respect  his  decision. 

The  partnership  between  Messrs.  Joy  &  Wright 
was  dissolved  in  1888,  and  Mr.  Joy  has  since  been  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Joy,  Call  &  Joy,  one  of 
the  most  prominent  law  firms  in  the  state  of  Iowa. 
Mr.  Joy  is  universally  conceded  to  be  one  of  the 
strongest  pleaders  before  a  jury  now  practicing  before 
the  Iowa  bar,  but  is  best  known  as  a  court  lawyer, 
where  his  great  learning,  skill  and  ability  have  placed 
him  in  the  front  rank  of  his  profession. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1859,  Mr.  Joy  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Frances  A.  Stone,  at  Westmore- 
land, N.  H.  T\vo  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  have 
blessed  this  union,  the  son  being  now  the  junior 
member  of  his  father's  law  firm,  and  the  daughter  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Giles  W.  Brown,  who  with  Mr.  Joy  own 
and  operate  the  large  oat  and  cornmeal  mills  at  Sioux 
city.  The  business  is  carried  on  under  the  name  of 
the  Sioux  Milling  Company,  and  is  one  of  the  largest 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


551 


and  most  prosperous   of   the   manufacturing  plants  of 
Sioux  City. 

Mr.  Joy  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  edu- 
cational matters  and  has  been  fora  quarter  of  a  century 
one  of  the  best  friends  that  the  public  schools  of  Sioux 
City  have  had.  For  that  length  of  time  he  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  the  independent  district 
of  Sioux  City,  and  freely  gave  to  the  district  his 
valuable  time  and  the  benefit  of  his  great  business 
experience.  To  him  and  to  his  co  laborers  in  the  cause, 
who  comprised  many  of  Sioux  City's  most  prominent 
citizens,  this  city  owes  the  excellent  condition  of  her 
public  schools  at  the  present  time  and  also  much  of 
the  property  owned  by  them.  Mr.  Joy,  besides  his 
large  law  practice,  is  largely  interested  in  many  other 
enterprises  both  public  and  private  in  their  nature.  He 
is  the  president  of  the  Sioux  National  Bank,  and 
director  of  the  Iowa  Savings  Bank,  and  is  largely  in- 
terested in  and  owns. vast  tracts  of  real  estate,  besides 
taking  an  active  interest  in  every  public  enterprise 
brought  to  the  notice  of  the  citizens  of  Iowa's  met- 
ropolis. Mr.  Joy  has  been  connected  with  the  Baptist 


most  liberal  contributors  to  church  work,  while  an 
appeal  for  charity  is  seldom  addressed  to  him  in  vain. 
He  has  been  a  resident  attorney  of  Sioux  City 
since  Ma,}',  1857,  and  is  one  of  the  living  pioneers  of 
Woodbury  county,  standing  out  conspicuously  as  one 
of  the  leading  lawyers  of  northwestern  Io\Va,  where  he, 
by  the  honorable  practice  of  his  profession,  together 
with  prudent  investments,  has  made  a  great  and  credit- 
able financial  success.  His  wealth  has  ever  been  used 
for  none  other  than  the  true  purpose  for  which  a  com- 
petence is  given  to  man.  He  is  not  only  a  leading 
lawyer,  holding  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire 
bar,  but  an  active,  public-spirited  man,  who  well  repre- 
sents the  best  type  of  American  citizenship.  Always 
candid,  he  is  possessed  of  a  kindly  nature  that  readily 
makes  him  man\'  friends,  and  a  strongman,  physically, 
mentally  and  morally,  lias  left  the  impression  of  his 
character  upon  every  enterprise  with  which  he  has 
been  connected.  To  him  the  West,  and  especially  that 
part  of  it  in  which  Sioux  City  is  situated,  owes  much, 
and  it  may  well  congratulate  itself  upon  having  suc- 
ceeded in  attracting  a  man  of  his  abilitv  and  character 


church  for  over  fort}'  years,  and  has  ever  been  one  of  the     among  the  first  of  her  early  settlers. 


HON.  HENRY   WILLIAM    SEYMOUR, 


SAULT  STE.  MARIE,  MICHIGAN. 


HON.  HENRY  WILLIAM  SEYMOUR,  son  of 
William  Henry  and  Nancy  (Pixley)  Seymour, 
was  born  at  Brockport,  Monroe  county,  New  York, 
Julv  21st,  1834.  He  is  a  descendant  of  Richard 
Seymour,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  his  name  appearing  upon  its  town 
records  in  1639.  As  is  shown  by  the  Bible  owned  by 
him,  and  which  is  now  a  treasured  heirloom  of  one 
branch  of  the  family,  he  came  to  America  from  Berry 
Pomeroy,  Devonshire,  England.  The  inscription  shows 
his  nativity  and  ancestn',  which  dates  back  to  the  time 
of  the  Norman  Conquest.  Richard  Seymour  went 
from  Hartford  to  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  in  1653,  and 
died  there  in  1655.  William  Henry  Seymour,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  at  Litchh'eld,  Conn.,  in 
1802,  and  is  now  living  at  Brockport,  New  York,  of 
which  place  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers,  having 
located  near  there  in  1818.  He  engaged  in  business  as 
general  merchant,  and  grain  shipper,  and  served  as 
post-master  under  President  Jackson.  He  was  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Seymour  and  Morgan,  man- 
ufacturers of  agricultural  implements,  stoves,  etc.,  and 
also  of  the  McCormick  Reaper,  which  was  made  by 
them  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr.  C.  H. 
McCormick,  prior  to  the  time  of  his  location  at  Chicago. 
It  was  the  first  successful  reaper  manufactory  estab- 
lished in  this  country',  and  William  Henry  Seymour  is 
specially  mentioned  in  the  American  Encyclopedia,  as 
the  inventor  of  the  first  self-raking  reaper. 


Young  Seymour  received  a  good  education,  first 
attending  the  public  schools,  and  afterwards  the  Brock- 
port  Collegiate  Institute,  and  the  Canandaigua  Acad- 
emy. He  entered  Williams  College,  at  Williamstown, 
Mass.,  in  1851,  graduating  in  1855.  After  graduation 
he  entered  the  offices  of  Hill,  Cagger  &  Porter,  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  same  time  attended  lectures 
at  the  Albany  Law  School,  and  on  examination  was 
admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar  in  May,  1856.  Soon 
after  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  manufacturing 
business,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  many  years. 
In  1872  he  went  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich.,  near  which 
place  he  bought  pine  lands  and  immediately  com- 
menced getting  out  logs.  In  1873  he  erected  a  saw 
mill,  and  later  a  planing  mill,  which  he  operated  until 
1887,  when  he  sold  both  mills  to  the  John  Spry  Lum- 
ber company  of  Chicago.  He  also  cleared  a  farm  of 
250  acres  in  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  most  of  which  he  now 
owns.  When  a  resident  of  Brockport,  N.  Y.,  he  was 
president  of  the  Union  Agricultural  Society,  and  for 
three  years  a  member  of  the  village  board  of  trustees, 
during  which  time  the  Normal  School  buildings  were 
erected  by  the  board.  He  was  appointed  a  member  of 
the  State  local  board  of  managers  of  the  institution,  and 
held  the  position  for  some  time  after  removing  to 
Michigan.  He  was  president  of  the  St.  Mary's  Falls 
Water  Power  companv,  and  is  now  the  vice-president 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie. 

Politically,  Mr.   Seymour  has  been  a  Republican 


552 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


since  the  formation  of  the  party.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  politics,  and  has  held  many  offices  of  honor 
and  trust.  In  1880  he  was  elected  to  represent  the 
Cheboygan  district  in  the  Michigan  Legislature,  where, 
as  chairman  of  the  house  committee  on  Federal  rela- 
tions, he  drafted  the  bill  for  the  transfer  of  St.  Mary's 
Falls  ship  canal  to  the  United  States,  and  successfully 
urged  its  passage.  In  1882,  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
senate  from  the  31st  senatorial  district,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1886  to  represent  the  30th  senatorial 
district,  the  reapportionment  of  the  State  having 
changed  the  number  of  his  district.  On  the  26th  of 
January,  1888,  when  in  Rome,  Italy,  he  was  nominated 
for  Congress,  and  subsequently  elected,  to  succeed 
Hon.  Seth  C.  Moffatt,  deceased.  He  hurriedly  returned 
home,  arriving  February  14th,  18S8,  on  the  afternoon 
of  election  day.  His  record  in  Congress  has  been  an 
able  one,  it  being  largely  due  to  his  efforts  that  the 
Marquette  and  Ontonogon  Land  Grant  Forfeiture  bill 
was  passed  in  the  closing  hours  of  the  fiftieth  Congress. 
As  chairman  of  the  memorial  committee  of  the  West 
Superior  Waterway  Convention  he  submitted  to  the 


river  and  harbor  committee  of  the  House  a  paragraph 
containing  an  appropriation  for  the  survey  and  estimate 
of  cost  of  a  deep  water  channel  through  the  shallows  of 
the  connecting  waters  of  the  lakes,  and  had  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  it  adopted  in  almost  his  own  language. 

Mr.  Seymour's  family  now  consists  of  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Harriet  (Gillette)  Seymour,  born  in  Painesville,  Ohio, 
and  of  their  daughter  Helen. 

Mr.  Seymour's  career  has  been  one  of  great  success 
and  reflects  the  highest  credit  upon  him.  The  same 
feeling  that  impelled  his  ancestor,  Richard  Seymour, 
to  push  out  across  the  broad  Atlantic  and  build  for 
himself  a  home  in  the  then  new  and  almost  unknown 
country,  moved  him  to  forsake  the  thickly  settled  East, 
and  come  to  the  then  insignificant  hamlet  in  the 
wilderness  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  When  he  settled  in 
this  place,  its  only  means  of  communition  with  the  rest 
of  the  world  was  by  water,  and  the  mails  were  brought 
there  once  a  week  from  Marquette  by  dog  trains  through 
the  woods.  The  employment  given  by  him  to  others 
in  his  logging  camps  and  mills  gave  a  material  start 
to  growth  in  that  section. 


W.  A.  McHENRY, 

DENISON,  IOWA. 


WA.  McIIenry,  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Allen) 
McHenry,  was  born  at  Almond,  New  York,  on 
the  6th  of  March,  1811.  He  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
His  great  grandfather,  John  McHenry,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Colerain.  county  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  came  to 
America  in  1739  on  the  same  ship  with  the  father  of 
De  Witt  Clinton.  He  served  as  Major  of  the  First 
New  York  Batallion  in  the  French  War  of  1756-7.  His 
son,  Henry  McHenry,  was  born  at  Wallkill  Valley, 
Orange  county,  New  York,  in  July,  1752,  and  served  as 
captain  in  the  Second  U.  S.  Infantry  of  the  Continental 
army  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  His  son, 
James  McHenry,  was  born  at  Fishing  Creek,  Northum- 
berland Co,; Pa.  in  1788,  and  in  1797  the  family  moved 
to  McHenry  Valley,  Alleghany  county,  New  York. 
In  the  war  of  1812  he  served  as  first-lieutenant  in 
captain  Van  Campen's  company  of  rifles,  and  died  in 
June  1841.  W.  A.  McHenry  was  his  youngest  son. 

He  lived  at  the  old  homestead  until  fourteen  years 
old,  when  he  went  to  Milton,  Wisconsin,  with  his 
brother  Vincent.  He  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion and  in  1860  removed  to  Ogle  county,  111.,  where 
he  worked  on  a  farm  until  the  commencement  of  the 
Civil  war.  Thrilled  with  the  fire  of  patriotic  sires,  lie 
volunteered,  Sept.  5th,  1861,  as  a  private  in  companv 
"L,"  8th  Illinois  Cavalry.  The  regiment  was  immedi- 
ately sent  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  attached  to  the 
army  of  the  Potomac  and  participated  in  all  the 
important  battles  in  which  that  army  was  engaged 
until  January,  1864,  when  the  regiment  was  veteran- 


ized and  transferred  to  the  department  of  Washington 
It  was  then  made  its  special  duty  to  look  after  Mosby's 
band  of  guerillas,  and  the  regiment  gained  for  itself 
great  distinction  in  hand-to-hand  encounters.  During 
his  service  McHenry  personally  captured  eight  of  the 
enemy  and  had  many  narrow  escapes;  he  was,  how- 
ever, fortunate  in  having  his  horse  shot  instead  of  him- 
self. He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  as  first 
sergeant  July  23,  1865. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  McHenry  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Morris,  in  the  real  estate 
business  at  Denison.  la.  Emigration  rapidly  followed  the 
extension  of  railroad  lines  to  the  Pacific,  and  the  firm  of 
McHenry  Bros,  did  a  large  and  profitable  business  in 
the  selling  of  lands.  Banking  was  added  and  success 
attended  both  enterprises.  In  1877  he  purchased  his 
brother's  interest,  and  afterward  conducted  the  busi- 
ness alone  until  the  W.  A.  McHenry  bank  was  merged 
into  the  First  National  Bank  of  Denison,  with  a  capital 
of  $100,000,  of  which  he  is  the  president  and  the  prin- 
cipal stockholder.  In  business  methods  he  is  conserva- 
tive, and  during  the  panic  of  1893  he  was  not  obliged 
to  borrow  a  single  dollar.  The  rapid  accumulation  of 
deposits  testifies  that  the  people  in  his  vicinity  have 
the  utmost  confidence  in  his  ability  and  integrity,  while 
the  Iowa  bankers  have  honored  him  by  electing  him 
president  of  the  State  Bankers'  Association. 

During  his  long  experience  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness Mr.  McIIenry  has  bought  and  improved  man}' 
valuable  tracts  of  land,  some  of  whicli  he  still  retains. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


555 


Of  late  years  he  has  engaged  extensively  in  feeding 
cattle  for  market,  and  on  his  fine  valley  farm  of  six 
hundred  acres,  adjoining  the  city  of  Denison,  he  has  a 
large  herd  of  thoroughbred  Aberdeen-Angus  cattle, 
which  are  well  known  as  the  "Mclienry  "ark  Herd," 
and  which  carried  off  the  highest  honors  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago.  He  is  president  of 
the  American  Aberdeen-Angus  Breeders'  Association, 
and  takes  great  pride. in  everything  pertaining  to  the 
advancement  and  improvement  of  the  "Doddies." 

Politically,  Mr.  McHenry  is  a  Republican,  cast- 
ing his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  but  further 
than  casting  his  vote  his  extensive  business  interests 
have  forbidden  him  to  enter  the  political  arena. 
He  is  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
and  always  me«ts  with  "the  boys"  in  the  State 
and  National  encampments,  and  ha.s  served  the  order 
as  Department  Commander  of  Iowa. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  for 
many  years  has  been  one  of  its  most  earnest  sup- 


porters and  generous  contributors.  While  "at  home  on 
veteran  furlough,"  in  1864,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
L.  Sears,  at  Rockford,  111.,  who  preceded  Mr. McHenry 
to  Denison,  Iowa,  and  served  as  deputy  county  treasurer 
and  recorder  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  later  years  she  has  been  prominently  identi- 
tified  with  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  the  Auxil- 
iary of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  was  elected  department 
president  of  the  organization  in  1887,  and  national 
president  in  1890.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mclienry  have  four 
children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  eldest  one, 
Sears,  is  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Denison, 
and  has  already  made  for  himself  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion as  a  financier.  Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Louie 
Seemann,  the  assistant  cashier  of  the  bank,  while  Abbie 
and  George  are  still  in  school. 

In  1885  Mr.  McHenry  built  the  elegant  residence 
he  now  occupies  at  Denison,  and  surrounded  by  con- 
genial friends  and  a  pleasant  family  he  enjoys  the 
comforts  of  a  well-earned  fortune. 


HENRY   EX  ALL, 

DALLAS,  TEXAS. 


THE  subject'of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Richmond, 
Va.,  August  30th,  1848.  His  father  is  the  Rev- 
erend George  G.  Exall,  a  Baptist  minister,  well  known 
in  Virginia  and  the  South,  who  moved  from  England 
when  but  a  child.  'His  paternal  grandfather  was  an 
English  astronomer  and  divine,  of  considerable  renown. 
His  mother  is  Angy  E.  (Pierce)  Exall,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Pierce,  who  was  a  shipbuilder  of  Philadelphia, 
and  the  representative  of  a  family  long  prominent  in 
naval  construction  in  this  country.  Both  branches  of 
his  family  have  an  ancient  and  honorable  lineage  that 
extends  to  a  very  early  period  in  American  and 
English  history.  Mr.  Exall's  early  education,  inter- 
rupted when  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age  by  the 
civil  war,  was  acquired  at  his  father's  academy.  Two 
years  later  his  strong  Southern  sympathies  made  him  a 
soldier  in  the  cause.  He  was  the  boy  of  his  brigade, 
and  his  brave  and  brilliant  soldiership  marked  him 
even  thus  early  as  the  child  of  destined  success.  At 
the  battle  of  Ream's  Station  his  brigade  commander 
presented  him  with  a  sword  in  recognition  of  his 
gallant  services. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Young  Exall  studied  law, 
but  very  soon  abandoned  it  for  the  wider  and  more 
active  field  of  commercial  life,  removing  in  1867  from 
Virginia  to  Kentucky,  where  he  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising and  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods.  In  18C9 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Warner,  of  Owensboro, 
Ky.  Three  children  were  born  to  them,  all  of  whom 
died  when  quite  young,  and  in  1875  his  wife  died  also. 
In  1877  business  affairs  brought  him  on  a  visit  to 
Texas.  When  he  surveyed  the  great  possibilities  of 


that  grand  State,  for  whose  industrial  development  he 
later  did  so  much,  he  determined  to  sever  the  ties 
which  bound  him  to  old  Kentucky  and  become  a 
Texan.  Since  that  time  he^hs  been" closely  identified 
with  Texas  interests  and  one  of  its  most  prominent 
men.  He  has  been  called  to  represent  the  State 
at  conventions  of  cattlemen,  bankers'  associations, 
commercial  congresses  and  expositions  and  political 
conventions  at  many  and  various  times. 

In  1884  he  was  one  of  the  representatives  of  his  State 
in  the  national  convention  that  nominated  Mr.  Cleve- 
land for  the  presidency.  This  same  year  he  was  a  del- 
egate to  the  cattlemen's  convention  which  met  at  St. 
Louis.  He  was  later  appointed  vice-president  for  Texas 
of  the  Cotton  Centennial,  held  at  New  Orleans  in  1885, 
and  the  same  year  was  also  appointed  colonel  and 
quartermaster-general  of  the  Texas  volunteer  troops. 
In  1887  he  was  honored  by  election  as  vice-president 
for  Texas  of  the  American  'Bankers'  Association,  held 
at  Pittsburg,  Pa.  He  was  chairman  of  the  State  Dem- 
ocratic executive  committee  during  the  stormy  time  that 
prohibition  promised  to  split  that  party  in  twain,  and 
managed  affairs  with  great  tact.  In  1889  he  was 
president  of  the  Texas  State  Fair  and  Dallas  Exposi- 
tion, one  of  the  most  successful  institutions  of  its  char- 
acter in  the  country.  In  all  these  places  he  has 
reflected  credit  on  himself  and.  on  his  State,  and 
whether  in  a  State  or  National  convention  his  con- 
spicuous superiority  as  a  man  of  force,  fearlessness  and 
character  has  made  him  an  attractive  figure  and  given 
him  a  place  as  the  equal  of  the  best  of  his  fellows. 

In  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  representative  he 


556 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


displays  the  enthusiastic  interest  of  a  personal  champion 
of  a  personal  friend,  and  always,  whether  acting  for 
himself  or  for  others,his  task  commands  his  best  ability, 
lie  is  a  faithful  believer  in  the  futnre  ot  his  State.  He 
has  forcibly  told  the  story  of  her  undeveloped  greatness 
to  the  moneyed  men  of  the  East  and  to  the  traveler 
from  all  sections,  and  has  been  the  means  of  develop- 
ing this  greatness  beyond  that  of  almost  any  other  man. 
Mr.  Exall  has  recently  finished  the  construction  of 
one  of  the  most  majestic  and  costly  buildings  in  the 
South,  to  which  he  gave  his  personal  supervision,  and 
was  to  be  found  almost  ever}'  day  in  conversation  and 
consultation  with  the  men  who  drove  the  nails  and  laid 
the  brick,  thus  closely  attending  to  the  details  of  the 
work.  His  mind  is  of  that  comprehensive  kind  that 
even  the  smallest  particulars  do  not  escape  his  notice. 
This  mental  scope  has  made  Mr.  Exall  a  successful  ex- 
ponent of  all  the  industrial  enterprises  that  he  origin- 


ated and  promoted.  In  the  city  of  Dallas,  where  he 
lives,  everybody  is  his  friend.  Here  in  1887  he  married 
as  his  second  wife  Miss  May  Dickson,a  most  attractive 
and  accomplished  lady,  who  makes  her  home  a  veritable 
haven  of  rest  from  the  many  cares  of  his  busy  life. 

His  public  expressions  are  always  the  embodiment 
of  earnest  consideration  for  the  betterment  of  all  his 
fellows;  and  when  they  contain  advice  as  to  a  line  of 
action  every  word  is  charged  with  sincerity  and  sym- 
pathy. Mr.  Exall  was  selected  by  President  Harrison 
as  a  representative  Democrat  to  be  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners-at-large  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
on  behalf  of  the  United  States;  a  well  deserved  com- 
pliment to  his  enterprise,  ability  and  integrity,  and  one 
peculiarly  acceptable  to  the  people  of  Texas,  where 
Mr.  Exall  is  popular  with  all  classSs.  His  past  success 
furnishes  an  excellent  guarantee  of  a  still  more  brilliant 
future. 


JAMES    E.  LOW,  D.  D.  S., 


CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS. 


WITHIN  a  comparatively  brief  space  of  time,  the 
dental  profession  has  been  improved  and  broad- 
ened, until,  today,  it  approaches  in  importance  to  the 
welfare  of  humanity  the  principles  and  practice  of  the 
science  of  medicine.  Stalwart  advocates  of  improve- 
ment and  progress  hav%  had  their  influence  in  the  den- 
tal profession,  as  in  many  others,  and  by  ceaseless  and 
intelligent  efforts  they  have  made  for  it  a  place  in  the 
promotion  of  health  and  comfort  which  is  at  once 
highly  prominent  and  important. 

The  theories  of  the  old  time  dentists  were  laid  out 
on  lines  of  aggressive  action,  and  their  legitimate  prey 
was  teeth,  which  the}'  proceeded  to  demolish  and  ex- 
tract at  all  possible  opportunities.  New  discoveries 
have  been  made,  however,  and  new  principles  applied 
by  the  profession,  and  foremost  in  the  ranks  of  real 
progress  is  to  be  found  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  Di- 
rectly opposed  to  the  old  system,  his  life  study  has  been 
on  the  lines  of  preventing  the  extraction  of  teeth, 
which  practice,  he  cla  ms,  is  ancient  and  barbarous,  and 
not  worthy  of  a  progressive  and  civilized  age. 

James  E.  Low.  son  of  Rinald  and  Susan  (Hay  wood) 
Low,  was  born  in  Olsego  county,  New  York,  in  1837. 
His  early  life  was  devoid  of  many  of  the  educational 
advantages  enjoyed  by  the  average  American  boy,  his 
father  dying  when  he  was  six  years  old,  after  which,  as 
soon  as  he  was  able,  he  was  obliged  to  assist  in  the 
maintenance  of  the  family.  But  his  idomitable  will, 
which  has  been  a  leading  characteristic  all  his  life,  was 
not  to  be  overcome  by  these  obstacles,  and  he  early  en- 
tertained the  ambition  of  obtaining  for  himself  an  edu- 
cation which  would  fit  him  for  a  professional  career  in 
life.  With  this  end  in  view  he  studied  night  and  day, 
when  not  occupied  by  his  work,  laying  the  foundations 


for  the  study  of  medicine  or  dentistry,  which  he  had 
determined  to  fellow.  While  he  had  been  pursuing  his 
studies,  he  had  not  been  idle,  but  was  engaged  in  a  vo- 
cation from  which,  though  it  was  by  no  means  remun- 
erative, he  was  enabled  to  save,  by  the  strictest  econ- 
omy and  rigid  self-denial,  sufficient  to  enter  Coopers- 
town  Seminary,  in  his  native  county  where  he  made 
good  use  of  his  time.  Upon  leaving  this  institution, 
he  commenced  professional  studies, being  connected  with 
some  of  the  leading  dental  institutions  of  the  East  for 
several  years. 

Dr.  Low  came  to  Chicago  in  1865,  entering  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
established  a  business  renumerative  and  highly  dis- 
tinctive. In  1870  he  became  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Dental  society  and  in  1873  joined  tl:e  American 
Dental  society.  lie  was  also  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Dental  society,  from  all  of  which  he  withdrew,  how- 
ever, on  account  of  differences  of  opinion  among  his 
professional  brethren  with  reference  to  the  patenting 
of  some  of  his  inventions  which  had  been  the  result  of 
many  years  of  laborious  study.  He  was  not  content  to 
follow  the  beaten  paths  of  dental  practice,  for  he  saw 
that  there  was  room  for  improvement,  and  particularly 
did  he  give  his  inventive  and  constructive  ability  to  the 
subject  of  teeth  preservation.  It  had  been  the  prevail- 
ing practice,  if  teeth  were  decayed  and  troublesome,  to 
extract  them  and  put  in  their  place  a  cumbersome  plate 
of  false  teeth.  This  practice  was  particularly  obnox- 
ious to  Dr.  Low,  anil,  after  years  of  painstaking  labor, 
he  perfected  what  is  called  the  "no-plate  method." 
Under  this  practice,  artificial  teeth  are  attached  to  the 
natural  teeth  or  roots  b\T  immovable  gold  bands  or 
crowns. 


**!   v^- 

V£*NN 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


559 


This  innovation  naturally  attracted  a  good  deal  of 
attention  in  the  profession,  and  the  doctor  soon  had  a 
large  following,  which  gave  the  new  method  the  pref- 
erence which  its  superiority  seemed  to  demand.  It 
was  some  time,  however,  before  Dr.  Low  could  over- 
come the  bigoted  opposition  which  arose,  but  the  un- 
wavering perseverance  which  has  made  his  whole  life  a 
success,  overcame  this,  as  well  as  other  obstacles,  and 
to- day  the  profession  extensively  recognize  the  merits 
of  his  method.  The  doctorisdevotinga  large  share  of  his 
time  to  perfecting  processes  by  which  the  teeth  and  the 
natural  conditions  of  the  mouth  may  be  preserved. 
After  long  years  of  study  and  experience,  he  has  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  to  lose  one's  teeth  is  to  become 
more  or  less  an  invalid.  The  health  of  humanity  de- 
pends, loan  unappreciated  extent,  on  the  condition  of 
the  teeth,  and  this  truth  he  labors  earnestly  to  make 
more  widely  known. 

A  company  representing  large  capital  has  been 
established,  with  headquarters  in  Chicago,  where  in- 
struction in  the  new  school  of  dentistry  will  be  taught 
on  a  larger  scale  than  ever.  Besides  the  doctor's 
extensive  practice  and  the  time  devoted  to  teaching 
and  demonstrating  his  various  methods  before  the 
dental  institutions  of  the  country,  much  time  and 
thought  have  been  expended  in  the  manufacture  of 
dental  appliances  of  his  own  invention.  This  was 
commenced  in  a  small  way,  but  with  his  natural 
inventive  ability  and  push,  many  new  devices  have 
been  brought  out.  The  increased  demand  for  these 
improvements  necessitated  facilities  for  manufacturing 
them  ;  this  has  been  done  with  all  the  modern  mechan- 


ical appliances  for  doing  the  finest  work.  As  stated, 
this  has  now  grown  from  a  small  beginning  to  a 
business  of  itself,  and  in  connection  therewith  the  man- 
ufacture of  porcelain  teeth  has  been  added,  this  being 
the  first  and  only  manufacture  of  teeth  in  the  West. 
This  became  a  necessity  to  more  fully  work  out 
improved  methods,  which  necessitate  the  making  of 
teeth  for  the  various  processes,  as  teeth  made  by  the 
old  system  cannot  be  used. 

Dr.  Low  was  married  at  Milford,  N.  Y.,  to  Eoena 
Knapp,  a  lady  of  varied  attainments  and  abilities 
whose  many  charms  have  made  her  as  popular  in  soci- 
ety as  she  is  with  her  own  intimate  friends.  Two 
daughters,  Maud,  born  July  24,  1858,  and  Mabel,  born 
September  20,  1861,  are  the  result  of  this  union, 
and  they  complete  a  most  happy  and  charming 
family  circle. 

In  personal  appearance,  Dr.  Low  is  a  man  of  more 
than  the  average  height,  possessing  a  fine  and  robust 
physique,  over  which  the  hands  of  time  have  passed 
lightly.  Admired  by  all  of  his  associates,  whether  in  a 
professional  or  social  sense,  he  is  a  man  of  most  amiable 
qualities  and  intrinsic  worth.  He  is  always  popular 
with  his  students  and  patrons,  as  well  as  with  his  manv 
assistants.  His  great*work  makes  for  himself  a  place 
in  the  progress  of  science  which  will  not  be  forgotten, 
and  he  may  well  be  placed  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
benefactors  of  mankind.  His  thoroughly  American 
spirit  and  great  energy  have  enabled  him  to  bring  his 
views  before  the  people,  and  to-day  he  has  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  those  views  extensively  incorporated 
into  the  principles  of  the  profession  which  he  loves. 


TRUMAN    W.  BROPHY,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


TRUMAN  W.  BROPHY,  dean  of  the  Chicago 
College  of  Dental  Surgery,  was  born  in  Will 
county,  Illinois,  April  12,  1S48.  He  attended  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town,  completing  his  pre- 
paratory course  at  the  Elgin  Academy,  Elgin,  111.,  and 
entered  upon  his  professional  studies  in  1866.  He 
took  a  course  at  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Dental 
Surgery,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1872.  After  this 
he  spent  considerable  time  among  the  medical  colleges 
and  hospitals  of  the  East.  He  then  returned  to  Chicago 
and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which 
has  been  attended  with  marked  success.  Meeting 
many  cases  in  his  practice  requiring,  in  their  treatment, 
a  more  extended  knowledge  of  medicine  and  surgery 
than  was  taught  at  the  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  in 
1878  he  began  a  regular  course  of  study  at  Rush 
Medical  College  from  which  he  graduated  in  1880, 
receiving  the  .degree  of  M.  D.  He  was  honored  by 
being  made  president  of  his  class  on  graduation  from 
the  college.  On  completion  of  his  studies  at  Rush,  he 


was  elected  to  the  chair  of  dental  pathology  and 
surgery  in  that  institution.  He  has  been  clinical 
lecturer  at  the  Central  Free  Dispensary,  and  was  one 
of  the  original  promoters  of  the  institution  over 
which  he  now  presides  as  dean,  the  Chicago  College  of 
Dental  Surgery,  whiten  began  its  regular  course  in  the 
spring  of  1883. 

Dr.  Brophy  was  married  in  1883,  to  Miss  Emma  J. 
Mason,  daughter  of  Carlisle  Mason,  of  this  city.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  and  of  the 
National,  State  and  various  local  medical  and  dental 
societies.  He  has  always  led  a  most  active  life,  and 
has  written  for  most  of  the  medical  and  dental  surgery 
publications.  He  is  an  honorary  member  of  many 
State  Dental  Associations,  and  is  also  president  of 
the  Odontological  Society  of  Chicago,  and  ex-presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  Dental  Society.  Socially,  he 
is  popular,  and  among  his  professional  associates  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  his  line  of 
practice. 


560 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

CHARLES  T.  YERKES, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


TYSON  YERKES,  president  of  both 
V_>  the  North  Chicago  and  West  Chicago  street 
railway  companies,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  June  25, 
1837.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  his  father's 
estate,  he  added  "  junior  "  to  his  name,  as  the  two  name8 
were  the  same.  His  mother  was  Elizabeth  Link  Broom, 
and  came  from  an  old  Philadelphia  family,  descended 
from  the  Dutch.  The  name  "  Yerkes,"  is  Welsh,  the 
first  settlers  coming  to  this  country  a  few  years  before 
the  Penn  colony  of  Quakers  arrived.  The  subject  of 
this  biography  is  descended  from  these  people,  who 
assimilated  with  the  followers  of  William  Penn.  The 
farthest  the  lineage  can  be  traced  is  back  to  the  arri- 
val in  Philadelphia  with  that  good  man  on  board  the 
ship."  Welcome,"  in  1682.  Mr.  Yerkes'  parents  were 
Quakers,  and  his  early  training  was  in  that  faith.  He 
received  his  education  at  the  Quaker  school  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  afterwards  graduated  at  the  Central  High 
School  in  that  city. 

Early  in  life  he  was  an  active  young  man,  always 
desirous  of  being  at  the  head,  whether  in  mischief 
at  school  or  in  a  money  making  enterprise.  An  anec- 
dote of  the  boy  has  found  itself  in  print,  showing  his 
natural  thrift.  When  about  twelve  years  old  he  was 
very  fond  of  attending  the  auction  sales  which  were 
held  on  Saturdays  at  an  auction  store,  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  home.  One  day,  arriving  early,  he  discovered  a 
number  of  boxes  of  soap,  which  bore  the  same  brand 
that  was  being  used  by  his  family,  which  he  had  often 
been  sent  to  purchase  at  the  corner  grocery.  Twelve 
cents  per  pound  was  the  retail  price  which  he  had 
always  paid.  An  idea  struck  him  and  a  plan  was 
immediately  formed.  He  went  at  once  to  the  grocer 
and  asked  him  what  soap  was  worth  by  the  box.  The 
latter,  thinking  the  boy  wanted  to  purchase,  told  him 
eleven  cents  per  pound.  The  boy  demurred,  saying  it 
was  too  much.  The  grocer  replied  that  very  little 
profit  was  made  on  soap,  and  facetiously  remarked 
that  he  would  pay  nine  cents  a  pound  for  any  quantity. 
Young  Yerkes  seemed  hardly  satisfied  and  left  the 
store,  going  immediately  to  the  auction  room.  Soon 
the  lot  of  soap  was  readied  and  the  auctioneer  announced 
the  soap  would  be  sold  a  box  at  a  time.  "What  is  bid  per 
pound  for  the  soap?"  "Four  cents,"  said  one  bidder.  "Four 
and  a  half  cents,"  and  so  on  up  to  five  and  a  half  cents. 
While  the  auctioneer  was  clamoring  for  another  bid 
"  Six  cents,"  came  in  a  shrill,  but  sturdy  voice,  and 
every  one  looked  to  see  the  new  bidder.  The  box  of 
soap  was  knocked  down  to  young  Yerkes  at  six  cents  a 
pound.  "  What  is  the  name  ?"  said  the  auctioneer,  as 
he  leaned  forward.  "  Charles  T.  Yerkes,  Jr.,"  shouted 
the  boy,  and  the  man  repeated  :  "  Put  it  down  to  Mr. 
Charles  T.  Yerkes,  Jr.,"  and  every  one  but  the  boy 
laughed.  Another  box  was  put  up  and  the  youngster 
again  bid  six  cents.  No  one  else  bid.  They  were  all 
amused  to  watch  the  earnest  boy.  Box  after  box  was 


put  up  and  knocked  down  to  the  boy  until  fifteen  had 
been  sold.  The  auctioneer  then  said  there  were  ten 
more  boxes  and  he  would  sell  them  in  one  lot.  The 
boy  bid  five  and- one  half  cents.  No  one  else  would  bid. 
There  was  too  much  fun  in  seeing  the  little  fellow  get 
the  soap,  so  it  was  put  down  to  him.  Then  there  was 
a  bee  line  made  by  young  Yerkes  to  the  grocery  store. 
"  What  did  you  say  was  the  price  of  soap?"  said  he. 
"  I  told  you  I  would  sell  by  the  box  at  eleven  cents, 
which  is  low  for  it,  or  I  would  give  nine  cents  for  a  big 
lot  of  it."  "  Well,"  said  the  boy,  "  I  have  sold  you 
twenty-five  boxes  at  nine  cents  a  pound,  and  I  will  run 
over  to  Frank's  auction  store  and  tell  him  it  is  to  go  to 
you."  Of  course  explanations  followed.  The  grocer 
took  the  soap,  paid  the  amount  due,  and  gave  the  boy 
the  balance.  He  has  said  the  making  of  this  money 
so  startled  him  that  instead  of  being  filled  with  the 
idea  that  money  was  easy  to  make,  his  great  fear  was 
that  he  might,  in  some  way,  lose  it.  He  therefore  did 
not  repeat  the  venture. 

After  leaving  school  he  went  as  a  clerk  into  the  flour 
and  grain  commission  and  forwarding  house  of  James 
P.  Perot  &  Bros.  In  those  days  it  was  a  great  priv- 
ilege to  be  permitted  to  enter  a  first-class  house  to 
learn  the  business,  and  he  consequently  had  no  salary. 
However,  on  account  of  his  faithful  work,  he  .was 
presented  with  fifty  dollars  at  the  end  of  the  year.  In 
1859,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  started  a  money 
and  stock  broker's  office  on  Third  street,  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  in  three  years  was  so  prosperous  as  to  be 
able  to  control  a  banking  house  at  No.  20  South  Third 
street  and  establish  himself  as  a  banker.  The  negotia- 
tion of  first-class  bonds  was  his  specialty.  It  was 
during  the  war,  and  Government,  State  and  city  bonds 
were  heavily  dealt  in.  The  high  premium  for  gold 
made  city  bonds  sell  low,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
interest  was  payable  in  currencj'.  However,  he 
conceived  a  scheme  to  raise  the  price  from  85 
cents  to  par,  which  was  carried  into  effect  with  the 
anticipated  result,  and  the  city  was  able  to  raise  money 
to  pay  bounties  to  the  soldiers,  and  for  park  purchases 
which  were  then  being  made.  It  should  be  understood 
that,  in  accordance  with  their  charter,  no  city  bonds 
could  be  sold  by  the  city  at  less  than  par,  consequently 
when  the  price  was  below  that  figure,  the  city  could 
not  pay  the  bounties  or  make  improvements.  This 
close  alliance  with  the  city,  however,  proved  his 
Waterloo.  At  the  time  of  the  Chicago  fire  he  was 
very  prominent  in  Third  street.  He  had  made  money 
rapidly,  and,  as  he  says,  was  feeling  that  he  might 
begin  to  take  life  more  easily.  He  never  took  a 
holiday,  but  always  attended  to  business.  The  panic, 
occasioned  by  the  fire,  caught  him  carrying  a  large 
load  of  securities,  and  he  was  in  debt  to  the  city  for 
bonds  sold  for  it,  it  being  the  custom  to  make  the 
payments  at  the  end  of  every  month.  The  city 


PROMINENT  MEN  OP  THE  ORE  A  T  WEST. 


authorities  demanded  a  settlement  at  once,  and  knowing 
that  to  pay  them  in  full  would  be  unfair  to  the 
balance  of  his  creditors,  he  suspended  and  made  an 
assignment.  The  fact  that  the  law  did  not  provide 
for  his  having  possession  of  the  city's  money  was 
tortured  into  a  criminal  offense,  and,  as  he  refused  to 
give  the  city  preference  over  his  other  creditors,  severe 
measures  were  resorted  to  to  compel  him  to  do  so.  lie 
was  firm,  however,  and  insisted  that,  as  he  had  given 
up  everything  he  possessed  the  amount  should  be 
divided  among  his  creditors  alike.  Pie  declares  this  to 
have  been  the  most  trying  period  of  his  life,  and  while 
he  and  his  friends  felt  proud  of  his  conduct,  the  severe 
strain  he  was  obliged  to  pass  through  was  such  as  few 
men  could  stand.  While  it  made  his  friends  much 
stronger,  it  gave  his  enemies  for  all  time  an  oppor- 
tunity to  cast  reflections  upon  him,  and,  as  he  said, 
when  anyone  wished  to  throw  mud  at  him,  they  could 
easily  manufacture  the  material  by  giving  a  one-sided 
view  of  his  old  trouble. 

At  the  time  of  his  failure  he  lost  a  large  interest 
which  he  held  in  the  Seventh  and  Ninth  Street 
Eailvvay  Co.,  which  had  been 'in  his  possession  since 
1861,  and  which  was  sold  to  help  pay  his  debts.  In 
1873,  at  the  time  of  the  Jay  Cook  failure,  he 
commenced  the  recuperation  of  his  forces.  His 
business  was  rapidly  growing  at  that  period,  and, 
appreciating  at  once  that  Mr.  Cook's  suspension  made 
a  very  serious  decline  in  everything,  sold  stocks 
heavily  before  purchasing.  Immense  and  quick  profits 
were  the  results  of  this  wise  measure,  and  he  soon 
found  himself  well  established  again.  In  1875,  he 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  Continental  Passenger 
Railway,  of  Philadelphia,  and  saw  the  value  of  the 
stock  rise  from  $15  a  share  to  over  $100. 

In  1880  he  made  his  first  visit  to  Chicago.  At  that 
time  gold  was  coming  from  Europe  in  almost  every 
steamer  which  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  still  /noney 
was  not  easy  there.  Inquiry  developed  the  fact  that 
it  was  going  West  in  plentiful  quantities  to  Chicago. 
The  idea  forced  itself  upon  his  mind  that  a  new  money 
center  was  being  formed,  and  from  natural  causes,  and 
he  resolved  to  investigate.  The  result  was  that  he 
concluded  to  extend  his  investigations  still  further, 
and,  after  returning  to  Philadelphia,  he  determined  to 
go  to  the  Northwest  for  the  purpose  of  observation  and 
inquiry.  After  visiting  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  and 
Duluth,  he  pushed  on  over  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad,  but  was  stopped  by  a  severe  snowstorm  at 
Fargo.  It  was  here,  sitting  around  the  stove  at  the 
hotel,  that  he  listened  to  the  tales  of  the  boomer  who 
had  arranged  to  make  a  grand  Dakota  demonstration 
in  the  spring.  The  crops  had  been  good  and  prices 
high.  No  one,  who  has  not  had  experience,  can 
realize  the  wonderful  tales  told  under  these  circum- 
stances. It  was  not  long  before  he  rejoined  his 
syndicate  and  bought  out  his  associates.  When 
spring  opened  he  built  business  blocks,  dealt  heavily  in 


563 

North  Dakota.-  It  is  said  the  display  of  farm  machinery 
was  the  best  ever  made.  All  the  large  manufacturers 
were  represented.  The  shafting  to  run  the  machinery 
was  about,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long.  Having  sold  out 
most  of  his  Dakota  interests,  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1881, 
and  opened  a  banking  house  at  the  corner  of  La  Salle 
and  Madison  streets.  This  was  operated  in  con- 
junction with  his  house  in  Philadelphia,  which  was 
managed  by  his  partner.  From  the  time  of  his  advent 
in  Chicago,  he  looked  with  longing  eyes  on  the  street 
railways,  particularly  on  the  North  side;  but  it  was 
not  until  1886  that  he  was  enabled  to  enter  into  nego- 
tiations for  the  necessary  city  permits.  A  satisfactory 
arrangement  was  then  made  with  the  majority  of  the 
stock- holders,  and  after  associating  with  himself  some 
Chicago  capitalists,  and  a  few  of  his  old  friends  in 
Philadelphia,  he  took  possession  of  the  North  Chicago 
Street  Railway  Company.  The  company  was  com- 
pletely reorganized,  and,  after  many  difficulties,  in 
which  he  was  obliged  to  work  single  handed  against 
the  most  remarkable  efforts  of  those  who  were  jealous  of 
his  appearance  in  the  street  railway  field,  he  at.  length 
accomplished  the  reorganization  and  changed  the 
motive  power  from  horse  to  cable;  the  greatest  success 
achieved  being  the  utilizing  of  the  old  La  Salle  street 
tunnel,  which  had  almost  entirely  gone  into  disuse, 
thereby  overcoming  the  great  detriment  which  was  ex- 
perienced by  the  people  of  the  North  side  on  account 
of  the  swing  bridges.  Two  years  later  he  closed  the 
negotiations  for  the  majority  of  the  Chicago  West 
Division  Railway  Co.  stock,  and  the  company  was 
reorganized  in  the  same  manner  as  the  North  Side 
road. 

In  all  his  business  Mr.  Yerkes  acted  with  full  au- 
thority from  his  associates,  and  it  is  said  their  confi- 
dence in  his  experience  and  management  was  such  that 
they  refused  to  advise  with  him,  but  left  him  to  act 
entirely  as  his  judgment  should  dictate.  The  result 
showed  the  wisdom  of  their  course.  Notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  tempting  offers  have  been  made  to  him  to 
take  hold  of  street  railways  in  other  localities  he  has 
invariably  refused.  He  is  of  the  firm  opinion  that  suc- 
cess can  best  be  accomplished  by  constant  and  undi- 
vided attention  to  the  properties  of  which  he  has  taken 
hold,  and  that  small  cities  are  unprofitable  for  the  in- 
troduction of  improved  systems  of  railroad  management. 

Mr.  Yerkes  is  a  Republican,  although  not  an  active 
politician.  He  believes  in  a  protective  tariff  for  the 
reason  that  while  all  articles  used  in  his  business  would 
be  cheapened  by  free  trade,  yet  he  is  of  the  opinion 
that  the  prosperity  of  the  country  demands  that  labor 
should  be  protected  by  such  duty  on  imported  goods 
that  our  home  manufacturers  can  compete  with  foreign 
makers. 

In  1881,  Mr.  Yerkes  married  Miss  Mary  Adelaide 
Moore,  daughter  of  Thomas  Moore,  of  Philadelphia, 
who  had  been  for  a  number  of  years  connected  with 
the  firm  of  Powers  &  Weightman, 


manufacturing 


acre   property,  and  organized  the  first   fair  held   in     chemists  in  that  city. 


564 

To  his  regular  habits  and  abstemious  life,  he  pro- 
bably owes  his  remarkably  well-preserved  physical 
condition.  He  has  lived  in  the  line  of  the  old  adage, 
"  early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise,"  and  his  life  is  one 
which  well  proves  the  merits  of  the  old  saw  which  has 
been  handed  down  from  Puritan  days,  for,  while  his 
rank  in  regard  to  the  latter  part,  concerning  wealth,  is 
well  known  by  all  Chicago's  citizens,  the  one  concern- 
ing health  is  exemplified  in  a  degree  equally  striking, 
for  he  has  a  ruddy,  robust  appearance,  sustained  by  a 
constitution  which  would  indicate  that,  though  he  is 
past  the  half-century  mile-stone,  for  years  to  come  he 
will  still  be  in  the  prime  of  life.  What  precision  of 
habit  has  accomplished  in  the  way  of  physical  develop- 
ment, observation,  application  and  cultivation  have 
brought  about  in  his  mental  character.  That  he  is  a 
quick  thinker,  a  keen  observer,  and  possesses  a  bright 
intellectuality  is  told  at  a  glance.  His  well  rounded 
head  is  indicative  of  the  eveness  «nd  fullness  of  his 
mental  development,  and  his  dark  piercing  eye  tells  of 
his  power  to  perceive  and  the  deep  earnestness  which 
has  been  a  characteristic  of  his  life.  There  is  with  it 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


all,  too,  a  firmness  that  is  often  mistaken  for  rigidity, 
but  to  this  seeming  cloud,  there  is  a  silver  lining,  which 
constantly  stands  out  in  bold  relief  to  those  who  know 
him  best. 

As  the  world  sees  him  he  is  a  calm,  austere, 
pushing  business  man,  but,  as  he  is  seen  after  office 
hours  at  his  home,  or  in  the  social  circle,  he  is  a  most 
genial  companion,  and  presents  a  nature  radiant  with 
pleasantry.  He  has  very  little  taste  for  society,  how- 
ever, and,  as  a  consequence,  is  almost  a  stranger  to 
club  life.  In  fact,  he  is  very  seldom  seen  away  from 
his  home  and  family  after  his  day's  business.  He  is 
devoted  to  his  fireside,  revels  in  home  life,  and  is  a 
lover  of  the  beautiful.  To  him,  his  pictures — rare 
works  of  art — with  which  his  galleries  abound,  his 
conservatories,  and  other  objects  of  home  beauty,  are 
open  books.  He  reads  them  with  a  peculiar  delight, 
and  finds  in  them  a  soothing  influence,  which  not  only 
wears  off  the  effect  of  the  day's  contact  with  the  busy 
world,  but  sweetens  his  life  with  their  sublimity  and 
renews  his  mind  for  the  labor  which  the  successive 
mornings  bring. 


G.  F.  PUTNAM, 

KANSAS  CITY,  MISSOURI. 


GF.  PUTNAM,  son  of  John  and  Almira  (French) 
.  Putnam,  was  born  at  Croyden,  N.  H.,  on  the 
6th  day  of  November,  1841.  He  received  a  good 
common  school  education  and  afterwards  attended 
Thetford  Academy,  and  also  Norwich  University,  from 
which  he  graduated.  After  graduation  he  decided 
upon  the  study  of  law  and  for  that  purpose  entered  the 
office  of  N.  B.  Felton  at  Haverhill,  New  Hampshire. 

In  1867,  on  the  first  of  January,  after  passing  a 
creditable  examination,  he  was  duly  admitted  to  prac- 
tice at  the  bar.  He  commenced  his  law  practice  at 
Haverhill,  New  Hampshire,  where  he  had  a  large  and 
lucrative  list  of  clients,  but  two  years  later  decided  to 
enlarge  his  field  of  operations  and  removed  to  Warren, 
in  the  same  State.  He  remained  in  Warren  until  1877 
when  he  moved  back  to  Haverhill  and  was  actively  and 
profitably  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
until  1882,  when  he  left  New  Hampshire  and  removed 
to  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  In  his  new  home  he 
immediately  set  to  work  to  gain  the  confidence  of  the 
people  and  to  build  up  a  practice,  in  which  he  succeeded, 
and  it  may  be  said  of  him  that  during  the  five  years 
that  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession there  he  won  for  himself  a  position  in  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens  second  to  none 
in  Western  Missouri. 

In  1887  Mr.  Putnam  abandoned  the  practice  of  law 
and  went  into  the  banking  business,  in  which  he  has  been 
engaged  ever  since,  being  now  president  of  the  Ameri- 
can National  Bank  at  Kansas  City.  Under  his  careful 
management  the  business  of  his  bank  has  been  largely 


increased  and  his  judgment  in  matters  of  finance  is  as 
eagerly  sought  as  were  his  opinions  on  the  law.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  believer  in  the  teachings  of  the  immortal 
Jefferson,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
political  work.  He  was  elected  to  represent  Haverhill 
in  the  New  Hampshire  legislature  for  the  General 
Assemblies  of  1868  and  1869.  After  removing  to 
Warren  he  represented  that  town  in  the  legislature  in 
1870,  1871  and  1872,  and  was  Democratic  candidate 
for  speaker  of  the  house  in  1869  and  1870.  He  was 
the  prosecuting  attorney  of  Grafton  county,  New 
Hampshire,  during  the  years  1874  and  1875. 

He  has  always  taken  great  interest  in  educational 
matters  and  had  charge  of  the  schools  at  Warren  during 
the  entire  time  of  his  residence  there.  A  member  of  the 
Unitarian  church  he  'is  broad  and  liberal  in  his  views 
and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  charitable  work. 

On  the  22d  day  of  December,  1868,  Mr.  Putnam 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  R.  Reding,  of  Haverhill. 
N.  II.  They  have  no  children. 

Personally,  Mr.  Putnam  is  very  popular,  both  in 
social  and  business  circles  and  his  many  friends  know  no 
greater  pleasure  than  that  given  them  by  his  presence, 
his  magnetism  giving  to  his  personality  a  warmth  that 
draws  to  him  old  and  young  alike.  Mr.  Putnam  is 
still  a  young  man  in  the  prime  of  life  and  it  seems 
impossible  for  him  to  drop  out  of  public  life  in  which 
he  is  so  well  fitted  to  serve.  It  is  said  that  his  many 
friends  will  soon  demand  that  he  again  enter  the  arena 
of  politics  and  serve  them  as  he  did  those  in  his  early 
home  in  New  Hampshire, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 

HON.  VAN   HOLLIS  HIGGINS, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


567 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  was  a  nativeof  Gene- 
see  county,  New  York,  born  February  20,  1821, 
the  son  of  David  and  Eunice  (Sackett)  Higgins.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  East  Iladdam,  Conn.,  and  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  who  settled  in  Cayuga  county, 
New  York,  in  1814,  and  died  there  in  1827.  His 
mother  was  a  native  of  Vermont.  Davkl  and  Eunice 
Higgins  had  eight  sons,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the 
fifth. 

Young  Pliggins  received  his  primary  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Auburn  and  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y.. 
and  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  years  became  a  clerk  in 
the  store  of  an  elder  brother.  Four  years  later,  in  1837, 
he  came  to  Chicago,  where  his  brother,  A.  D.  Higgins, 
had  established  himself  in  1835  as  proprietor  of  a  gen- 
eral store,  and  with  whom  he  associated  himself  for 
a  time.  Chicago  then  had  less  than  five  thousand  in- 
habitants. Later,  in  the  winter  of  1837-38,  young 
Higgins  taught  a  district  school  in  Vermilion  county, 
111.,  with  much  success.  Prior  to  this  time  his  brother 
had  become  publisher  of  the  Missouri  Argus,  a  daily 
paper  of  St.  Louis,  then  a  prosperous  city  .of  some  fif- 
teen thousand  inhabitants,  and  in  the*spring  of  1839 
our  subject  went  there  and  spent  a  year  in  newspaper 
work.  He  afterwards  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
at  St.  Louis  on  his  own  account,  and  although  his  busi- 
ness was  a  financial  success  he  was  not  satisfied,  and, 
yielding  to  along  cherished  desire  to  enter  the  legal 
profession,  he  sold  out  his  business  and  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  study  of  law. 

In  the  spring  of  1842,  being  then  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  he  went  to  Iroquois  county,  111.,  and  there  con- 
tinued his  legal  studies,  and  a  few  months  later  was 
duly  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  practiced  one  year  at 
Middleport,  and  in  1845  removed  to  Galena,  III.,  where, 
in  the  following  year,  he  associated  himself  with  O.  C. 
Pratt,  afterwards  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Oregon,  and  later  judge  of  one  of  the  district  courts  at 
San  Francisco,  Gal.  This  partnership  continued  until 
1849,  after  which  Mr.  Iliggins  continued  his  practice 
alone  until  1852.  During  his  residence  in  Galena  he 
was  for  two  years  city  attorney,  and  filled  the  office  in 
a  highly  satisfactory  manner. 

Returning  to  Chicago,  which  had  grown  to  be  a 
city  of  thirty  thousand  inhabitants,  he  soon  afterwards 
formed  a  partnership  with  Messrs.  Corydon  Beckwith 
and  B.  F.  Strother,  under  the  firm  name  of  Higgins, 
Beckwith  &  Strother.  The  firm  prospered  from  the 
start  and  soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  Chi- 
cago's leading  and  prominent  legal  firms.  Mr.  Iliggins 
had  never  sought  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  office, 
although  from  the  beginning  of  his  career  he  had  taken 
a  great  interest  in  political  matters.  With  the  more 
intelligent  class  of  his  fellow-citizens,  by  whom  lie  was 
naturally  looked  to  as  a  leader,  he  was  opposed  to  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  and  the  extension 


of  slavery,  and  upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party  in  1856,  he  became  identified  with  it,  and  two 
years  later  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the 
Illinois  Legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket.  In  the 
Legislature  he  held  a  commanding  position,  and  at  the 
close  of  his  term  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  superior 
court  of  Chicago  by  an  overwhelming  majority. 

During  the  period  of  the  civil  war,  Judge  Higgins 
was  conspicuous  for  his  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  Union. 
He  was  a  warm  personal  friend  and  supporter  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  and  of  the  measures  inaugurated  by  those 
who  were  in  accord  with  the  president  in  his  work  of 
saving  the  Union.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in 
forming  the  Union  Defense  Committee  of  Chicago, 
which  rendered  such  efficient  service  and  contributed 
so  largely  to  the  success  of  the  Union  cause.  Judge 
Higgins  was  prominent  as  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  this  organization,  and  by  his  counsels 
and  work  rendered  service  in  raising  and  equipping 
recruits,  furnishing  supplies  and  clothing,  helping  the 
sick  and  wounded,  and  looking  after  the  families  of 
those  who  went  to  the  front. 

In  the  fall  of  1865,  Judge  Higgins  resigned  from  the 
bench  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with  the  Hon.  Leo- 
nard Swett,  and  Col. David  Quigg,under  the  firm  name  of 
Iliggins,  Swett  and  Quigg.  This  relationship  continued 
until  1872,  when  he  withdrew  from  the  firm  to  accept 
the  presidency  of  the  Babcock  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. Four  years  later,  on  January  1, 1876,  he  with- 
drew from  active  participation  in  the  affairs  of  this 
company,  and  took  charge  of  the  financial  department 
of  the  Charter  Oak  Life  Insurance  of  Hartford  for  the 
Western  States.  From  1880  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
April  17,  1893,  Judge  Higgins  was  president  of  the 
National  Life  Insurance  Company  of  the  United  States, 
the  only  life  insurance  chartered  by  congress.  He  was 
also  president  of  the  Fidelity  Safe  Deposit  Company  of 
Chicago  ;  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  and  of  the 
American  Bar  Associations  and  of  the  American  Acad- 
emy of  Politcal  and  Social  Science,  aud  was  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society.  He 
also  held  membership  in  the  Kenwood  Club,  the  Wash- 
ington Park  Club,  the  Union  League  Club,  and  was 
president  of  the  Hyde  Park  Suburban  Club.  Through- 
out his  busy  life,  Judge  Iliggins  has  been  an  enthusias- 
tic lover  of  mechanical  arts,  and  has  devoted  much  time 
to  mechanical  pursuits,  and  in  gratifying  his  tastes  in  • 
this  direction  has  invented  and  patented  a  number  of 
important  mechanical  appliances. 

Endowed  by  nature  with  a  logical  and  judicial 
mind,  Judge  Higgins  engaged  in  his  professional  work 
with  a  zeal  and  love  that  led  to  the  highest  attainments 
and  won  for  him  an  honorable  name.  He  was  noted 
for  painstaking  in  the  preparation  of  his  cases,  and  by 
reason  of  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law,  and  ex- 
ceptionally tenacious  memory,  performed  his  profes- 


568 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


sional  work  with  an  ease  that  marked  him  master  of 
the  situation.  He  was  enabled  to  recall  decision  and 
precedent  at  will,  and  on  the  bench  was  able  to  dis- 
patch the  business  of  his  court  with  rapidity.  As  a 
judge  he  dealt  with  law  not  merely  in  the  abstract,  but 
applied  its  principles  with  discretion  and  justice,  in 
which  he  was  greatly  aided  by  his  thorough  acquaint- 
ance with  business  and  business  methods.  In  judicial 
manner  he  was  courteous  and  affable,  patient  and 
attentive  to  all.  A  point  presented,  though  new  and 
seemingly  opposed  to  the  current  authority,  received 
his  careful  attention,  and  if  reason  justified,  was  fear- 
lessly sustained. 

In  personal  appearance  Judge  Higgins  was  tall  and 
well-proportioned,  with  a  commanding  t  and  dignified 
bearing,  and  a  cast  of  features  marked  by  firmness  of 
character,  yet  softened  by  culture  and  natural  amia- 
bility of  manner.  He  was  a  very  busy  man,  but  always 


thorough  in  whatever  he  engaged,  making  himself 
master  of  the  subject.  He  was  public  spirited,  large 
hearted  and  high-minded,  alike  in  public  and  in  private 
life,  and,  very  naturally,  his  circle  of  warm  personal 
friends  was  a  large  one. 

Judge  Higgins  has  been  twice  married:  first  in  1847 
to  Mrs.  E.  S.  Alexander,  of  Jacksonville,  111.,  who  died 
in  1882,  and  again  in  1883,  when  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Lena  Isabel  Morse,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  A.  C.  Morse, 
of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  who  survives  him.  Judge 
Higgins  was  attached  to  his  family,  and  though  he 
enjoyed  the  society  of  his  friends  at  social  gatherings 
and  was  always  genial  in  his  companionships,  yet  his 
greatest  delight  was  in  the  society  of  his  family,  sur- 
rounded with  the  evidences  of  culture  which  his  home 
always  afforded.  After  a  long,  eventful  and  useful  life, 
the  name  of  Judge  Higgins  will  be  held  in  grateful  re- 
membrance in  Chicago  and  elsewhere,  wherever  known. 


FREDERICK  A.  PIPER, 

SAN  ANTONIO,  TEXAS. 


CREDERICK  A.  PIPER  was  born  on  the  third 
day  of  May,  1851,  in  Muehlhausen,  in  the 
province  of  Waldeck,  Prussia.  His  father  was  Fred- 
erick William  Piper,  and  his  mother  Johanne  Waldeck. 
His  parents  were  married  in  Muehlhausen  in  the  year 
1840.  The  family  came  to  the  United  States  in  1853 
and  located  in  San  Antonio,  where  his  father  obtained 
remunerative  employment  as  a  carpenter  and  builder. 
The  family  consisted  of  young  Piper  and  two  elder 
brothers. 

Young  Frederick  received  a  common  school 
education  from  1858  to  1864,  that  being  the  only  kind 
of  education  that  his  parents  at  that  time  were-able  to 
give  him,  and  that  was  interrupted  by  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion.  On  this  account,  in  1864,  he  was  compelled, 
on  account  of  the  closing  of  the  schools,  to  study  at  home, 
which  he  did  assiduously  and  diligently  for  several 
months  and  until  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  firm  of 
Webb,  Arbuckle  &  Co.,  wholesale  dry  goods  dealers, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  the  failure  of  the  firm, 
which  occurred  in  1866.  During  this  time  he  received 
from  five  to  fifteen  dollars  per  month,  entering  their 
service  at  the  former  figure  and  leaving  it  when  given 
the  latter  sum. 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  young  Piper 
entered  the  service  of  the  hardware  firm  of  Norton  & 
Deutz,  whomhe  served  faithfully  for  ten  years,  entering 
it  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  and  retiring  from  it  when 
he  was  the  trusted  and  accredited  representative  of  that 
company,  and  enjoying  their  thorough  confidence  and 
regard.  The  last  five  years  that  he  spent  with  them  he 
was  engaged  in  the  onerous  and  hazardous  pursuit  of 
traveling  for  them  over  the  southwestern  and  frontier 
portion  of  Texas  and  in  the  northern  portion  of  Mexico. 


All  of  this  territory  was  then  infested  with  the 
Mescalero  and  Apache  Indian  tribes,  who  were  con- 
stantly committing  barbarous  depredations,  and  this 
same  country  was  also  overrun  with  desperadoes  and 
bandits  who  never  hesitated  at  murder  and  robbery,  the 
common  calling  of  both.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of 
the  constant  danger  and  privation  that  young  Piper 
was  constantly  subjected  to  when  we  state  that  he  was 
not  only  charged  with  the  taking  of  orders  for  goods 
for  his  employers,  in  which  he  was  eminently  successful, 
but  had  also  to  make  all  of  the  collections  from  the 
customers.  He  was  compelled  to  travel  with  his  own 
conveyance,  as  then  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  the 
hire  of  either  horses  or  a  vehicle  in  the  territory  over 
which  he  traveled.  He  was  also  burdened  with  all  the 
wav  from  $5,000  to  $10,000  in  coin,  as  at  that  time  it 
was  the  universal  custom  to  liquidate  all  indebtedness 
in  silver,  and  the  Mexican  silver  dollar  was  the  current 
circulating  medium.  Its  bulk,  therefore,  handicapped 
both  Piper  and  his  team,  especially  as  the  latter  was 
frequently  driven  over  long  distances  of  that  arid  area 
without  water  or  food,  rendering  escape,  when  attacked 
by  either  Indians  or  outlaws,  very  difficult,  and  he 
therefore  had  many  hairbreadth  escapes. 

These  trips,  which  lasted  from  sixty  to  two  hundred 
days,  necessitated  a  continuous  absence  for  such  long 
periods  of  time  that  they  subjected  his  wife  and  family 
to  almost  constant  alarm.  At  the  earnest  solicitation 
of  Mrs.  Piper  he  was  therefore  induced  to  forego  this 
hazardous  pursuit,  and  in  March  1,  1877,  resigned  his 
position  with  the  company  and  moved  to  Uvalde,  a 
village  of  1,200  inhabitants  then,  and  the  county  seat 
of  the  county  of  the  same  name.  Here  he  engaged  in 
a  general  merchandizing  business  on  his  own  account, 


on  HE 

RS\TV  Of 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


571 


with  a  small  stock  of  goods,  costing  but  $2,000,  and 
which  he  purchased  on  credit.  This  stock  and  estab- 
lishment he  handled  so  judiciously  that  he  prospered, 
and  continued  to  do  so  to  such  an  extent  that  within 
less  than  five  years  his  business  had  so  increased  that 
he  handled  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars  worth  of 
business  and  stock  annually  and  with  success. 

In  addition  to  this  line  of  trade,  in  1881,  Mr.  Piper 
embarked  in  the  cattle  business,  associating  with  him 
Mr.  V.  M.  West,  under  the  firm  style  of  Piper  &  West, 
their  ranch  embracing  over  36,000  acres  of  land  under  . 
fence,  and  over  4,000  head  of  cattle,  horses  and  other 
live  stock. 

In  1889  he  returned  to  San  Antonio  with  his  family 
for  the  purpose  of  educating  his  children.  During  the 
latter  year  he  associated  with  him  in  the  general  mer- 
chandizing and  banking  business,  at  Ulvalde,  Gus 
Mueller  and  G.  T.  Nunn.  In  this  enterprise  $100,000 
are  invested,  thus  affording  himself  more  time  to  over- 
see his  various  ventures  and  interests.  In  1891  Mr. 
Piper  also  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at  Uvalde, 
the  firm  style  being  Piper  &  Hornier,  and  the  capital 
$15,000.  During  the  same  year  he  also  entered  into 
another  partnership  in  the  cattle  and  ranch  business, 
then  associating  with  him  in  the  enterprise,  Messrs.  V. 
and  O.  Ellis,  the  capital  invested  being  over  $75,000. 
In  1892  he  organized  the  Merchants'  Transfer  company 
of  San  Antonio,  which  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  state  of  Texas,  and  had  a  paid  up  capital  of 
$10,000.  During  the  same  year  he  also  engaged  in  the 
wool  commission  business,  forming  a  co-partnership 
with  Mr.  Casper  G.  Feldtmann,  a  well  known  and 
highly  successful  handler  of  wool,  the  firm  being  Piper 
&  Feldtmann,  and  the  capital  of  the  firm,  also  paid  up, 
being  $15,000. 

Mr.  Piper  was  married  on  November  26th,  1874,  to 
Miss  Minna  Horner,  the  daughter  of  the  late  Honor- 
able George  Horner,  ex-alderman  of  San  Antonio,  she 


being  one  of  fourteen  children  of  that  family.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Piper  have  been  blessed  with  six  children,  four 
boys  and  two  girls,  their  ages  ranging  from  seven  to 
eighteen  years. 

Mr.  Piper  has  never  taken  any  very  active  part  in 
politics  but  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  He  never 
sought  or  cared  to  hold  any  office,  but  was  induced  by 
his  constituency  to  accept  the  position  of  alderman  of 
Uvalde,  to  which  position  they  elected  him  in  1887, 
and  re  elected  him  in  1889.  He  served  creditably 
and  satisfactorily  until  the  latter  year,  when  he 
resigned,  upon  his  removal  with  his  familv  to  San 
Antonio. 

He  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  having  a 
magnificent  frame  and  a  pleasing  address;  his  habits 
are  steady  and  exemplary;  he  possesses  excellent  exec- 
tive  ability  and  remarkably  good  judgment,  and  is 
universally  recognized  as  an  able  financier.  In  de- 
meanor he  is  modest  and  unassuming,  and  his  tastes 
are  refined  and  tending  to  domesticity,  as  he  has 
always  preferred  the  quiet  and  society  of  his  home  and 
family  to  any  other.  He  is  a  member  of  local  lodge 
216  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
having  joined  that  order  in  September,  1892;  also  of 
the  San  Antonio  Turn  Verein,  and  of  the  Beethofur 
Maennerchor.  While  not  a  member  of  any  particular 
church  he  has  always  been  a  liberal  supporter  of 
churches,  and  is  well  known  as  one  who  never  refuses 
an  appeal  for  charity.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known 
and  popular  men  in  his  section  of  Texas,  being  public 
spirited,  progressive  and  enterprising.  He  owes  his 
present  prosperity  to  his  own  efforts ;  being  in  every 
sense  of  the  word  a  self-made  man.  While  being  con- 
nected with  many  of  the  best  enterprises  that  have 
been  consummated  in  southwest  Texas  during  the  past 
ten  or  fifteen  years,  he  is  one  of  the  last  to  make  dis- 
play of  his  wealth  and  standing,  and  always  conceals, 
as  much  as  possible,  his  well  known  liberality. 


WILLIAM    HARVEY   WINANTS, 


KANSAS  CITY,  MISSOURI. 


WILLIAM  HARVEY  WINANTS,  son  of  Harvey 
Lee  and  Cornelia  Z.  (Elmendorf)  Winants,  was 
born  at  Penn  Yan,  Yates  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  16th  of 
October,  1845. 

He  attended  the  public  schools  at  Penn  Yan  until 
1853,  when  his  father  went  to  Rochester,  where  he  was 
connected  with  the  Rochester  Union- Advertiser  in  an 
editorial  capacity,  and  the  youth  attended  school  there 
until  1857,  when  his  father  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  connected  with  the  Gazette,  and  also  the 
Cincinnati  Enquirer.  Young  Winants  was  attending 
school  in  Cincinnati,  when  the  war  broke  out,  but  left 
school  in  the  spring  of  1861  and  enlisted  in  the  Second 
Ohio  Regiment,  and  was. immediately  ordered  into 


duty  on  the  line  between  Ohio  and  Virginia,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Parkersburg.  He  remained  in  the  service 
in  different  commands  until  the  close  of  the  war,  in 
1865,  when  he  went  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  engaged 
in  mercantile  business.  A  little  over  a  year  later  he 
secured  employment  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Kansas  City,  occupying  at  first  a  subordinate  position, 
from  which  however  he  was  rapidly  advanced  from 
one  position  to  another  until  the  suspension  of  the 
bank  in  1878. 

Shortly  after  this  event,  and  while  serving  as  clerk 
for  Col.  Kersey  Coates,-assignee  of  the  Mastin  Bank, 
he  became  connected  with  Armour  Bros.  Banking 
Company,  in  September,  1878.  Here  he  was  soon 


572 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


made  cashier  and  remained  continuously  until  its  con- 
solidation in  January,  1889,  with  the  Midland  National 
Bank,  of  which  he  has  since  been  cashier. 

In  the  spring  of  1877  he  was  elected  to  represent 
the  fifth  ward  in  the  common  council  of  Kansas  City  ; 
in  1878  he  was  elected  president  of  the  council  and 
served  in  that  capacity  during  the  year,  frequently 
acting  as  mayor  during  the  absence  of  that  official.  He 
has  also  been  director  and  treasurer  of  the  Kansas 
City  Board  .of  Trade  since  July,  1886.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  first  G.  A.  R.  post  organized  in  Kansas 
City,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  of  the  Elks.  In  political  matters  he  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  having  cast  his  first  vote  for  the 
candidates  of  that  party.  He  has  visited  nearly  every 


part  of  the  United  States,  and  in  the  summer  of  1891 
he,  with  his  wife,  made  a  trip  to  Europe,  visiting  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  France,  Switzerland,  Germany,  Holland 
and  Belgium.  During  his  service  as  a  soldier  he  was 
twice  captured  by  the  confederates,  but  both  times 
managed  to  escape  before  being  sent  to  Richmond. 

He  was  marrieci,  February  25,  186S,  to  Emma  A.. 
Christie,  of  Kansas  City.  Mr.  Winants  has  had  to 
carve  out  his  own  fortune,  and  that  he  has  been  suc- 
cessful can  be  credited  to  himself  alone.  His  first 
experience  in  life  for  himself  was  in  the  service  of  his 
country,  which  service  left  him  but  little  better  off  in 
this  world's  goods  than  when  he  entered  it,  and  then 
going  resolutely  to  work  he  has,  step  by  step,  raised 
himself  to  his  present  high  position  of  honor  and  trust. 


LON.  V.  STEPHENS, 


BOONVILLE,  MISSOURI. 


T^ROMINENT  among  the  men  of  our  country  who 
1  have  attained  high  honor  and  distinction  in  early 
manhood  is  "  Lon  "  V.  Stephens,  the  present  treasurer 
of  Missouri.  Mr.  Stephens  is  the  youngest  of  Missouri's 
State  officers,  and  has  alread}'  won  a  national  reputation 
as  one  of  the  nation's  ablest  financiers. 

Lawrence  Vest  Stephens  was  born  in  Boonville, 
Mo.,  December  21,  1858.  He  is  descended  from  an  old 
and  honored  pioneer  family  that  came  to  the  State  at  a 
very  early  day.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  Law- 
rence C.  Stephens,  who  for  many  years  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  farmer  citizens.  He  was  sit  one  time 
president  of  the  county  court  of  Cooper  county,  and 
afterward  represented  the  county  in  the  State  legisla- 
ture. Joseph  Lafayette  Stephens,  the  father  of  the 
subject  of  the  present  sketch,  was  a  man  of  extraordi- 
nary abilit}'.  Few  men  of  his  time  were  better  known 
throughout  the  state  and'  none  more  universally  and 
highly  esteemed.  He  was  an  extensive  banker,  a  suc- 
cessful business  man,  a  capitalist  of  large  means  and  a 
lawyer  with  an  extensive  practice.  Col.  J.  L.  Stephens 
married  Miss  Martha  Gibson,  a  native  of  Cooper 
county,  and  of  that  union  seven  children  were  born, 
six  of  whom  are  yet  living,  and  all  except  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  and  Mrs.  Abiel  Leonard,  of  Marshall,  Mo., 
reside  in  Boonville.  They  are  W.  Speed  Stephens, 
cashier  and  director  of  the  Central  National  Bank; 
Alexander  H.  Stephens,  teller  and  director  of  the 
Central  National;  Mrs.  Rhoda  Stephens  Johnson  and 
Miss  Margaret  B.  Stephens. 

Lon.  V.  Stephens  received  a  very  practical  educa- 
tion. He  was  a  student  for  some  time  in  the  Kemper 
family  school  of  Boonville,  and  also  in  Cooper  Insti- 
tute, of  that  city.  He  afterwards  attended  the 
Washington  and  Lee  University,  at  Lexington,  Va , 
where  he  took  a  course  in  law.  Upon  returning  home  he 
entered  his  father's  bank,  the  Central  National,  of , 


Boonville,  where  he  received  a  practical  and  thorough 
instruction  in  banking.  So  readily  did  his  mind  grasp 
the  details  of  the  business  that  he  soon  became  book- 
keeper, and  two  years  after  that  promotion  was 
selected  assistant  cashier  and  director.  Lon.  Stephens 
and  his  brother  Speed  soon  became  widely  known 
throughout  Central  Missouri  as  prominent  bankers  and 
successful  business  men.  Upon  the  death  of  their 
father  they  qualified  by  giving  a  million  dollar  bond  as 
administrators  of  his  estate,  and  in  managing  this  large 
property  gave  general  satisfaction  to  all  interested. 
They  were  appointed  financial  agents  of  many  of  the 
central  Missouri  counties  to  refund  their  bonded 
indebtedness.  Their  work  as  such  agents  was  well 
done,  and  met  with  universal  approval. 

In  October,  1880,  Mr.  Stephens  was  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  Nelson,  the  youngest  daughter  of 
Mr.  James  M.  Nelson,  a  wealthy  capitalist  of  Boon- 
ville, and  sister  of  Mr.  Louis  C.  Nelson,  president  of 
the  St.  Louis  National  Bank.  She  was  then  the  belle 
of  Boonville,  and  was  well  known  for  her  beauty,  lib- 
eral culture  and  varied  accomplishments,  both  in  Mis- 
souri and  in  the  East,  where  she  was  educated.  Mrs. 
Stephens'  only  sister  is  Mrs.  Chas.  E.  Leonard,  the 
handsome  and  cultured  wife  of  the  president  of  the 
Central  National  Bank  of  Boonville. 

In  1887  the  Fifth  National  Bank  of  St.  Louis  closed 
its  doors.  The  great  banking  house  at  once  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Currency, and 
from  the  meagre  information  that  could  be  obtained, 
it  was  thought  that  the  institution  would  be  able  to  pay 
but  a  very  small  per  cent,  on  its  deposits.  There  were 
several  thousand  depositors,  who  believed  that  the 
affairs  of  the  broken  bank  were  in  a  hopeless  condition, 
and  that  they  had  lost  everything.  The  bank  exami- 
ner in  charge  announced  it  to  be  almost  a  total  wreck, 
and  doubted  whether  over  twenty  cents  on  the  dollar 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


575 


could  be  realized  from  it.  At  this  critical  juncture, 
Lon.  V.  Stephens,  the  Boonville  banker,  was  recom- 
mended by  Senator  Geo.  G.  Vest  and  other  leading 
financiers  of  Missouri,  as  the  proper  man  for  receiver. 
Mr.  Stephens  was  then  but  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
but  such  was  the  confidence  in  his  financial  ability  and 
integrity  that  the  suggestion  of  his  name  in  connec- 
tion with  the  position  was  soon  followed  by  his  ap- 
pointment. Never  were  the  dilapidated  affairs  of  a 
broken  bank  more  successfully  and  satisfactorily  man- 
aged. Within  three  months  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  de- 
positors' claims  were  secured,  and  when  the  receiver's 
herculean  yet  delicate  task  was  finished,  the  men  who 
had  entrusted  their  fortunes  to  the  bank  had  received 
ninety-eight  cents  for  every  dollar  they  had  there 
deposited.  In  the  point  of  money  secured  for  depos- 
itors. Mr.  Stephens  made  the  best  record  in  adjusting 
the  claims  in  this  bank  ever  made  in  the  history  of 
the  Treasury  department. 

Three  years  later  the  country  was  startled  to  learn 
that  the  treasurer  of  Missouri  had  defaulted,  having  a 
deficit  of  over  $30,000.  Again  there  was  a  demand 
throughout  the  State  fora  man  of  extraordinary  finan- 
cial ability,  and  one  in  whom  the  people  of  the  State 
had  implicit  confidence.  All  eyes  turned  to  Lon.  V. 
Stephens  as  the  man  most  competent  to  fill  the  high 
position  under  such  disadvantageous  circumstances,  to 
restore  confidence  and  bring  order  and  system  out  of 
the  financial  chaos.  It  was  no  surprise,  therefore,  when 
Governor  Francis  appointed  the  brilliant  young  banker 
to  the  office  declared  vacant  by  default,  and  by  so  do- 
ing, sat  before  him  one  of  the  most  important  and  del- 
icate duties  a  civil  officer  was  ever  called  on  to  perform. 
Mr.  Stephens  at  once  qualified  for  his  arduous  duties  as 
State  treasurer.  He  was  required  to  give  a  bond  of 
$500,000.  The  bond  he  gave  aggregated  over  $10,000,- 
000,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  did  not  ask  a 
single  man  whose  name  appeared  on  that  instrument  to 
affix  his  signature  thereto.  His  bondsmen  were  mostly 
taxpayers  of  Cooper  county  (Mr.  Stephens'  home)  and 
were  old  friends  and  neighbors  of  the  treasurer,  who 
were  anxious  to  show  their  high  regard  and  confidence 
in  him  by  risking  their  all  on  his  bond,  and  that  too  at 
a  time  when  all  over  the  country,  North,  East,  South 
and  West,  State  treasurers  had  defaulted  and  brought 
ruin  on  their  bondsmen.  Mr.  Stephens'  administration 
of  the  affairs  of  the  treasury  department  fully  met  the 
sanguine  expectations  of  his  most  enthusiastic  friends 
and  admirers,  and  was  brilliant  and  satisfactory  to  all 
the  people  of  the  State.  His  excellent  record  gave  him 
a  national  reputation  as  an  able,  energetic,  intelligent 
financier  of  the  strictest  integrity,  and  received  the  en- 
dorsement of  the  Democratic  party  in  Missouri,  which 
before  the  next  State  election,  nominated  him  to  become 
his  own  successor,  over  the  candidacy  of  one  of  the 
strongest  men  in  the  State.  Mr.  Stephens'  great  pop- 
ularity was  also  shown  in  the  general  election  that  fol- 
lowed. The  official  count  revealed  the  fact  that  he  had 
received  one  of  the  largest  votes  ever  given  a  candi- 


date for  a  Missouri  State  office.  Mr.  Stephens  was 
an  aid-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  the  late  Gov.  John 
S.  Marmaduke,  and  was  paymaster-general  on  the 
stiiff  of  Gov.  D.  E.  Francis,  of  both  of  whom  he 
was  a  personal  friend.  His  public  spirit  has  been 
repeatedly  shown  in  the  active  interest  he  has 
always  taken  in  every  public  enterprise  in  Boonville, 
and  in  central  Missouri,  all  charities  finding  in  him  a 
liberal  contributor.  At  various  times  he  has  donated 
large  sums  to  Central  College,  Fayette,  Mo.,  the  chief 
educational  institution  for  young  men  of  the  Southern 
Methodist  church  in  the  state;  has  been  for  a  number 
of  years  a  member  of  its  board  of  curators,  and  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  Stephens'  Scientific  Hall,  which 
bears  his  name.  He  is  a  Mason  in  high  standing,  and 
a  Knight  Templar.  In  politics,  he  has  ever  been  a 
staunch,  conservative  Democrat,  active  and  liberal  in 
the  interest  of  his  party,  and  true  and  faithful  to  friends 
at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances. 

Possessing  a  versatile  mind,  and  a  quick,  nervous 
temperament,  Mr.  Stephens  turned  his  attention,  in  early 
life,  to  several  vocations,  in  each  of  which  he  became 
very  proficient,  and  met  with  marked  success.  He 
learned  telegraphy,  and  became  an  expert  telegraph 
operator  and  typewriter.  He  also  learned  the  printers' 
trade,  and  f  .r  a  number  of  years  was  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Boonville  Advertiser,  one  of  the  best  and 
most  influential  weekly  newspapers  in  the  state.  As 
a  writer,  his  style  is  direct  and  pointed,  and  the  pro- 
ductions of  his  facile  pen  never  fail  to  interest  his 
readers.  In  debate  he  is  a  doughty  antagonist,  and 
when  the  occasion  demands  it,  never  hesitates  to  handle 
every  subject  and  every  opponent  without  gloves.  One 
of  the  best  speeches  of  his  life  was'his  address  on  the 
banking  system,  resources  and  finances  of  Missouri, 
delivered  before  the  World's  Congress  of  Bankers  and 
Financiers  in  Chicago,  in  June,  1893,  during  the  Colum- 
bian Exposition.  Men  who  have  made  this  subject  a 
life  study  pronounce  this  speech  to  be  the  most  concise 
and  true  statement  of  Missouri's  finances  and  financial 
history  ever  written. 

Mr.  Stephens  is  yet  a  young  man,  but  has  already 
made  for  himself  and  for  his  State  a  record  as  a  public 
servant  which,  in  point  of  brilliancy  and  faithfulness, 
has  never  been  surpassed  by  the  most  distinguished 
financiers  of  our  country.  He  represents  politically 
the  dominant  opinions,  the  best  thoughts  of  the  great 
West.  No  man  in  Missouri  to-day  is  better  known  or 
universally  held  in  higher  esteem  than  he.  Already 
his  services  to  his  party,  to  his  State,  and  to  his 
generation  have  been  so  varied  and  important,  that 
they  will  be  one  of  the  best  legacies  ever  bequeathed 
to  that  people  who  are  proud  to  call  themselves 
Missourians. 

Lon.  V.  Stephens  is  doubtless  only  on  the  threshold 
of  his  life's  distinguished  career.  His  name  has  already 
been  prominently  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
next  gubernatorial  race,  and  he  is  generally  believed  to 
be  one  of  the  strongest  men  politically  in  the  State. 


576 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

WILLIAM   REMSEN  SMITH,  M.  D, 


SIOUX  CITY,   IOWA. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  a  potent  factor, 
not  only  in  the  realm  of  his  chosen  profession, 
but  nearly  every  branch  of  industry,  every  social 
relation,  every  work  of  charity,  together  with  what- 
ever goes  toward  making  men  and  women  happier  and 
better,  has  had  the  benefit  of  his  sympathy  and  efforts. 

Coming  to  Iowa  nine  years  after  it  was  admitted  to 
the  Union,  when  the  great  Missouri  valley  was  largely 
a  wilderness  that  had  just  been  vacated  by  the  Indians, 
Dr.Smith,has  been  socially  and  professionally  connected 
with  the  comings  and  goings  of  each  pioneer  settlement 
in  his  vicinity.  He  has  called  upon  the  sick,  facing  the 
blinding  storms,  as  far  east  as  Cherokee;  and  has.  gone 
from  thirty  to  fifty  miles  into  Dakota  and  Nebraska. 
Although  the  Doctor  has  now  laid  aside  the  old-time 
saddle  bags  and  retired  from  active  practice,  yet  his 
genial  ways  have  not  changed  during  these  long  event- 
ful years  ;  and  while  time  has  left  its  marks  upon  him 
and  changed  his  brown  locks  to  a  silvery  hue,  yet.  like 
the  warm  autumnal  sun,  shedding  its  light  over  the 
landscape,  does  the  kindness  and  sunshine  of  his  nature 
still  shed  light  and  warmth  upon  all  around  him. 

William  liemsen  Smith  was  born  at  Barnegat, 
Ocean  county,  N.  J.,  December  30,  1828.  His  father, 
Daniel  Smith,  a  wheelwright  by  trade,  died  when  the 
son  was  seven  years  old,  and  the  boy  spent  the  next 
eight  years  with  his  grandfather,  alternating  between 
labor  on  a  farm  and  a  little  mental  work  in  the  school- 
room. His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Boude. 
At  sixteen  William  went  to  New  York  city  to  learn 
the  saddlery  and  harness  trade,  but  before  he  had  com- 
pleted his  apprenticeship  he  followed  his  mother  and 
stepfather,  James  Collins,  a  prominent"  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends,  to  Macon,  Mich.  There  young 
Smith  spent  three  years  in  working  at  his  trade  and 
teaching.  About  the  time  he  was  of  age  he  returned 
to  New  York  city,  studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Wm. 
Detmold,  attended  three  courses  of  lectures  at  the  old 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  then  returned 
to  Macon.  There  he  practiced  three  years,  in  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  Joseph  Howell,  an  experienced  physician 
and  a  most  estimable  man. 

In  1856,  Dr.  Smith  removed  to  Sioux  City,  Iowa. 
Here  he  practiced  medicine  very  diligently  for  eleven 
years,  building  up  an  excellent  reputation  and  a  wide 
practice,  often  having  more  and  longer  rides  than  he 
desired.  In  those  early  days  duty  often  called  him  to 
other  than  professional  labors.  In  the  spring  of  1861, 
when  there  were  Indian  troubles  in  the  vicinitv  of 
Sioux  City,  Dr.  Smith  served  as  first  lieutenant  of  a 
company  of  mounted  riflemen,  and  was  on  duty  until 
relieved  the  following  autumn  by  a  company  of  United 
States  soldiers.  About  this  time  he  was  also  appointed 
government  surgeon,  holding  that  position  until  18(53. 
When  the  Indian  outbreak  occurred  in  Minnesota  in 
August,  1862,  sending  a  thrill  of  terror  among  the 


residents  on  the  frontier,  he  was  made  chairman  of  the 
vigilance  committee  for  protection,  and  gave  whatever 
time  was  required  to  the  duties  of  his  position.  The 
following  winter  he  was  sent  by  Gov.  Kirk  wood,  in 
connection  with  the  late  Dr.  Brooks,  of  Des  Moines,  on 
a  tour  of  sanitary  inspection  among  the  Iowa  troops, 
in  which  mission  he  visited  the  army  then  lying  in 
front  of  Vicksburg,  and  afterward  did  his  best  to 
emphasize  the  general  and  strong  appeal  for  vegetables, 
then  so  indispensable  for  the  relief  of  our  suffering 
soldiers.  . 

Very  naturally,  the  ability  and  energy  of  a  man  like 
Dr.  Smith  has  marked  him  for  many  public  positions 
of  honor  and  trust.  In  March,  1863,  he  was  elected 
mayor  of  Sioux  'City,  and  two  months  later  was  ap- 
pointed surgeon  of  the  board  of  enrollment  of  the 
sixth  congressional  district,  serving  in  the  last  named 
capacity  until  December,  1864.  Several  years  after 
the  Rebellion  closed  he  was  examining  surgeon  for  the 
pension  bureau.  He  was  again  elected  may  or  of  Sioux 
City  in  1881,  and  on  July  15,  1865,  he  was  appointed 
receiver  of  public  moneys  of  the  United  States  land 
office  at  that  place,  which  position  he  held  until  the 
office  was  abolished  in  1878,  excepting  for  a  short  time 
during  Andrew  Johnson's  administration.  The  re- 
newal of  his  appointment  four  times  shows  the  esteem 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  authorities  of  the  govern- 
ment. During  one  year  he  had  charge  of  over  a  mil- 
lion dollars  in  money  received  on  land  sales.  But  few 
men  having  such  large  amounts  of  business  passing 
through  their  hands  have  come  through  unscathed  and 
with  a  satisfactory  record  of  their  official  proceedings. 
Mr.  Smith  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Sioux  City  and  of  the  Sioux  City  &• 
St.  Paul  and  Sioux  City  &  Pembina  railroads.  In  edu- 
cational matters  he  has  ever  manifested  great  interest, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  local  board  of  education 
for  many  years.  He  was  also  vice-president  of  the 
first  Sioux  City  building  association,  and  has  served  as 
director  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society.  In  most 
enterprises  calculated  to  promote  the  interest  of  his 
city  and  State,  Dr.  Smith  has  been  viligent  and  untir- 
ing. In  1878  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Gear  as 
one  of  the  honorary  commissioners  of  the  State  of 
Iowa  to  the  Paris  Exposition,  and  during  his  tour 
made  extensive  travels  through  Europe.  His  final 
report  was  well  received  and  found  place  in  many 
American  and  ^European  newspapers  and  periodicals. 
He  also  acted  as  correspondent  for  the  Mark  Lane 
!•'..!•  l>i'tss  of  London  for  some  years.  In  1880  he  was 
made  an  honorary  member  of  the  Cobden  Club,  and 
two  year  later  took  an  active  part  in  that  part  of 
American  politics  which  dwelt  with  "tariff  reform," 
and  which  has  been  a  living  issue  ever  since.  He  was 
also  a  charter  member  of  the  New  York  Reform 
Club.  In  ISS-i  he,  with  his  family,  visited  Europe, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


579 


and  repeated  the  visit  again  in  1889.  During  his  stay 
there  in  1884,  he  was  made  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Keform  Club,  while  in  London.  This  was  at  the 
instance  of  James  Howard,  M.P.,  of  Bedfordshire,  and 
seconded  by  the  great  cominoner,  John  Bright.  In 
1885  he  was  one  of  the  movers  in  the  organization  of 
the  Unity  Church  at  Sioux  City,  and  was  president. of 
its  board  for  five  years,  and  with  a  few  others  was 
largeh^  instrumental  in  establishing  the  society  here 
and  in  rearing  its  edifice. 

Up  to  1886  the  doctor  lived  on  an  eighty-acre  farm 
within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city.  It  was  well 
stocked  with  fruit,  planted  with  forest  and  ornamental 
trees,  situated  on  a  high  elevation  overlooking  the  city 
and  affording  a  fine  view  of  the  picturesque  bluffs  of 
the  Missouri  river ;  but  at  the  above  date  he  platted 
his  farm  into  town  lots,  recording  it  as  "Smith's  Villa," 
which  to-day  has  come  to  be  one  of  the  most  charming 
residence  spots  in  the  city.  Magnificent  houses  are 
completed,  and  others  in  course  of  erection,  here  and 
there,  all  over  the  tract  that  but  a  few  years  ago  was  a 
farm. 

In  1890  the  doctor  and  his  family  moved  out  of 
the  old  house  into  his  new  one,  where  he  and  his  esti- 
mable family  enjoyed  the  comforts  and  blessings  of  an 
elegant  home.  He  has  since  built,  however,  a  very  fine 
and  large  stone  residence.  Of  his  more  personal  rela- 
tions it  may  be  stated  that  Dr.  Smith  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  but  averse  to  that  unreasoning  partisanship 
which  places  party  fealty  above  principles. 

He  was  married  on  July  12,  1859,  to  Miss  Rebecca 
Osborne,  of  Macon,  Mich.,  who  has  been  a  true  help- 


meet and  a  most  excellent,  exemplary  lady.  They  have 
had  eight  sons,  three  of  whom  are  living:  Milton  P., 
Remsen,  and  R.  H.  Burton. 

Dr.  Smith's  ancestry  on  his  father's  side,  John  and 
Mary  Smith,  came  to  New  York  from  England  in  1670. 
Afterward  they  bought  a  plantation  in  Middletown, 
N.  J.,  the  warrant  of  which  is  dated  1676.  John 
Smith's  will  bears  date  December  29,  1714,  and  enu- 
merates seven  children,  William  being  the  eldest  and 
chief  heir.  His  son,  the  second  William  Smith,  was 
married  in  1728,  and  died  in  1770.  Among  his  ten 
children  was  the  third  William  Smith,  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  lived  during 
the  war  of  the  Revolution;  and  among  other  depriv- 
ations, the  records  state  that  he  suffered  a  loss  of 
£138  16s  6d.  His  son,  Daniel  Smith,  was  born  in 
1768  and  died  in  1750,  and  this  Daniel  Smith's  son, 
Daniel  Smith,  Jr.,  the  father  of  William  R.  Smith,  was 
born  in  Middletown  township,  Monmouth  county,  N.J., 
June  2,  1801,  and  died  in  Middlesex  county,  N.  J., 
April  28,  1836.  His  ancestry  on  his  mother's  side,  who 
were  of  Scotch  descent,  came  to  America  quite  early, 
as  it  is  understood,  for  taking  a  too  active  interest  in 
the  claim  of  one  of  the  "pretenders"  to  the  throne  of 
England.  .  They  and  their  descendants  settled  and 
became  large  owners  of  the  sandy  tract  of  country 
which  now  constitutes  Long  Branch  and  adjacent 
localities,  in  New  Jersey.  He  had  one  brother,  the 
late  John  Milton  Smith,  of  Peotone,  111.,  who  died  in' 
January,  1869,  leaving  a  family  of  five  children,  who 
came  to  Iowa  to  reside  with  their  uncle,  their  mother 
having  died  one  year  previously. 


WESLEY  ASBERY  DUNN,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WESLEY  ASBERY  DUNN  was  born  at  Marion, 
Ind.,  July  19,  1858.  He  was  the  son  of  John 
and  Mianda  (Bryant)  Dunn.  His  father  was  born  in 
Virginia,  coming  of  an  old  Virginia  family,  which  dates 
back  to  the  earliest  colonial  times.  He  served  in  the 
war  of  1S12.  in  the  dangerous  capacity  of  military 
scout.  After  his  retirement  from  the  secret  service  of 
his  country,  he  returned  to  his  private  life  in  Virginia, 
where  he  remained  until  1835,  when  he  removed  to 
Indiana.  Here  he  was  at  once  very  popular  and  pro- 
minent in  his  community,  and  in  1844  served  a  term  as 
member  from  his  district  to  the  Indiana  Legislature. 
lie  followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer,  and  it  was  upon 
his  farm  that  Wesley,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  was 
born,  and  there  he  lived  during  his  boyhood  <\a.ys, 
attending  school  in  the  winters,  and  assisting  on  the 
farm  in  the  busy  da\'s  of  summer.  When  lie  was 
between  seven  and  eight  years  of  age  his  father  died. 
Young  Wesley  was  educated  in  the  primitive  fashion 
of  those  days.  During  the  winter  times  he  passed 


through  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Marion.  He 
was  ambitious  and  a  hard  student,  and  study  had  great 
attractions  for  him. 

In  order  to  arrive  at  a  realization  of  his  fondest 
dreams,  that  of  becoming  a  physician,  Wesley,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  began  teaching  school  in  his  native 
town,  continuing  it  for  two  or  three  terms.  This 
occupied  his  time  in  the  winter,  and  his  summers  were 
given  up  to  study.  With  the  money  thus  earned  he 
entered,  in  1878,  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  of 
Chicago,  graduating  therefrom  in  1881.  Upon  his 
graduation  he  located  at  Wabash,  Ind.,  and  soon  had  a 
large  practice  there.  After  five  years  he  was  enabled 
to  gratify  his  desire  to  go  abroad  and  study  in  the  ad- 
vanced schools  of  Europe,  where  he  spent  two  years  in 
study  in  the  cities  of  Edinburg,  London  and  Vienna, 
devoting  himself  to  the  specialties  of  the  surgical 
diseases  of  the  mouth,  throat,  nose,  face  and  neck. 

Upon  returning  to  America,  Dr.  Dunn  located  in 
Chicago,  where  a  department  of  laryngology  and 


580 

rhinology  had  been  formed  for  him  in  the  Hahnemann 
Medical  College  and  hospital.  He  accepted  this  pro- 
fessorship, which  he  still  retains.  He  was  the  first 
teacher  of  this  department  in  the  Homoeopathic  school. 

Dr.  Dunn  has  always  been  an  enthusiastic  supporter 
of  medical  educational  institutions  and  societies.  He  is 
one  of  the  editors  of  the  Medica  Current  and  a  frequent 
contributor  to  other  medical  journals.  It  was  largely 
through  his  industry  that  the  homoeopathic  school  was 
enabled  to  secure  a  hospital  and  representation  at  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition.  He  was  also  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  organization  of  the  Homoeo- 
pathic Post-Graduate  Medical  School  of  Chicago. 
Although  the  doctor's  practice  demands  a  great  deal 
of  his  attention  he  has  found  time  to  attend  the  duties 
of  consulting  surgeon,  in  matters  of  his  specialty,  at  the 
Temperance  Hospital  and  the  Baptist  Hospital.  He  is 
also  surgeon  to  the  Hahnemann  Hospital  on  laryngology 
and  rhinology. 

Dr.  Dunn  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Association,  of  which  he  has  been  secretary 
since  1892.  His  success  in  this  association  was  the 
reason,  perhaps,  of  his  appointment  as  secretary  of  th^ 
World'sAuxilliaryCongressof  Homoeopathic  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  which  convened  last  year  in  conjunction 
with  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition.  He  is  also  a 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  and 
of  the  Clinical  Society  of  Chicago,  of  which  he  was 
president  in  1892-3.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Athletic  Association  and  of  the  Chicago  Art 
Institute.  The  doctor  has  traveled  extensively  both  in 
the  United  States  and  in  Europe,  and  from  these 
travels  has  found  much  pleasure,  while  they  have 
served  to  enrich  his  mind  with  stores  of  information 
valuable  to  his  profession.  A  great  lover  of  the  stud}' 
of  languages,  he  is  a  fluent  German  and  French  scholar, 
and  in  these  studies,  and  in  the  study  of  modern  science, 
he  finds  his  recreation  from  the  exacting  duties  of  his 
calling.  He  takes  delight  in  manly  exercise  and  is 
much  interested  in  athletics,  as  well  as  hunting  and 
field  sports.  In  religous  belief  he  is  a  Universalist. 
In  politics -he  is  a  man  who  votes  for  principles,  not 
party. 

Dr.  Dunn  was  united  in  marriage  on  November  30, 
1883,  to  Miss  Carrie  Jones,  daughter  of  Dr.  E.  P. 
Jones,  of  Marion,  Ind.  They  have  two  daughters  — 
Grace,  aged  eight,  and  Edith,  aged  six  years. 

In  appearance  Dr.  Dunn  is  prepossessing  and  in  his 
social  characteristics  is  genial  and  affable,  qualities 
springing  from  a  naturally  sunny  disposition.  His  own 
energy  and  industry,  joined  to  abilitv,  have  enabled 
him,  unaided,  to  reach  his  present  eminent  position. 


DUNLAP  SMITH, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DUNLAP  SMITH,  son  of  Perry  H.  and  Emma  A. 
(Smith)  Smith,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Chicago 
on  the  14th  day  of  July,  1863.  His  father,  Perry  H. 
Smith,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
of  Chicago's  early  citizens,  and  did  a  great  deal  to  aid 
in  the  development  of  the  city  and  the  advancement  of 
her  material  welfare,  especially  during  his  eighteen 
years  service  as  president  of  the  Chicago  and  North- 
western railway  system. 

Dunlap  Smith  attended  the  schools  of  his  native 
city,  and  also  studied  for  two  years  in  Belgium,  until 
he  was  prepared  to  enter  Harvard  College,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  1884-.  '•'•cum  laude,"  his 
ability,  application  and  excellent  scholarship  having 
earned  for  him  the  distinguished  position  of  secretary 
of  the  Harvard  Philosophical  Society,  this  distinction 
and  his  excellent  standing  being  all  the  moreremark- 
ble  from  the  fact  that  he  was  one  of  the  youngest 
men  in  his  class.  Upon  his  return  from  college  he 
immediately  entered  active  life  by  engaging  in  the 
real  estate  business,  in  which  he  has  achieved  such 
great  success.  He  was  for  two  years  manager  of  the 
Chicago  Elevator  Company,  in  which  capacity  he  rep- 
resented the  interests  of  Jay  Gould  and  Eussel  Sage. 
Mr.  Smith's  name  was  originally  William,  but  after 
entering  business  life  he  found  that,  owing  to  the  fact 


that  there  were  so  many  others  of  the  same  name  it 
was  detrimental  to  his  business  interests,  and  he 
accordingly,  in  1886,  by  a  decree  of  court,  had  it 
changed  to  Dunlap  Smith,  under  which  name  his 
business  has  since  been  carried  on. 

In  addition  to  his  real  estate,  he  now  carries  on  a 
large  mortgage  banking  business.  He  is  and  has  been 
since  its  organization  one  of  the  most  active  and  influ- 
ential members  of  the  Real  Estate  Board,  and  is  consi- 
dered an  expert  upon  the  valuation  of  realty.  Having 
been  reared  in  Chicago  and  also  having  early  turned 
his  attention  to  real  estate,  he  is  specially  fitted  to  form 
prompt  opinions;  his  perception  is  keen  and  he  gathers 
the  full  import  of  a  proposition  quickly  and  as  quickly 
makes  his  decisions,  from  which  he  seldom  feels  called 
upon  to  recede.  His  record  is  an  enviable  one,  and 
though,  standing  in  the  front  rank  of  the  real  estate 
fraternity,  he  is  probably  the  youngest  man  amongst 
the  large  firms  in  the  business  in  this  city.  He  still 
represents  the  interests  of  Russell  Sage  as  a  director  of 
the  Chicago  Elevator  Company  and  also  as  a  director 
in  the  Iowa  Central  Railway  Company. 

Among  some  of  the  important  deals  carried  through 
by  Mr.  Smith  may  be  mentioned  the  sale  of  the 
McCormick  block,  the  Alhambra  block,  the  formation 
of  the  town  of  North  Waukegan,  involving  five  miles 


l:sharf 


#$«>•• 

.«cV  ° 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


of  lake  frontage,  the  building  of  a  harbor  and  the 
establishment  of  a  manufacturing  center.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  to  appreciate  the  great  possibilities  connected 
with  the  ownership  of  property  having  a  frontage  on 
the  lake  in  Lake  View,  and  taking  advantage  of  this  he 
has  figured  as  either  a  buyer  or  seller  in  every  real 
estate  transaction  in  shore  property  at  that  place 
during  the  past  two  years.  Mr.  Smith  is  an  active  and 
popular  member  of  the  Union,  the  Chicago,  the  Uni- 
versity, the  Athletic  and  the  North  Shore  Clubs,  is  very 
popular  socially,  and  is  genial,  approachable  and 
friendly.  He  is  also  charitable  to  a  marked  degree  and 
withal  modest  and  unostentatious. 

On  the  12th  day  of  October,  1887,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Harriet  Flower,  daughter  of  James  M.  Flower, 


583 

a  prominent  attorney  of  Chicago.  Three  sons,  Perry 
Dunlap,  Lawrence  Dunlap,  and  Elliot  Dunlap  have 
blessed  the  union,  and  in  them  is  centered  the  hopes 
and  pride  of  their  father's  life. 

In  concluding  this  brief  sketch  of  his  life  we 
can  only  say  that  Dunlap  Smith  needs  no  eulogy  at 
our  hands.  In  appearance  and  action  he  very  much 
resembles  his  father,  while  his  business  record  resem- 
bles that  of  no  one  but  himself.  He  is  still  quite 
a  young  man,  and  each  year  witnesses  new  successes 
for  him  and  his  business.  A  Chicagoan  by  birth 
and  instinct,  he  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  widely 
known  of  her  citizens,  and  is  everywhere  recognized 
as  an  important  factor  in  Chicago's  growth  and 
material  welfare. 


ROBERT   E.    JENKINS, 


CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS. 


IN  the  year  1700,  when  William  Penn  had  liberalized 
the  government  of  Pennsylvania,  in  order  to 
secure  for  the  colonists  greater  political  privileges, 
there  settled  near  Philadelphia  one  David  Jenkins, 
from  Wales.  In  course  of  time  some  of  his  descendants 
removed  into  the  famous  Conestoga  Valley,  of  Eastern 
Pennsylvania,  and  they  for  several  generations  were 
proprietors  of  furnaces  and  manufacturers  of  iron.  In 
1837  one  of  these,  Robert  Jenkins,  and  his  young  wife, 
Elizabeth  Rombo,  left  the  state  which  had  for  nearly  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years  been  the  home  of  their 
ancestors,  for  the  western  frontier.  They  settled  in 
Clark  county,  Mo.,  where,  on  February  6,  1846,  the 
subject  of  our  sketch,  Robert  Edwin,  was  born.  Eight 
months  later  his  mother  died,  and  he  went  to  live 
with  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Margaret  Hend ricks,  in  Fairfield, 
la.  Here  he  obtained  his  primary  education  by  attend- 
ing the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he 
returned  to  Missouri,  where  he  worked  on  his  father's 
farm,  acquiring  early  those  habits  of  industry  and 
temperance  which  have  been  so  helpful  in  all  his  later 
life.  Notwithstanding  the  exacting  labors  of  the 
farm,  and  the  brief  terms  of  -school  accessible,  young 
Jenkins  by  diligent  study  at  home  acquired  an  educa- 
tion sufficient  to  enable  him  to  enter  the  Illinois 
College  at  Jacksonville,  where  he  remained  one  year. 
Having  decided  to  study  law,  he  came  to  Chicago  for 
that  purpose,  and  entered  the  school  afterward  known 
as  the  Union  College  of  Law,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1867,  and  was  soon  after  admitted  to 
the  bar. 

In  the  fall  of  1868  he  secured  a  position  in  the  office 
of  Hon.  Lincoln  Clark,  who  was  at  that  time  register 
in  bankruptcy,  and  where  he  applied  himself  closely  to 
the  business  of  the  office  and  made  the  most  of  the 
opportunities  afforded  him,  becoming  thoroughly  famil- 
iar with  the  principles  and  practice  of  bankruptcy  law. 


After  spending  a  year  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Clark  he 
began  practice  for  himself,  his  purpose  being  to  devote 
his  whole  time  and  attention  to  bankruptcy  matters. 
In  this  special  field  he  was  eminently  successful  for 
many  years.  The  general  recognition  of  his  knowledge 
of  bankruptcy  matters  is  evidenced  by  his  appointment 
as  assignee  in  more  than  twelve  hundred  cases  during 
the  nine  years  preceding  the  repe;il  of  the  Bankrupt 
Law  in  1878.  Though  charged  during  that  period  with 
the  distribution  of  many  millions,  his  sterling  integrity, 
and  his  conscientious  regard  for  the  rights  of  all  par- 
ties, together  with  his  correct  application  of  the  pro- 
visions of  the  law,  were  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  no 
objection  was  ever  filed  to  one  of  his  accounts,  except 
in  one  or  two  cases  involving  questions  of  priority 
between  claimants. 

After  the  repeal  of  the  bankrupt  law  in  1878  Mr. 
Jenkins  turned  his  attention  to  general  practice,  more 
especially  to  real  estate  law  and  the  care  and  manage- 
ment of  property  and  estates.  Commanding  a  large 
share  of  public  confidence,  and  having  demonstrated 
his  business  ability  and  good  judgment,  his  practice 
has  steadily  increased  and  is  now  very  large  and  highly 
remunerative. 

Mr.  Jenkins  is  naturally  more  of  an  office  than  a 
trial  lawyer,  and  has  gained  the  reputation  of  being  a 
promoter  of  adjustments,  where  possible,  for  his  clients, 
rather  tlian  prolonged  and  expensive  litigation.  For 
about  eight  years  he  was  in  partnership  with  E.  J. 
Ilarkness,  an  excellent  trial  lawyer,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Jenkins  <fc  Harkness,  and  the  firm  thus  con- 
stituted was  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  leading  business 
law  firms  of  the  city.  In  1892,  however,  Mr.  Harkness 
having  entered  the  legal  department  of  the  Metropoli- 
tan West  Side  Elevated  Railroad  Company,  Mr. 
Jenkins  formed  a  new  partnership  with  Charles  Lough- 
ridge,  one  of  the  rising  young  lawyers  of  the  Chicago 


584 

bar,  and  a  son  of  the  late  Judge  William  Loughridge, 
for  several  terms  a  member  of  Congress  from  Iowa. 
The  firm  has  a  large  and  growing  practice.  The 
esteem  in  which  Mr.  Jenkins  is  held  by  his  brethren  of 
the  legal  profession  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he 
has  been  president  of  the  Chicago  Law  Institute,  and 
was  for  seven  years  successively  treasurer  of  the 
Chicago  Bar  Association. 

He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics, 
but  from  the  time  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  General 
Grant  for  the  presidency,  in  1868,  up  to  1887,  he  had 
never  allowed  himself  to  become  a  candidate  for  any 
office.  The  latter  year,  however,  marked  a  new  era  of 
reform  in  Cook  county  politics.  The  most  widespread 
corruption  had  been  unearthed  among  county  officials, 
and  several  offenders  sent  to  the  penitentiary  as  the 
result  of  the  famous  "  boodle  trials,"  and  the  people 
had  come  to  realize  the  importance  of  selecting  men  of 
honesty  and  abilty  to  fill  these  offices.  The  board  of 
count}7  commissioners  had  been  shown  to  have  been 
utterly  and  scandalously  corrupt,  and  it  was  deter- 
mined that  a  new  board  should  be  made  up  of  men  of 
recognized  honesty  and  ability,  who  would  not  only 
institute  a  new  order  of  things,  but  nullify,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  corrupt  acts  of  their  predecessors. 
Mr.  Jenkins  was  made  a  member  of  the  board  of 
commissioners  on  this  platform  and  served  for  one 
year,  being  chairman  of  the  finar.ce  committee,  in 
which  position  he  was  enabled  to  render  valuable 
service  to  the  county  in  the  saving  and  economical 
handling  of  its  funds. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  and 
has  served  a  term  on  its  board  of  directors,  and  has 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


been  several  times  a  member  of  its  committee  on  pol- 
itical action.  In  literary,  educational  and  church  mat- 
ters he  has  always  taken  an  active  interest.  In  the 
midst  of  his  business  and  professional  pursuits  he  has 
found  time  to  identify  himself  actively  with  "The 
Irving,"  a  select  literary  club  of  the  West  Side,  of 
which  he  has  been  also  president. 

In  religious  belief  Mr.  Jenkins  is  a  Congregation- 
alist.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Chicago 
Congregational  Club,  and  has  served  a  term  as  its 
president,  and  was  for  a  number  of  years  continuously 
one  of  its  officers.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  City  Missionary  Society  and  its  first  treasurer. 
He  is  also  a  trustee  of  Beloit  College,  at  Beloit,  Wis. 
He  was  for  twenty  years  a  deacon  in  the  Union  Park 
Congregational  church,  and  for  ten  years  superinten- 
dent of  its  Sunday  school,  the  attendance  of  which 
during  that  time  increased  to  more  than  a  thousand 
members.  He  is  now  active  in  the  Sunday  school  and 
church  work  of  the  South  Congregational  church. 

His  business  and  financial  ability  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  he  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  National 
Bank  of  Illinois,  recognized  as  one  of  Chicago's  sound- 
est financial  institutions.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Metropolitan  West  Side  Ele- 
vated Eailroad  Company. 

Mr.  Jenkins  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss  Marcia 
Raymond,  formerly  of  Cambridge  city,  Ind.,  whose 
ancestors  were  closely  related  to  General  Israel  Put- 
nam, of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  also  to  Washington's 
great  financial  secretary,  Alexander  Hamilton.  To 
this  marriage  three  children  have  been  born,  one  son 
and  two  daughters. 


JOHN    ROWLAND   HANNA, 


DENVER,  COLORADO. 


JOHN  R.  HANNA  was  born  at  Cadiz,  Ohio,  Oct. 
17,  1836.  He  took  a  primary  course  in  the  public 
schools  and  a  course  of  study  in  Franklin  College  in 
the  same  State.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  removed 
to  Mercer,  Pa.,  where  he  organized  a  bank  which  was 
succeeded  in  1864  by  the  First  National  Bank  of  Mercer, 
of  which  he  was  cashier  until  1869,  when,  by  reason  of 
impaired  health,  he  removed  to  Colorado  and  bought  a 
farm  near  Fort  Collins.  After  a  year  spent  in  out- 
door exercise,  he  removed  to  Denver,  and  in  1872 
secured  the  charter  for  the  City  National  Bank  of 
Denver,  of  which  he  was  elected  a  director  and  became 
cashier.  He  retained  the  latter  position  until  1892 
when  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  bank,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  retains.  He  is  credited  with  being  one  of 
the  most  conservative  bankers  in  the  city;  careful, 
strictly  attentive  to  business,  easy,  good  tempered  and 
affable,  strong  with  his  patrons  and  enjoying  the  con- 


fidence of  all  his  associates.  He  is  an  ardent  supporter 
of  education,  of  religion  and  good  morals,  clear-headed, 
quiet,  unassuming  and  efficient,  having  no  ambition 
to  make  a  noise  in  the  world,  but  to  execute  every 
duty  with  fidelity  and  to  advance  the  worthy  causes 
with  which  he  may  be  connected  with  scrupulous 
regard'  to  the  benefits  to  accrue  to  his  fellow  beings. 

He  is  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  upbuilding  of 
all  educational  institutions,  to  works  of  charity  and 
the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  poor  and 
distressed,  but  it  is  done  so  unostentatiously  as  to 
escape  public  notice.  The  bank  of  which  he  is  the 
manager  finds  in  him  a  man  of  sedulous  industry, 
of  large  and  valuable  experience,  a  safe  counselor, 
one  who  makes  no  serious  mistakes,  possessing  the 
ability  to  see  all  sides,  and  to  reach  the  depth 
of  every  question  requiring  prompt  and  proper 
decision. 


.itf* 


^ 

,c,W 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

HON.  GEORGE  CLEMENT  PERKINS, 

OROVILLE,  CALIFORNIA. 


587 


GEORGE  CLEMENT  PERKINS,  son  of  Clement 
and  Lucinda  (Fail-field)  Perkins,  was  born  at 
Kennebunkport,  Me.,  August  23,  1839.  The  family 
was  of  English  origin,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  settle 
in  New  England,  first  locating  in  Massachusetts,  and 
afterward  scattered  over  the  New  England  States,  one 
branch  settling  in  Maine.  It  is  of  this  branch  that 
George  C.  Perkins  is  a  descendant. 

His  early  childhood  was  spent  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  later  he  attended  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood, 
which,  however,  were  far  from  the  best,  and  he  had  to 
depend  largely  upon  home  teaching  for  the  better  part 
of  his  education.  When  twelve  years  of  age  circum- 
stances compelled  him  to  leave  home  and  seek  his  own 
livelihood,  and  he  shipped  as  cabin  boy  on  the  l>  Golden 
Eagle  "  for  New  Orleans.  On  his  return  from  his  first 
voyage,  not  wishing  to  return  to  farm  life,  he  resolved 
to  stick  to  the  life  of  a  sailor.  He  made  seven  voyages 
to  the  old  world  as  a  sailor  boy,  visiting  England, 
Ireland,  Wales,  France,  Norway,  Sweden  and  Russia. 
He  then  returned  to  his  home,  and  while  there  attended 
the  district  school  for  a  period  of  six  months,  after 
which,  when  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  made 
another  voyage  to  New  Orleans,  where  unfortunately 
he  had  an  attack  of  yellow  fever.  Upon  his  recovery 
he  made  three  more  voyages  to  Europe  on  the  ships 
li  Nath  Thompson,"  li  Lizzie  Thompson,"  "  Luna"  and 
the  bark  "Cotton  Planter."  The  men  on  the  "  Luna" 
mutinied  on  the  return  voyage,  and  so  far  had  he 
advanced  in  seamanship,  the  officers  placed  him  at  the 
wheel.  The  mutiny  being  supressed,  the  vessel  returned 
to  port.  It  was  while  on  this  trip  that  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  an  old  sailor,  who  told  him  glowing 
tales  of  California,  and  he  then  resolved  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  land  of  gold  at  the  first  opportunity. 
After  another  voyage  to  Dublin,  Liverpool  and  back  to 
New  York  by  way  of  New  Orleans,  he  visited  his  old 
home  and  friends,  and  made  his  preparations  for  the 
trip  to  California.  He  shipped  as  a  sailor  before  the 
mast,  on  the  clipper  ship  "  Galatea,"  which  made  the 
voyage  around  Cape  Horn  and  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
in"l855. 

Here  he  remained  for  a  few  days  only,  going  to 
Sacramento  by  schooner,  and  from  there  setting  out  for 
Oroville,  nearly  a  hundred  miles  away,  walking  the 
entire  distance.  He  engaged  in  mining  for  about  two 
years,  but  meeting  with  poor  success,  abandoned  it  and 
found  employment  at  teaming  and  lumbering.  He 
soon  found  that  the  renumeration  was  small  and  that 
there  was  almost  no  chance  of  advancement  and  there- 
fore gave  it  up,  and  was  employed  as  porter  and  clerk 
in  the  store  of  Hedley  and  Knight  at  Oroville.  Here 
his  energy  and  industry  attracted  attention,  and  his 
advancement  followed  step  by  step,  until  the  whole 
management  devolved  on  him  and  he  finally  succeeded 
to  the  business.  Under  his  careful  and  energetic  direc- 


tion the  business  became  exceedingly  prosperous,  the 
house  doing  the  most  extensive  grocery  business  in 
Northern  California.  While  engaged  in  this  business, 
he  assisted  in  establishing  the  Bank  of  Butte  Countv, 
built  the  Ophir  flour  mills,  and  was  also  interested  in 
mining,  saw-mills,  and  sheep-farming.  The  various 
enterprises  thrived  wonderfully,  and  not  only  benefited 
him  but  added  to  the  wealth  of  the  entire  country. 
Such  a  man  could  not  long  remain  in  private  life.  His 
numerous  friends,  well  acquainted  with  his  character 
and  abilities,  insisted  on  his  becoming  a  candidate  for 
State  Senator,  and  though  his  party  was  in  a  minority 
he  was  triumphantly  elected  by  a  tremendous  majority. 
After  serving  this  term  he  was  elected  to  fill  the 
vacancy  cccasioned  by  the  death  of  Senator  Boucher. 

While  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  he  worked 
earnestly  and  honestly  to  advance  the  interest  not  only 
of  his  section,  but  also  of  the  great  State  of  which  it  is 
a  part.  It  was  while  attending  the  sessions  of  the 
Legislature  that  he  first  met  Capt.  Chas.  Goodall,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  assembly  from  San  Francisco. 
The  result  of  this  acquaintance  was  the  formation  in 
1872  of  the  well-known  firm  of  Goodall,  Nelson  & 
Perkins,  which  has  had  such  an  important  influence 
on  the  transportation  interests  of  California.  The 
partnership  continued  as  at  first  formed  until  1876, 
when  Captain  Nelson  retired,  and  the  firm  continued 
as  Goodall,  Perkins  &  Co.,  under  which  title  the 
business  is  carried  on  at  the  present  time,  the  firm 
managing  the  Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company,  the 
Oregon  Coal  and  Navigation  Company,  and  the  ocean 
division  of  the  Union  Pacific  system,  and  Pacific 
Whaling  Company. 

Despite  the  amount  of  attention  required  by  Mr. 
Perkins'  great  business  interests,  his  friends,  knowing 
his  importance  and  sterling  worth,  have  not  allowed 
him  to  desert  the  field  of  politics,  but  have  insisted 
on  his  still  further  filling  the  hish,  places  at  their 
disposal.  One  of  these  was  the  office  of  governor,  to 
which  he  was  elected  by  over  20,000  majority  in 
the  fall  of  1879.  He  was  inaugurated  January  1, 
1880,  and  his  record  in  the  gubernatorial  chair  was 
one  of  the  cleanest  as  well  as  most  able  in  the  history 
of  the  State.  The  shipping  house  of  Goodall,  Perk- 
ins &  Co.  has  for  years  commanded  or  controlled 
the  largest  business  on  the  Pacific  coast,  extending 
from  Mexico  to  Alaska,  and  employing  constantly 
over  2,000  men.  The  firm,  besides,  has  a  large  inter- 
est in  the  Pacific  Whaling  Company  and  other  cor- 
porations. Governor  Perkins  himself  is  largely  inter- 
ested in  various  industries.  lie  is  a  director  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  San  Francisco,  Starr  &  Co.'s 
bank  of  Butte  county,  California  State  Bank,  at  Sac- 
ramento, Central  Bank  of  Oakland,  the  Pacific  Steam 
Whaling  Company,  Arctic  Oil  Works,  and  many  large 
corporations.  lie  is  also  largely  interested  in  mining, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


588 

and  owns  a  large  cattle  ranch  in  southern  California, 
lie  has  occupied  very  important  positions  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  having  been  made  a  Master  Mason 
in  Oroville  Lodge  103,  December  15,  1859,  and  after 
holding  all  of  the  offices  of  his  lodge,  was  elected  grand 
junior  warden  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  California  in 
1871,  grand  senior  warden  in  1872,  deputy  master  in 
1873,  and  grand  master  in  1874.  In  Oroville  Command- 
ery  No.  5  he  held  the  positions  of  junior  and  senior 
warden,  captain  of  the  guard,  recorder  and  commander. 
In  1886  he  was  elected  grand  standard  bearer  of  the 
Grand  Commandery  of  California,  and  in  1871  grand 
senior  warden  ;  in  1882  he  was  elected  grand  com- 
mander of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  Knights  Tem- 
plar of  California,  and  held  that  position  during  the 
Triennial  Conclave  of  the  Grand  Encampment  of  the 
United  States  in  San  Francisco.  At  that  session  he 
was  elected  grand  junior  warden  of  the  Grand  Encamp- 
ment of  the  Knights  Templar  of  the  United  States. 

He  is  connected  with  many  charitable  and  benev- 
olent associations,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the 
Boys'  and  Girls'  Aid  society,  of  which  he  has  been 
president  for  twelve  years.  lie  was  for  two  years 
president  of  the  Art  Association,  and  a  member  of  the 
Pacific  Union,  Bohemian.  Merchants'  and  the  Athenian 
clubs.  He  served  as  president  of  the  Merchants'  Ex- 
change in  1878  and  was  again  elected  to  the  same 
position  in  1889.  He  has  been  for  several  years  a 
trustee  of  the  Academy  of  Science,  and  is  also  a  trus- 
tee of  the  State  Mining  Bureau  and  of  the  Institution 
for  the  Deaf,  Dumb  and  Blind,  at  Berkley.  On  the 
22d  day  of  July,  1893,  Governor  Markham  appointed 


Ex-governor  Perkins  United  States  Senator  for  Cal- 
ifornia to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Sen- 
ator Leland  Stanford,  which  occurred  in  June,  1893. 
This  honor  was  one  not  specially  sought  after  by  Gov- 
ernor Perkins,  but  nevertheless  he  was  appointed  from 
among  a  long  list  of  applicants  comprising  manv  of 
the  most  prominent  men  in  political  life  in  the  West. 

He  was  married  at  Oroville  to  Miss  Ruth  A.  Par- 
ker in  1864.  They  have  three  sons  and  four  daughters. 

As  a  public  speaker,  Mr.  Perkins  is  forcible,  pleas- 
ing, and  above  all  convincing.  He  expends  much 
money  in  charity,  and  has  never  been  known  to  turn  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  call  of  the  distressed.  Personally  he  is 
courteous,  gentlemanly,  cheerful  and  genial,  unpreten- 
tious, modest  and  unassuming.  He  has  been  for  years 
one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  successful  business 
men  on  the  coast.  The  urbanity  of  his  kindly  nature 
and  the  radiating  warmth  of  his  hearty  expressions  of 
fellowship  have  contributed  not  a  little  to  his  wonder- 
ful popularity.  He  possesses  the  rare  ability  of  mak- 
ing lasting  friendships  with  those  he  meets  socially  or 
in  business,  a  gift  inseparable  from  men  of  a  generous 
nature.  That  he  may  have  yet  many  years  of  useful 
life  before  him,  is  the  heartfelt  wish  of  his  many 
friends  and  of  every  citizen  of  his  adopted  State. 

His  appointment  to  the  Senate  is  an  honor  well 
deserved  by  him,  and  is  merely  one  of  the  straws 
which  show  from  which  quarter  blows  the  wind  of  his 
popularity.  His  past  record  in  both  public  and 
private  life  is  one  worthy  of  emulation,  and  his  new 
opportunities  can  scarcely  fail  to  add  laurels  to  the 
crown  of  his  success. 


ANDRUS  RICHARDSON   MERRITT, 

DULUTH,  MINNESOTA. 


ANDRUS  RICHARDSON  MERRITT,  son  of 
Lewis  H.  &nd  Hephzibeth  Merritt,  was  born  in 
Warren  county,  Pa.,  on  the  22d  of  June,  1853.  His 
father,  who  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  left  Pennsyl- 
vania and  came  West,  locating  near  the  head  of  Lake 
Superior  in  the  fall  of  1855,  and  his  wife  and  family 
followed  one  year  later.  From-  the  first  he  had  faith 
in  the  future  greatness  of  the  region  about  the 
head  of  Lake  Superior,  and  often  remarked  to  his  sons 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  some  fourteen  years 
ago,  that  Duluth  would  one  day  be  a  largeand  important 
manufacturing  and  mercantile  center.  He  was  also  a 
strong  advocate  of  liberal  education,  and  it  was  to  the 
strenuous  efforts  of  himself  and  his  eldest  sons  that  the 
establishment  of  the  first  schools  in  the  region  was  due. 
A.  R.  Merritt  secured  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  at  Oneota,  Minn.,  now  a  suburb  of  Duluth,  and" 
although  the  terms  were  but  three  months  in  length 
and  that  during  the  winter,  he  made  the  most 
of  his  opportunities,  and  by  attending  school  and 


studying  at  home  he  acquired  a  practical  business 
education.  During  his  boyhood's  days  he  was  a  great 
lover  of  outdoor  sports,  especially  fishing  and  hunting, 
but  owing  to  the  fact  that  times  were  hard  and  money 
scarce,  he  was  compelled  to  go  to  work  during  the 
summer,  when  he  was  only  ten  years  of  age.  Owing  to 
financial  misfortunes  he  had  to  leave  school  at  the  age 
of  fifteen,  and  for  some  years  worked  in  the  woods 
during  the  winter,  and  in  the  saw-mills  or  on  tug-boats 
during  the  summer.  The  youth's  ambition  was  to 
become  a  steamboat  captain,  and  he  had  nearly  attained 
the  fulfilment  of  his  ambition  when,  he  being  at  the 
time  about  twenty  years  of  age,  his  father  became 
seriously  ill,  and  the  doctor  advised  for  him  a  few 
years'  residence  in  the  South,  where  A.  R.  Merritt, 
being  the  youngest  son,  went  with  him.  The}'  settled 
in  northwest  Missouri,  where  they  bought  and  located 
upon  a  farm  in  the  fall  of  1875.  The  farm  was  one  of 
about  two  hundred  acres,  with  only  forty  acres  in 
cultivation,  but  they  gradually  increased  this  acreage 


iV^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


591 


until  the  whole  was  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
They  got  on  well  with  the  farm  until  the  father  died,  in 
the  fall  of  1879,  when  the  son  continued  to  reside  there 
until  18S8,  during  the  summer  of , which  year  he  had 
paid  a  visit  to  Duluth,  and  becoming  impressed  with 
her  importance  as  a  manufacturing,  shipping  and  com- 
mercial center  he  sold  his  Missouri,  interests  in  the  fall 
of  that  year  and  returned  to  his  boyhood  home.  The 
first  great  enterprise  with  which  he  was  connected  was 
the  opening  up  of  what  is  known  as  the  Great  Missaba 
Range.  He  and  his  brothers  had  implicit  faith'  in  the 
outcome  of  their  work,  and  for  two  years  spent  nearly 
all  their  time  in  exploring  the  region,  locating  proper- 
ties and  prospecting  for  iron.  Their  confidence  was 
not  misplaced,  for  they  were  finally  rewarded  for  their 
hard  work  and  enabled  to  open  up  what  is  now  known 
as  the  greatest  iron  range  in  the  world  and  to  build  a 
railroad  to  it. 

Mr.  Merritt  has  sir.ce  been  largely  interested  and 
an  important  factor  in  developing  many  large  enter- 
prises and  is  at  present,  engaged  in  opening  up  a  large 
coal  property  in  Kentucky  which,  it  is  said,  has 
the  largest  deposits  of  coking  coal  of  any  property  in 
the  country.  A  company  has  been  formed,  with  A. 


R.  Merritt  as  president,  to  build  a  railroad  to  the 
property. 

Politically,  Mr.  Merritt  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  though  reserving  to  himself  the  right 
to  use  his  own  judgment  in  voting,  general!}'  casts  his 
ballot  for  the  candidates  of  that  party.  He  is  a  member 
and  regular  attendant  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  a  liberal 
contributor  to  ail  church  and  worthy  objects. 

On  the  23d  of  December.  1876,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Susan  Bullock,  of  Page  county,  Iowa, 
who  after  a  little  more  than  three  years  was  taken 
away,  leaving  two  sons  James  and  Thomas,  to  help 
their  father  bear  his  loss.  Four  years  later,  or  on  the 
17th  of  April.  1883,  he  was  again  married,  this  time  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Clark,  of  Blanchard,  formerly  of  Lee 
county,  Iowa,  and  whose  parents  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  that  county.  Four  sons  have  blessed 
this  union,  and  in  hisfamiFy  Mr.  Merritt  finds  the  truest 
pleasures  of  his  life.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of  fine 
appearance  and  enj  >ys  the  best  of  health.  He  is  placed 
second  to  no  one  in  the  esteem  and  respect  of  the  peo- 
ple among  whom  he  lives,  and  is  everywhere  recognized 
as  a  safe,  conservative  business  man,  whose  counsels 
are  valuable  in  any  enterprise. 


WILLIAM   C.  GOUDY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


WILLIAM  C.  GOUDY  was  born  in  Indiana,  May 
15,  1824.  His  mother,  Jane  Ainslie.  was  of 
English  descent,  and  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  His 
father,  who  sprang  from  the  old  Scotch-Irish  ancestry, 
which  has  furnished  us  so  many  men  of  strong  brain 
and  hardy  fibre,  was  born  in  Ireland.  Others  of  the 
family  resided  in  Scotland,  and  one  of  this  branch, 
John  Goudie,  might  well  have  been  our  subject's  proto- 
type, if  we  take  the  humorous  testimony  of  Robert 
Burns  in  the  poem  beginning: 

"O  Goudie!  terror  of  the  Whigs, 
Dread  of  black  coats  and  rev'rend  wigs." 

Mr.  Goudy's  father  was  bred  to  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter, but  abandoned  this  to  go  into  the  book-binding 
and  printing  business.  In  1833,  having  removed  to 
Jacksonville,  111.,  he  began  the  publication  of  "Goudy's 
Farmers' Almanac."  This  was  the  first  magazine  of 
its  kind  in  the  Northwest,  and  became  exceeding! y 
popular  with  the  farmers.  In  1834,  in  company  with 
Samuel  S.  Brooks,  he  undertook  the  publication  of  a 
Democratic  paper  at  Jacksonville,  and  to  Messrs. 
Goudy  and  Brooks  is  due  the  honor  of  recognizing  and 
bringing  to  public  notice  the  extraordinar}'  merits  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas. 

As  the  son  of  a  printer  already  widely  known,  it 
would  seem  to  have  been  quite  natural  for  young 
Goudy  to  become  a  journalist.  Fortunately,  however, 
his  predilection  for  the  law  was  strong  enough  to 


cause  him  to  disregard  this  calling.  To  better  fit  him- 
self for  his  chosen  profession,  he  entered  Illinois  Col- 
lege at  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he  graduated  in  1845. 
That  institution  later  conferred  upon  him  the  degrees 
of  Master  of  Arts  and  Doctor  of  Laws.  He  then 
taught  school  in  Decatur,  111.,  at  the  same  time  reading 
the  elements  of  law.  His  more  advanced  studies  were 
pursued  in  the  office  of  Judge  Stephen  T.  Logan,  for 
many  years  the  partner  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

In  1847  Mr.  Goudy,  moved  to  Lewistown,  111.,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  entered  into  partnership 
with  the  well-known  Hon.  Hezekiah  M.  Wead,  and 
stepped  at  once  into  professional  prominence.  He 
very  soon  became  active  in  the  political  affairs  of  the 
district,  and  in  1853  was  elected  State's  attorney  of  the 
tenth  judicial  circuit.  This  position  he  resigned  after 
two  years  and  in  1856  was  elected  State  Senator  for 
the  district  of  Fulton  and  McDonough  counties. 
During  this  period  of  service  as  senator  occurred  the 
memorable  contest  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas. 

It  was  a  time  fraught  with  the  most  weight\r  and 
important  issues  which  have  ever  confronted  us  as  a 
nation,  and  the  young  legislator  was  a  participator  in 
the  events  which  formed  the  prelude  to  the  greatest 
occurrence  in  the  history  of  the  United  States,  and  he 
was  a  worthy  coadjutor  of  men  like  Judge  Gillespie, 
N.  R.  Judd,  Samuel  W.  Fuller,  and  ex-Governor  Palmer 
during  those  stirring  days. 


592 

Mr.  Goudy  removed  to  Chicago  in  1859.  Here  he 
gave  especial  attention  to  the  law  governing  real  estate, 
upon  which  he  was  one  of  the  highest  authorities  in 
the  country.  An  idea  of  his  work  in  Illinois  may  be 
formed  from  the  reports  of  the  supreme  court  of  the 
State,  in  every  volume  of  which  for  thirty-five  years 
prior  to  his  death  appear  cases  argued  by  him.  He 
appeared  in  the  higher  courts  of  nearly  every  State 
throughout  the  West,  and  in  the  supreme  court  of  the 
United  States  he  was  leading  counsel  in  many  im- 
portant cases.  The  recent  enactment  regarding 
"original  packages"  was  an  outgrowth  of  a  decision  in 
a  case  argued  by  Mr.  Goudy  in  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court,  declaring  unconstitutional  a  statute  of 
Iowa  which  prohibited  railroads  from  bringing  intoxi- 
cants into  that  State.  He  also  argued  the  famous 
Munn  case,  by  which  was  established  the  power  of  the 
States  to  fix  the  maximum  rates  to  be  charged  by 
warehouses,  railways,  persons  or  corporations  engaged 
in  a  pursuit' affecting  the  public  interest.  Another 
instance  in  which  Mr.  Goudy  did  effective  service,  was 
in  the  great  railroad  cases  in  Mipnesota,  which  resulted 
in  the  annulment  of  the  Minnesota  statute,  authorizing 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


the  fixing  of  railroad  rates  by  the  State  commission. 
His  work  was  of  a  nature  which  commands  universal 
attention,  and  the  history  of  his  labors  is  to  be  found 
embodied  in  the  literature  of  law.  For  some  years  he 
was  counsel  for  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway 
Comoany.  Mr.  Goudy  was  married  in  1849  to  Miss 
Helen  Judd.  They  had  two  children,  a  daughter  and 
son,  who,  with  the  mother,  sunive  him. 

Mr.  Goudy  was  always  a  staunch  supporter  of 
Democracy,  casting  his  first  vote  for  Lewis  Cass  in 
1848.  "No  better  warrant  of  his  conscientious  and 
distinguished  service  need  be  had  than  that  when  there 
was  a  vacancy  in  the  United  States  Senate,  owing  to 
the  death  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Mr.  Goudy  was  the 
choice  of  a  large  portion  of  the  Democracy  of  Illinois 
as  Mr.  Douglas'  successor,  although  that  honor  was 
finally  awarded  to  Mr.  Richardson,  of  Quincy.  It  was 
an  expression  in  most  touching  form  of  the  fact  that 
among  the  great  men  of  his  time,  whose  labors  have 
rendered  them  not  only  honored  but  beloved,  his 
countrymen  sought  to  bestow  upon  him  this  high  honor. 
After  a  long  and  eventful  life  Mr.  Goudy  died  early  in 
1893,  lamented  by  all. 


JAMES   F.  R.   FOSS, 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


JAMES  F.  R.  FOSS,  son  of  James  and  Frances 
Foss,  was  born  at  Biddeforcl,  Maine,  on  the  17th 
day  of  March,  1848.  His  father,  who  by  trade  was  a 
printer  and  who  held  the  office  of  town  clerk,  died  when 
James  was  but  four  3'ears  of  age,  and  his  mother,  a 
direct  descendant  of  Rev.  Robert  Jordan,  (an  Episcopal 
minister  who  settled  at  Cape  Elizabeth,  Me.,  when  that 
State  was  a  part  of  Massachusetts,)  afterwards  married 
the  Rev.  Wm.  McDonald,  who  moved  from  Maine  to 
Providence,  R.  I.,  in  i860.  Young  Foss  attended  the 
public  schools  at  Providence  and  at  New  Bedford  and 
took  a  short  course  at  the  high  school  in  the  latter  city. 
"When  the  war  brokeout,  he  with  other  members  of  his 
class  at  the  high  school,  determined  to  volunteer,  and 
entering  the  naval  service  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of 
the  crew  of  the  U.  S.  frigate  "Sabine,"  then  commanded 
by  Commodore  Cadwallader  Ringold,  on  the  21st  of 
August,  1862,  he  being  at  that  time  but  little  more  than 
fourteen  years  of  age.  During  the  fourteen  months 
that  he  was  on  this  vessel  it  cruised  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  looking  for  blockade  runners,  and  also  visited 
the  Western  Islands,  Cape-de-Verd  islands,  the  coast 
of  Africa  and  the  coast  of  Brazil  in  search  of  the  Ala- 
bama and  other  Confederate  cruisers.  After  leaving 
the  "Sabine"  he  served  on  other  vessels,  among  which 
was  the  "Hartford"  for  a  short  time  under  Admiral 
Farragut.  When  his  term  of  enlistment  had  expired 
his  old  commander,  Commodore  Ringold,  urged  him  to 
accept  a  commission  as  midshipman,  assuring  him  that 


his  previous  experience  would  materially  shorten  the 
term  to  be  spent  in  the  Naval  Academy  and  that  he 
could  soon  graduate  with  a  commission  in  the  regular 
navy.  After  giving  this  kind  offer  careful  attention 
he  decided  to  decline,  and  so  quitted  the  navy  and 
entered  business  life. 

Upon  returning  to  private  life  he  went  to  Bucksport, 
Me.,  where  he  spent  a  year  attending  school,  in  order 
to  complete  his  education.  When  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  secured  a  position  in  New  York  city  as  book- 
keeper for  a  wholesale  produce  house  at  a  salary  of  ten 
dollars  per  week,  where  he  performed  the  work  that 
had  previously  been  done  by  an  older  man  at  a  salary 
of  $2,400 per  annum.  Finding  but  little  satisfaction  in 
this  kind  of  work,  he  drifted  from  one  position  to 
another  and  finally  went  to  work  to  learn  a  business, 
giving  his  time  without  pay  and  boarding  at  home. 
When  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  was  emploved 
by  a  large  corporation  in  Vermont,  working  hard  from 
five  a.  m.  to  ten  p.  m.,  for  a  salary  of  $1,000  per  year. 
Not  allowing  himself  to  become  discouraged,  young 
Foss  kept  hard  at  work  until  1873,  when  he  secured  a 
position  with  the  Shoe  &  Leather  National  bank  at 
Boston,  as  a  clerk  in  the  book-keeping  department. 
Here  he  thought  that  he  was  well  settled,  but  a  year 
later  his  health  gave  way  and  he  was  given  but  a  short 
time  to  live  by  the  physicians,  who  said  he  had  con- 
sumption. He  at  once  left  the  bank  and  went  to  sea 
again,  first  as  a  passenger  and  then  as  a  mate  on  a  coal 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


595 


schooner  at  a  salary  of  $35  a  month.  He  coasted  up 
and  down  the  Atlantic  seaboard  winter  and  summer 
until  his  health  was  fully  restored,  when  he  returned 
to  Boston  and  was  temporarily  employed  by  the 
Market  National  Bank  at  Brighton.  In  1875  he  started 
as  book-keeper  in  the  newly  organized  Merchandise 
National  bank  at  Boston,  and  a  year  later  was  elected 
its  cashier,  in  which  position  he  remained  until  Decem- 
btr  31, 1883,  when  he  resigned,  in  order  to  come  west 
where  he  wished  to  start  in  a  business  of  his  own. 

In  December,  1883,  he  opened  subscriptions  for 
stock  in  a  new  bank  to  be  established  by  him  in 
Minneapolis,  Minn.  He  asked  for  $250,000,  but  in 
sixty  days  the  amount  subscribed  aggregated  $460,000, 
and  on  the  2nd  of  April,  1884,  the  Nicollet  Bank  of 
M  nneapolis  commenced  business  with  a  paid  up  cash 
capital  of  $500,000,  and  with  Mr.  Foss  as  its  cashier. 
In  this  position  he  remained  until  January  14th,  1889, 
when  he  was  elected  its  president.  Since  removing  to 
Minneapolis,  Mr.  Foss  has  been  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing many  millions  of_  eastern  capital  to  that  city  for 
investment,  much  of  it  through  himself,  and  much 
more  that  passed  through  other  hands  on  his  recom- 
mendation. The  stockholders  of  his  bank  represent  an 
aggregate  capital  of  over  $40,000,000,  and  it  is  one  of 
the  strongest  financial  institutions  in  the  country.  It 
has  a  surplus  of  $100,000  on  its  capital  of  $500,000. 
Its  deposits  average  about  $800,000,  and  it  enjoys  the 


fullest  confidence  of  the  entire  community,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  strongest  financiers  of  the  East. 

Politically  Mr.  Foss  is  a  Republican,  as  far  as 
national  politics  are  concerned,  but  uses  his  own  judg- 
ment in  voting  on  local  issues  and  for  local  candidates. 
He  has  been  for  years  an  attendant  and  a  pew  holder 
of  St.  Mark's  Episcopal  church  of  Minneapolis, and  has 
ever  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  objects  of  charity. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  1877,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Alvena  M.  Baker,  daughter  of  Capt. 
R.  R.  Baker  of  Wellfleet,  Mass.,  one  of  the  most  widely 
known  and  energetic  coasting  captains  on  the  Atlantic 
coast.  Three  children  have  blessed  this  union,  now 
all  living. 

Mr.  Foss  is  a  shining  example  of  the  self-made  man, 
for  during  the  first  thirty  years  of  his  life  he  was  en- 
gaged in  a  struggle  with  adverse  circumstances  that  to 
a  less  hopeful  character  would  have  seemed  insur- 
mountable, but  he  has  kept  steadily  at  work  and  is  to- 
day one  of  the  strongest  financiers  in  the  entire  country. 
Since  he  has  found  his  true  vocation  in  life  he  has 
labored  incessantly  and  with  the  result  that  his  life 
that  was  at  one  time  held  to  be  of  but  short  duration 
has  become  robust,  and  he  feels  himself  to  be  a  better 
man,  physically,  than  ever  before.  He  is  deservedlv 
popular  with  all  who  know  him,  and  the  fact  that  he 
has  never  held  public  office  is  due  alone  to  his  emphatic 
refusal  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used. 


JOHN  W.  GATES, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  W.  GATES,  the  promoter  and  the  head  of 
the  wire  industr\T  in  America,  was  born  in  Du  Page 
county,  111.,  and  is  the  son  of  A.  A.  Gates,  an  old-time 
farmer  there,  who  by  industry  acquired  a  competence 
and  retired  to  private  life.  The  Gates  family  were 
originally  from  Massachusetts,  from  which  State  they 
moved  to  Ohio  and  later  settled  in  Illinois.  Young 
Gates  received  his  early  education  in  the  district  school 
near  his  father's  farm,  and  later  entered  Wheaton  Col- 
lege, in  the  same  county  (Du  Page),  finishing  his 
education  at  the  Northwestern  College,  Naperville,  111., 
from  which  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1873.  Upon 
leaving  college  he  embarked  in  the  grain  business  at 
Turner,  111.,  which  he  conducted  successfully  until 
1875,  when  he  sold  out  and  opened  a  hardware  store 
in  the  same  place.  This  business  suggested  a  line  of 
manufacturing,  and  he  decided  to  go  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  entered  the  wire  business  under  the  name  of 
J.  W.  Gates  &  Co.  Being  eminently  successful  it  was, 
in  1881,  changed  into  the  Southern  Wire  Company, 
which  selected  Mr.  Gates  for  its  president.  This 
change  was  the  starting  point  for  a  most  remarkable 
business  career.  As  the  business  of  the  Southern  Wire 
Company  grew,  the  stockholders  saw  the  necessity  of 


an  eastern  supply  house  or  factor}',  which  should  be 
under  their  immediate  control ;  and,  consequently,  in 
1884,  only  ten  years  ago,  they  formed  the  Braddock 
Wire  Company  at  Pittsburgh,  and  built  extensive 
works  at  that  point.  Mr.  Gates  was  at  first  chosen 
the  vice-president,  and  afterward  president  of  this 
company.  About  this  time  Mr.  Gates  bought  into  the 
Iowa  Barb  AVire  Company,  at  Allentown,  Penn.,  with 
principal  offices  at  New  York  city,  and  was  chosen  its 
vice-president.  He  also  secured  an  interest  in  the  St. 
Louis  Wire  Mill  and  was  chosen  vice-president  of 
it,  and  finally  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Banker 
Wire  Company,  of  Lockport,  111.,  and  became  its  vice- 
president.  He  was  also  a  director  in  the  Laclede 
National  Bank,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

In  1891,  Mr.  Gates  removed  to  Chicago  from  St. 
Louis,  and  became  the  general  manager  of  the  Colum- 
bia Wire  Com  pan  y.  Here  he  was  the  principal  mover 
in  the  formation  of  the  Consolidated  Steel  and  Wire 
Companv,  which  was  formed  in  December,  1892,  and 
which  is  the  successor  of  the  St.  Louis  Wire  Mill  Com- 
pany, the  Iowa  Barb  Wire  Company,  the  Lambert  & 
Bishop  Wire  Fence  Company,  of  Joliet  (in  which  Mr. 
Gates  was  at  the  time  a  director  and  large  stockholder), 


596 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


the  Braddock  Wire  Company  and  the  Baker  Wire 
Company.  He  is  the  general  manager  of  this  import- 
ant corporation,  and  is  also  the  president  of  the 
Columbia  Wire  Company.  The  Consolidated  Steel 
and  Wire  Company  is  the  owner  of  all  the  patents  on 
wire  and  wire  machinery  in  existence,  receiving 
royalties  of  manufacturers  of  wire  over  the  entire 
country. 

Since  coming  to  Chicago  Mr.  Gates  has  grown  in 
public  favor  as  a  judicious  and  thoroughly  reliable 
business  man.  Prosperity  has  come  to  him  as  a 
natural  consequence  of  industry  and  application.  II is 
reputation  for  business  sagacity  and  fair  dealing  has 
brought  him  the  friendship  of  some  of  the  wealthiest 
men  in  the  county.  Outside  of  his  business  cares  he 
enjoys  the  pleasure  of  social  contact,  and  his  name  is 
found  in  the  membership  of  the  Chicago,  Calurnet, 
Washington  Park  and  the  Hyde  Park  clubs.  In 
addition  to  these  he  is  connected  with  the  Dardene 
Club,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  the  Duquesne  Club,  at  Pitts- 
burg,  and  the  Down  Town  Rip  Club,  of  New  York 
City.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  St.  Louis  Club,  St. 
Louis  Jockey  Club,  Mercantile  Club  and  Elks  Club 
during:  his  residence  in  St.  Louis. 


.In  the  sphere  of  business  activity  in  which  Mr.  Gates 
has  spent  the  major  portion  of  his  life,  it  is  difficult  to 
characterize  those  elements  which  have  been  most  po- 
tent in  attaining  pre-eminence.  The  most  essential 
characteristics,  however,  as  shown  by  his  great  success, 
are  keen  perception,  a  knowledge  of  men,  and  rare 
good  judgment  and  sagacity  in  forecasting  probabili- 
ties ;  together  with  the  will  and  courage  to  act  promptlv 
on  conclusions  formed.  These  qualities  were  manifested 
in  his  younger  days  during  the  several  changes  of  occu- 
pation, made  in  the  hope  of  improved  opportunities. 
When  finally  he  determined  upon  the  vocation  for 
.  which  he  believed  himself  adapted,  he  brought  to  it 
his  best  energies  and  thought,  and  from  that  time  up 
to  the  present  his  career  has  been  an  upward  and  pros- 
perous one.  Politically,  Mr.  Gates  is  an  active  Repub- 
lican, and  while  in  St.  Louis  served  as  chairman  of  the 
finance  committee,  for  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  had 
charge  of  the  Republican  campaign  in  St.  Louis,  in  1888, 
bringing  to  the  duties  of  his  position  his  admirable 
business  qualities  with  good  results. 

Mr.  Gates  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Delora  R. 
Baker,  of  St.  Charles,  111.,  by  whom  he  has  one  living 
child,  Charles  G.  Gates,  born  May  21,  1876. 


ROBERT  MACLAY  WIDNEY,  LL.  D., 


LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA. 


writings,  public  addresses  and  proposed  legis- 
1  lation  on  national  finances  by  Judge  R.  M. 
Widney,  who  is  president  of  the  University  Bank,  at 
Los  Angeles,  have  commanded  attention  in  every  part 
of  this  nation.  The  principles  of  the  plan  meet  with 
the  concurrence  of  such  statesmen  as  Senator  Sherman, 
representing  one  school  of  financiers,  while  on  the 
other  hand  the  late  L.  L.  Polk,  president  of  the  People's 
party,  and  members  of  the  national  executive  com- 
mittee signed  a  request  to  Congress  for  the  favorable 
consideration  of  the  proposed  legislation.  His  address 
made  in  San  Francisco  in  1891  on  "A  Proposed 
National  Money  System"  is  used  as  a  text  book  on  the 
money  question  in  some  of  the  New  York  educational 
institutions,  where  it  is  regarded  as  the  most  concise 
and  exhaustive  treatise  on  the  subject  in  print.  A  few 
quotations  from  some  of  these  addresses  will  serve  to 
show  the  lines  of  thought  on  these  questions.  The 
necessity  of  the  occasion  is  expressed  in  a  few  brief 
sentences : 

"Either  our  circulating  medium  must  be  increased  to 
meet  the  growing  want  of  our  growing  country,  or  the 
business  of  the  country  must  be  periodically  killed  off 
until  it  is  within  the  compass  of  our  circulating 
medium." 

''Unless  we  clearly  know  what  money  is,  we  can- 
not successfully  make  it.  Erroneous  ideas  at  this  crit- 
ical point  result  not  in  producing  money,  but  an 
erroneous  substitute  for  it,  which,  when  used  in  the 


commercial  world,  sooner  or  later  breaks  down  to 
society's  injury. 

"I  know  of  no  definition  of  money  that  includes  all 
that  should  be  included,  and  excludes  all  that  should  be 
excluded.  I  submit  the  following  as  a  correct  defin- 
ition of  money:  'Money  is  that  article  in  a  nation  with 
which  a  debtor  can  extinguish  his  debt  without  the 
consent  of  his  creditor  at  a  fixed  unit  of  value.'  In 
other  words,  it  is  a. legal  tender  by  the  supreme  law  of 
the  land.  As  a  corollary  of  this,  good  money  is  that 
money  which  will  be  accepted  readily  b}7  each  person 
in  exchange  at  its  face  value." 

"Every  man  wishes  to  know  that  any  other  person 
will  receive  the  money  at  the  same  value  at  which  he 
received  it.  This  is  caused  by  the  fiat  of  the  nation 
formulated  in  the  words.  '  This  shall  be  a  legal  tender 
in  satisfaction  of  all  debts,  public  and  private  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.'  This  fiat  on  the 
gold,  silver,  or  paper  makes  money.  Nothing  else  can." 

"Some  able  men  assert  that  the  true  test  of  money 
is  the  fire  test;  that  is  if  you  can  put  it  in  the  crucible 
and  reduce  it  a  dollar  will  be  left.  Suppose  the  next 
time  you  go  to  pay  a  debt  you  put  your  one  hundred 
dollars  in  the  crucible  and  fire  up  and  tender  to  the 
creditor  the  fused  results.  Have  you  in  the  pot  money 
or  bullion  ?  Can  you  force  the  creditor  to  receive  it  ? 
No.  The  monev  element  is  consumed.  The  fiat  of 
the  nation  has  disappeared.  The  fire  test  of  money  is 
the  same  on  gold  money  or  paper  money.  It  destroys 
the  money  power  of  the  article.  When  a  nation  be- 
comes powerless  to  enforce  and  make  good  its  fiat  the 
money  element  of  the  article  ceases,  and  there  only  re- 
mains an  article  of  more  or  less  commercial  value." 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


599 


"Money  has  no  intrinsic  value,  it  only  represents 
labor  in  some  form.  The  gold  in  the  mountains  has  no 
intrinsic  value.  It  is  claimed  that  it  takes  a  dollars' 
worth  of  work  to  produce  a  dollar  of  gold,  (23.22 
grains)  and  therefore  the  gold  dollar  has  an  intrinsic 
value.  The  fact  is  that  it  only  represents  a  dollar's 
worth  of  work.  How  about  the  greenback  ?  When 
printed  and  deposited  in  the  United  States  treasury  it 
represents  no  value.  It  is  then  the  same  as  the  gold  in 
the  mountains.  But  when  some  one  gives  the  United 
States  (the  people)  a  dollar's  worth  of  worker  material 
for  a  paper  dollar,  thereafter  the  paper  dollar  repre- 
sents a  dollar's  worth  of  work  as  much  as  the  gold  dollar 
did  or  could.  They  both  have  thesaine  representative 
value,  and  so  long  as  the  nation  retains  its  integrity 
and  power  they  will  each  be  as  declared  by  the  fiat." 

Of  the  old  State  bank  notes  Mr.  Widney  says  : 

"The  general  error  is  this:  Each  dollar  of  State 
bank  notes  deposited  in  a  bank  creates  a  debt  from  the 
bank  payable  only  in  legal  tender.  In  this  way  the 
legal  tender  debt  of  the  bank  grows,  but  the  legal  ten- 
der in  the  vaults  of  the  bank  does  not  increase.  Busi- 
ness prospers  on  this  increased  volume  of  credit  money, 
deposits  increase,  but  when  a  panic  comes  and  deposi- 
tors call  for  legal  tender,  the  supply  is  quickly  used 
up  and  bank  suspensions  result.  The  State  bank  notes 
never  were  mone\T.  They  were  only  ornamented 
promissory  notes  of  a  bank,  back  of  which  was  the  eva- 
sive wealth  of  a  few  persons,  payable  on  demand — if 
too  many  were  not  presented  at  once.  The  National 
bank  note  is  secured  by  a  United  States  bond  and  the 
United  States  is  security  to  pay  the  bond.  The  bond  is 
the  unsecured  promissory  note  of  the  United  States  to 
pay  money  with  interest  at  a  future  date  to  bearer." 

"  We  have  here  an  evolution  process.  The  private 
bank  note  corresponding  to  the  old  State  bar,k  note, 
has  added  to  it  the  endorsement  of  the  nation,  and  that 
endorsement  alone  gives  it  value  and  the  confidence  of 
the  people.  The  National  bank  may  become  insolvent, 
still  the  note  passes  on  the  endorsement  of  the  gov- 
ernment. 

"If  the  national  endorsement  alone  makes  a  worth- 
less bank  note  as  good  as  gold  why  not  let  the  bank 
out  entirely  and  have  the  nation  issue  the  money,  legal 
tender  direct?  A  money  system  may  be  elastic  in  a  finan- 
cial -sense,  but  mone_y  is  never  elastic.  But  the  system  is 
not  money,  and  an  elastic  system  can  use  good  money 
as  readily  as  bad  money,  and  a  non-elastic  system  will 
fail  equally  with  bad  money  as  with  good  money.  The 
financial  systems  of  the  United  States  have  been  non- 
elastic.  The  financial  systems  of  the  States  .were  elas- 
tic. Now  if  we  combine  the  desirable  elastic  systems 
of  the  States  and  the  desirable  good  money  legal  tender 
of  the  United  States  we  can  have  what  has  never  }'et 
been  had  in  the  United  States — safety  and  elasticity." 

Judge  Widney 's  analysis  leads  to  the  direct  propo- 
sition that  all  forms  of  money  should  be  issued  by  our 
general  government  alone,  and  that  the  government 
should  be  vested  with  clear  powers  with  well  defined 
limits  in  this  respect.  A  proposed  Constitutional 
Amendment  to  this  effect  prepared  by  him  has  been 
introduced  in  Congress  and  is  receiving  careful  atten- 
tion. As  it  gives  a  clear  idea  of  the  principle  of  the 
system  for  the  issue  of  the  money  it  is  here  inserted,  as 
follows : 

ARTICLE   XVI. 

Section  1.  A  national  currency  circulating  medium  shall  be 
issued  to  the  amount  of  twenty  dollars  per  capita,  as  shown  by  the 
census  of  1890,  and  by  each  succeeding  census,  for  the  proper 
retirement  of  which  when  required,  the  resources,  the  faith  and  the 


property  of  the  nation  are  pledged;  for  which  retirement,  Congress, 
by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  each  house,  may  provide  for  the  collection 
of  Government  revenues  and  taxes  in  gold  and  silver  coin. 

Section  2.  Said  currency,  with  gold  and  silver  coin  of  these 
United  States,  of  present  weight  and  fineness,  the  dollar  being  the 
standard  or  unit  of  values,  and  such  currency,  of  the  same  form  and 
effect,  as  may  be  issued  in  lieu  of  gold  and  silver  coin  or  bullion 
held  exclusively  for  exchange  for  currency,  shall  constitute  the  only 
legal  money  of  these  United  States;  and  shall  be  received  at  par  in 
satisfaction  of  all  obligations  for  the  payment  of  money  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  these  United  States.  Said  gold  and  silver  coin  and 
currency  shall  be  exchangeable  at  par  value. 

Section  3  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article 
by  appropriate  legislation,  but  shall  not  have  power  to  increase  or 
decrease  siid  iS3U3;  provided  that  after  the  issue-of  1900,  Congress 
may  by  a  two  thirds  vote  of  each  house,  reduce  the  additional  issue 
per  capita  at  any  census. 

"This  Amendment  provides  for  the  department  of 
issue  only,  the  issuance  of  a  money  good  all  over  the 
country  and  in  sufficient  volume.  It  would  take  up 
and  replace  all  other  issued  paper  money.  It  guards 
our  finances  against  inflation,  contraction  or  repudia- 
tion. The  circulation  will  have  to  be  by  Act  of  Con- 
gress and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce  the  best 
results.  It  would  increase  our  present  volume  of 
money  about  $600,000,000  which  would  go  into  circu- 
lation at  first  largely  for  government  improvements  all 
over  the  nation,  relieving  the  people  from  a  propor- 
tionate taxation.  These  improvements  would  cost 
nothing  but  the  issue  of  the  money.  Rating  the  interest 
at  three  per  cent,  and  compounding  annually,  for  in- 
terest paid  in  is  generally  worth  the  same  rate  yearly, 
the  amount  saved  in  interest  would  equal  the  principal 
every  twenty-four  years.  At  the  end  of  ninety-six 
years  the  saving  would  reach  the  enormous  sum  of 
$9,600,000,000.  If  the  government  had  to  buy  gold 
occasionally  at  a  small  premium  it  would  only  amount 
to  a  very  small  sum  compared  with  the  above  saving. 
If  the  original  issue  were  redeemed  in  gold  at  the  end 
of  ninety-six  years  at  a  premium  of  100  per  cent,  for 
gold  the  net  saving  to  the  nation  would  then  be  $8,400,- 
000.000." 

Judge  Widney's  collection  and  analysis  of  statistics 
on  the  supply  and  distribution  of  gold  and  silver  and 
paper  money  in  the  world,  in  the  leading  commercial 
nations,  in  the  United  States  and  in  each  State,  is  very 
concise  and  complete  and  of  great  value  to  any  student 
of  finances.  At  the  close  of  his  address  against  State 
bank  notes  before  the  American  Bankers'  association  in 
San  Francisco  the  convention,  by  a  rising  vote,  unani- 
mously passed  the  following  resolution:  '•'•Resolved, 
That  it  is  the  judgment  of  this  convention  that  a 
State  bank-note  issue  of  money  is  unsafe  and  unde- 
sirable." 

Robert  M.  Widney  was  born  near  Piqua,  Miami 
county,  Ohio,  in  1838.  Wilson  Widney.  his  father, 
was  a  descendant  of  Colonel  Widney,  an  officer  in  the 
army  of  William  the  Conquerer.  The  more  ancient 
ancestors  were  Norsemen.  Mrs.  Arabella  Maclay 
Widney  was  a  descendant  of  the  Scotch.  Three  of 
these  ancestors  were  officers  in  the  army  of  King 
James  at  the  battle  of  the  Boyne.  Hon.  William  Mac- 
lay  was  the  first  senator  from  Pennsylvania  in  the 
United  States  Senate.  His  recently  printed  diary  of 
the  secret  proceedings  of  that  body  in  its  first  session 
is  the  only  information  extant  on  the  subject.  He  it 
was  who  first  arose  in  the  Senate  and  opposed  all 


6oo 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


imported  foreign  titles  as  applied  to  our  chief  execu- 
tive, and  proposed  that  he  be  simply  named  ''  the 
President."  During  the  Revolutionary  war  the  Mac- 
lays  were  active  participants. 

The  early  education  of  Judge  Widney  was  in  the 
log  school  house  of  Ohio.  A  thirst  for  knowledge  led 
him  far  along  the  pathway  of  education  without  the 
rudimentary  teacher  of  that  early  day.  Life  on  a  farm 
gave  strength,  vigor  and  perseverance,  eminently  fitting 
him  in  these  respects  for  future  labors.  In  1855  he  left 
Ohio  at  the  age  of  seventeen  and  spent  two  years  in 
the  Rocky  mountains  and  great  plains  of  the  West. 
and  in  1857  he  crossed  the  plains  with  an  emigrant 
train,  arriving  in  California  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 
Mining  was  first  tried,  then  wood-cutting,  and  finally 
farm  work.  After  accumulating  a  small  sum  he 
entered,  as  a  student,  the  University  of  the  Pacific  for 
a  full  classical  course.  At  the  end  of  five  years  he 
graduated  with  the  honors  of  the  class.  His  profi- 
ciency in  his  studies  was  such  that  he  was  elected  to  a 
position  as  instructor.  At  the  end  of  two  years  he  was 
offered  a  life  professorship  and  a  choice  of  any  depart- 
ment. Having,  however,  in  the  mean  time  prepared 
himself  in  the  study  of  the  law,  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of  Cal- 
ifornia. 

In  1868,  he  settled  in  Los  Angeles,  then  a  Mexican 
village  of  four  thousand  inhabitants.  He  ;it  once  real- 
ized the  great  future  before  Southern  California  and 
identified  himself  with  its  development.  As  a  writer 
for  leading  publications  from  New  York  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, he  wrote  up  the  natural  resources,  climate,  and 
possibilities  of  the  wonderful  country.  These  articles 
were  of  such  an  able  character  that  they  were  generally 
published  as  editorials.  To  read  these  articles, 
published  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  one  would  think 
that  they  were  written  in  189i,  so  accurately  did  they 
forecast  the  present  growth,  development,  and  pros- 
perity of  Southern  California. 

It  would  be  a  long  task  to  enumerate  the  man}7 
public  and  private  enterprises  with  which  he  has  been 
prominently  and  efficiently  identified.  In  1871,  he 
was  appointed  by  the  governor  of  the  state,  Hon. 
Newton  Booth,  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  district  court 
of  the  17th  judicial  district  of  California.  He  declined 
even  to  apply  for  this  position,  and  only  yielded  to  the 
almost  unanimous  demand  of  the  bar  to  take  the 
judgeship.  This  was  not  demanded  as  a  compliment 
to  him,  but  was  based  on  the  fact  that  the  business  of 
the  court  was  far  behind  and  had  accumulated  until  the 
administration  of  justice  was  almost  at  a  standstill,  and 
the  members  of  the  bar  wanted  a  worker  on  the  bench. 
During  the  two  years  of  his  administration  judgments 
were  entered  in  some  six  hundred  cases.  Jur^v  trials 
were  almost  entirely  abandoned  for  the  reason  that  in 
his  decisions  h'e  made  his  findings  of  fact  so  completely 
cover  the  merits  of  both  sides,  that  attorneys  could 
thus  get  a  final  ruling  from  the  Supreme  Court  on  the 
merits  without  a  new  trial.  Very  few  appeals  were 


ever  taken,  and  of  these  only  a  small  per  cent  were  re- 
versed, being  a  class  of  cases  resting  on  conflicting 
authorities.  When  his  term  was  out  there  was  not  a 
case  in  court  ready  for  trial.  He  was  also  com- 
missioned during  this  time  to  hold  court  in  two  other 
districts  where  he  closed  up  the  accumulated  cases. 

In  politics  he  is  thoroughly  an  American  first,  and  a 
party  man  afterwards.  His  motto  is  to  support  and 
aid  all  measures  that  are  for  the  common  good  of  the 
masses  in  the  broadest  sense  without  regard  to  what 
party  advocates  or  opposes.  He  has  never  sought 
office,  but  has  been  offered  the  joint  support  of  the 
Eepublican  and  Democratic  parties  for  any  position 
from  congressman  down.  On  account  of  his  long  dis- 
interested public  work,  and  on  account  of  his  advanced 
views  on  finances,  the  prominent  business  men  of  the 
Southern  counties  of  California  signed  a  request  to  him 
to  allow  his  name  to  come  before  the  California  Legis- 
lature of  1893  for  the  U.  S.  Senate.  As  the  Legislature 
was  Democratic  by  a  strong  vote,  a  Democrat  was  of 
course  elected,  though  Judge  Widney  received  a  com- 
plimentary vote  from  the  Republican  members. 

His  law  practice  was  large,  involving  principally 
land  litigation,  involving  contests  for  large  areas  of 
land  against  Mexican  land  grants.  Out  of  conflicting 
decisions  of  the  land  department  arose  a  necessity  for 
Congressional  legislation  to  quiet  titles.  He  drew  up 
and  had  introduced  in  Congress,  a  bill  relating  to 
indemnity  school  sections  in  the  State  of  California, 
which  was  argued  by  him  before  all  of  the  Congres- 
sional land  committees,  and  before  the  department.  In 
the  face  of  a  heavy  lobby  opposition  he  succeeded  after 
two  sessions'  work  in  securing  the  passage  of  the  bill 
without  a  dissenting  vote  in  either  house. 

For  fifteen  years  prior  to  organizing  the  University 
Bank  he  was  attorney  for  the  Los  Angeles  County 
Bank,  now  the  Bank  of  America.  During  this  time 
not  a  dollar  was  lost  on  any  title  of  land  passing  his 
examination.  The  University  Bank  was  organized  by 
him  under  the  State  laws  in  1887  at  the  close  of  the 
great  real  estate  boom  of  Southern  California.  The 
stock  of  the  bank  is  held  by  wealthy  men  who  have 
adopted  the  policy  of  declaring  no  dividends  but  of 
carrying  all  profits  to  surplus  account  until  the  surplus 
equals  the  capital  stock.  After  this  has  been  attained 
one-half  of  the  profits  will  go  to  further  surplus  and 
one-half  to  dividends. 

Raised  within  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  he  regards  denominations  as  merely  human  or- 
ganizations possessing  such  infirmities  as  naturally 
grow  out  of  all  human  effort.  Looking  upon  the  uni- 
verse as  the  work  of  an  infinitely  great,  good  and  wise 
being,  he  believes  that  we  will  continue  to  inhabit  this 
universe  as  a  common  home  under  the  Supreme  Fath- 
er's care,  enjo3'ing  its  inconceivable  wonders  and  beau- 
ties through  a  never-ending  existence. 

As  a  thinker  and  public  speaker,  he  is  clear,  concise, 
logical  and  convincing — so  much  so  that  a  gentleman 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  him  said,  "Well,  I  cannot 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


60  I 


refute  his  arguments,  and  no  one  can.  The  only  way 
I  ca"n  do  is  to  shut  ray  eyes  and  say  I  won't." 

Several  large  colony  enterprises  are  under  his 
supervision  and  organizing  management.  His  educa- 
tion as  a  lawyer,  engineer  and  man  of  business  adds 
very  valuable  assistance  to  their  successful  manage- 
ment. As  a  public  benefactor,  his  benevolences  have 
run  into  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 

In  1868  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Barnes,  a 
highly  accomplished  and  educated  lady.  His  wife  is 
one  of  unusual  executive  ability,  and  her  name  is 
known  far  and  wide  as  president  and  manager  of  "The 
Los  Angeles  Flower  Festival,"  and  of  the  "Chrysan- 


themum Fair,"  and  other  efforts  for  the  benefit  of 
charity.  In  these,  aided  by  a  corps  of  good  Los 
Angeles  ladies,  they  cleared  at  one  time  $8,500,  at 
another  $7,000,  and  at  another  over  $6,000.  Their 
children  are  Misses  Helen  and  Martha,  Robert  J., 
Joseph  W.  and  Arthur  B.  Widney.  The  son,  Robert 
J.  Widney,  married  to  Miss  Clara  Carran,  formerly  of 
Cleveland,  O.,  is  now  assistant  cashier  of  the  University 
Bank. 

The  officers  of  the  bank  are :  R.  M.  Widney, 
president ;  D.  O.  Miltimore  and  S.  W.  Little,  vice-pres- 
idents ;  George  L.  Arnold,  cashier,  and  R.  J.  Widney 
assistant  cashier. 


MILTON   ROBINSON  FRESHWATERS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  many  who  have  won  success  in  the 
legal  profession  in  Chicago  by  native  ability, 
determination  and  energy,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
He  was  born  August  9,  1844,  at  Wellsburg,  Brooks 
county,  Va,  being  the  son  of  George  W.  and  Margaret 
A.  (May)  Freshwaters.  On  his  father's  side  his  ances- 
tors were  from  Holland,  the  Freshwaters  family  hav- 
ing been  residents  of  the  above  named  country  for  over 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  On  his  mother's  side  the 
subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  descendant  of  the  O'Connell 
family,  of  Ireland,  of  which  the  celebrated  Daniel 
O'Connell  was  a  member.  His  father,  George  W. 
Freshwaters,  was  at  one  time  a  large  farmer  and  stock 
raiser,  but  having  gained  a  competence,  is  now  a 
retired  capitalist.  Milton  R.  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  his  neighborhood,  after- 
wards entering  Hopedale  Seminary,  Ohio,  and  at  a 
later  period  Allegheny  College  at  Meadville,  Pa. 
After  remaining  there  three  years  he  entered  Bethany 
College,  in  Virginia,  at  that  time  under  the  super- 
vision of  Alexander  Campbell,  the  founder  of  the 
religious  sect  known  as  Campbellites  or  Christians. 
In  1866,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  was  graduated 
from  this  college,  and  almost  immediately  afterward 
commenced  his  professional  career,  being  elected  super- 
intendent of  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county, 
and  made  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Wellsburg. 
He  remained  in  this  position  for  two  years,  and  was 
urged  to  serve  another  term,  but  having  in  the  mean- 
time commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
James  H.  Pendleton,  Esq.,  he  declined  the  offer,  in 
order  to  give  his  entire  time  to  the  study  of  the  law. 
Having  at  length  completed  his  legal  studies,  he  in 
1869  passed  a  highly  creditable  examination  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Virginia,  and  was  almost 
immediately  admitted  to  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Nathaniel  Richardson,  a  prominent  lawyer  in  Virginia. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  1869,  he  was  elected 
State's  attorney,  being  the  only  Democrat  elected 


on  the  entire  ticket,  in  a  district  which  was  strongly 
Republican. 

Occupying  this  -office  until  the  spring  of  1872,  he 
declined  a  re-nomination  and  removed  to  Chicago, 
establishing  himself  for  the  practice  of  the  law  in  the 
Quinlan  building,  where  he  occupies  to-day  the  identi- 
cal office  he  then  entered.  Upon  locating  here,  Mr. 
Freshwaters  decided  not  to  engage  actively  in  politics, 
desiring  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession ;  but  in  1888  he  was,  without  his  consent 
nominated  on  the  Democratic  ticket  to  represent  the 
Third  Congressional  District  of  Illinois,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  district  was  strongly  Republican,  he 
succeeded  in  reducing  the  Republican  majority  of 
over  five  thousand  to  about  six  hundred.  In  1891  he 
was  nominated  on  the  "  citizens'  ticket  "  for  the  office 
of  city  attorney,  and,  though  he  ran  well,  was  not 
elected.  Although  as  a  State's  attorney  in  Virginia 
Mr.  Freshwaters  had  acquired  considerable  experience 
in  criminal  practice,  he  decided  when  he  came  to 
Chicago  to  forego  that  branch  of  the  profession,  and 
to  devote  his  time  and  energy  to  chancery,  probate 
and  general  office  practice,  which  he  has  continued  to 
do  with  most  gratifying  results.  He  is  a  Mason,  being 
a  member  of  Hesperia  Lodge,  and  of  Oriental  Con- 
sistory, thirty-second  degree,  A.  A.  S.  R.,  and  also  of 
Medinah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  "  O.  G.  S.,"  of  the  Knights  of  Rome, 
and  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Constantine.  In  all  these 
lodges  he  is  a  prominent,  influential  and  much  es- 
teemed member.  He  is  courteous  in  manner,  of 
pleasing  address,  genial  and  affable  in  his  intercourse 
with  all,  energetic  and  decisive  in  character,  and  pos- 
sesses a  well-earned  reputation  for  strict  attention  to 
business.  He  has  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law, 
and  in  its  practice  is  known  for  integrity  of  the  high- 
est character.  In  social  circles  Mr.  Freshwaters  is 
popular,  while  as  a  representative  citizen  he  is  esteemed 
and  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 


6O2 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 

JOHN  JANZEN, 

MOUNTAIN  LAKE,  MINNESOTA. 


JOHN  JANZEN,  son  of  Johann  and  Anna  Janzen, 
was  born  at  Vorwerk,  West  Prussia,  in  the  fertile 
valley  near  the  mouth  of  the  beautiful  Vistula,  on-  the 
15th  day  of  March,  1850.  His  father  was  a  prominent 
farmer,  who  took  a  lively  interest  in  all  things  pertain- 
in^  to  the  public  welfare.  He  gave  each  of  his  chil- 
dren a  first  class  common  school  education  and  of  his 
three  sons,  two,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  Abraham, 
are  prosperous  business  men  at  Mountain  Lake,  Minn  , 
and  the  third,  Aaron  has  followed  in  his  father's  foot- 
steps and  now  owns  a  valuable  farm  in  Germany.  Dur- 
ing his  youth  John  Janzen  was  exceedingly  fond  of 
reading  books  on  foreign  travel,  and  this  soon  created 
in  him  the  desire  to  see  for  himself  some  of  the  foreign 
countries  of  which  he  read.  This  desire  grew  and 
finally  he  obtained  his  father's  consent  to  visit  Amer- 
ica. Accordingly  he  set  out  and  landed  in  1873. 

He  immediately  came  West  and  for  a  time  did  farm 
work  by  the  day  or  month  in  Iowa  and  Minnesota. 
He  saved  most  of  his  money,  and  in  1874  he  located  at 
Mountain  Lake,  Minn.  From  1875  until  1879  he  was 
employed  by  S.  H.  Soule  as  clerk  and  book-keeper,  but 
in  1879  he  was  made  a  partner,  the  firm  carrying  a 
large  stock  of  general  merchandise  and  doing  a  hand- 
some business.  In  1884  he  visited  his  old  home  in  Ger- 
many, and  also  spent  some  time  in  France  and  England, 


and  after  his  return  to  Mountain  Lake  bought  out  his 
partner's  interest  and  has  since  carried  on  the  business 
alone.  He  also  carries  on  a  large  business  as  emigra- 
tion agent  and  in  real  estate  and  loans.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Cottonwood  County  Bank  at  Windom, 
Minn.,  and  is  vice  president  of  the  bank  of  Mountain 
Lake.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  politics, 
affiliating  with  the  Republican  party,  and  has  held 
many  offices  of  public  trust,  the  first  being  town  clerk  of 
Mountain  Lake,  to  which  he  was  elected. in  March, 
1875,  and  the  last  which  he  still  holds,  that  of  post 
master,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  President  Har- 
rison in  1889,  on  the  28th  of  March.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  church  and  takes  an  active  part  in 
church  and  charitable  work. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Goertzan,  of  Moun, 
tain  Lake,  on  May  1,  1878.  Five  children,  four 
daughters  and  one  son  have  blessed  the  union.  Mr. 
Janzen  is  a  fair  type  of  the  best  class  of  our  foreign 
born  citizens.  Leaving  a  comfortable  home  in  order  to 
carve  out  his  own  fortune  he  has  entered  with  all  his 
heart  into  the  spirit  of  the  institutions  of  his  adopted 
country,  and  has  by  his  energy,  capability  and  strict 
business  integrity,  built  up  a  home  and  fortune.  Broad 
and  liberal  in  his  views,  he  has  fully  earned  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  accorded  to  him  bv  his  fellow  citizens. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  GALE   FERRIS, 


P1TT3BURG,   PENNSYLVANIA. 


ME.  GEORGE  W.  G.  FERRIS,  son  of  George  W. 
G.  Ferris,  Sr.,  and  Martha  A.  Ferris,  was  born 
at  Galesburg,  111.,  February  14,  1859.  After  attending 
the  public  schools  he  finished  his  education  at  the  Cal- 
ifornia Military  Academy,  at  Oakland,  Gal.,  and  was 
graduated  at  the  institution  as  a  captain,  afterward  en- 
tering the  Rensselear  Polytechnic  Institute,  Troy,  N.  Y., 
obtaining  from  this  institution  the  degree  of  C.  E.  upon 
graduation. 

His  active  work  was  begun  in  New  York  city,  where 
as  assistant  engineer  he  was  engaged  in  connection  with 
the  proposed  railroad  line  from  Cincinnati  to  Balti- 
more. Later  he  became  assistant  engineer  in  charge  of 
the  location  of  the  road,  beginning  work  at  Charleston, 
W.  Va.,  and  following  the  line  up  the  Elk  river  and 
over  the  Allegheny  mountains,  later  leaving  this  work 
to  become  chief  engineer  and  general  manager  of  the 
Queen  City  Coal  and  Mining  Co.,  located  on  the  Kan- 
awha  river,  west  of  Charleston,  W.  Va.  In  this  posi- 
tion his  duty  was  the  development  of  the  company's 
mines,  and  in  its  discharge  came  experience  in  the 
building  of  tunnels  through  the  mountains,  railroads, 


coal  tipples,  and  all  the  work  which  comes  within  the 
province  of  the  mining  engineer. 

In  1883  he  became  assistant  engineer  of  the  Louis- 
ville Bridge  and  Iron  company,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  con- 
fining his  labors  to  office  work,  until  the  work  of 
construction  of  the  Henderson  bridge  across  the  Ohio 
was  begun,  when  he  was  appointed  assistant  engineer, 
with  the  supervision  of  the  sinking  and  concreting  of 
the  pneumatic  caissons  under  the  bridge.  His  work  was 
very  dangerous,  and  so  wearing  on  his  constitution  that 
he  was  compelled  to  resign  his  position,  but  was  re- 
tained by  the  company  and  given  charge  of  the  inspec- 
tion of  the  superstructure  of  the  Henderson  bridge. 
Upon  the  completion  of  this  bridge  Mr.  Ferris  became 
the  consulting  engineer  of  several  large  corporations  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  taking  complete  charge 
of  the  superstructure  work. 

In  1885  Mr.  Ferris  organized  the  metallurgical  firm 
of  G.  W.  G.  Ferris  &  Co..  of  Pittsburgh,  of  which  Mr. 
Ferris  is  the  head.  In  connection  with  this  firm  he,  in 
18S8,  established  a  branch  in  engineering,  under  the 
style  of  Ferris,  Kauffman  &  Co.,  which  firm  afterward 


A>*  •     \* 

o^V--  NC> 

\v.  '<ik 


Jfjfifca'Sjr  B^iia.Tififj '^  '- "' ' 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


built  the  cantilever  bridge  across  the  Ohio  river  at 
Cincinnati,  the  Wheeling  bridge  across  the  Ohio  river 
at  Wheeling,  and  many  other  smaller  structures  of  like 
character. 

Probably  Mr.  Ferris'  greatest  achievement  in 
engineering  work  was  the  wonderful  wheel  which  was 
operated  so  successfully  at  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  at  Chicago  in  1893,  Mr.  Ferris  was  among 
the  first  who  thought  of  some  great  attraction  for  the 
World's  Fair,  and  the  construction  of  a  great  observa- 
tion wheel  as  a  rival  of  the  Eiffel  tower  of  the  last 
Paris  Exposition  was  what  he  proposed.  The  Fair 
management  had  many  designs  to  choose  from,  and  the 
fact  that  the  best  engineers  of  the  world  offered  plans 
for  unique  and  novel  engineering  structures  of  various 
kinds,  shows  how  great  was  the  honor  conferred  upon 
him  by  the  choice  of  his  plans. 

In  was  not  until  December,  1892,  that  the  conces- 
sion was  granted.  The  sum  of  $25,000  had  already 
been  expended  on  plans  and  specifications  alone.  A 
stock  company  was  immediately  organized,  with  $600,- 
000  capital,  to  build  the  wheel.  Orders  were  placed  as 
fast  as  possible,  but  in  January  -1,  1893,  the  metal  was 
still  in  the  pig  On  January  4th  the  ground  for  the 
foundation  was  broken,  on  March  20th  the  superstruc- 
ture was  begun,  and  on  June  21st  the  completed 
wheel  was  formally  started,  and  commenced  carrying 


605 

passengers.  The  opening  address  on  this  occasion  was 
made  by  Captain  Robert  W.  Hunt,  the  president  of  the 
company,  who  introduced  Mr.  Ferris.  In  a  few  well- 
chosen  words  the  latter  referred  to  his  great  enterprise, 
the  success  of  which  he  largely  attributed  to  the  un- 
failingfaith  and  encouragement  of  his  wife.  Then  fol- 
lowed addresses  by  General  Nelson  A.  Miles,  Moses  P. 
Handy,  Hon.William  A.  Vincent,  and  others.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  addresses  the  band  played  "  Yankee 
Doodle."  When  the  second  stanza  was  reached  the 
inventor,  Mr.  Ferris,  gave  the  signal  to  start  by  blow- 
ing on  a  small  gold  whistle,  which  had  been  presented 
to  him  by  his  wife.  The  great  wheel  began  slowl\r  to 
revolve,  and  from  that  time  to  the  close  of  the  Fair 
only  stopped  to  let  on  and  discharge  passengers,  in- 
creasing in  popularity  as  the  days  went  by. 

Mr.  Ferris  was  united  in  marriage  on  the  21st  day 
of  September,  1886,  to  Miss  Margaret  A.  Beatty,  of 
Canton,  Ohio. 

In  appearance  Mr.  Ferris  is  a  man  of  medium 
height  and  weight  and  of  great  force  of  character. 
Like  all  men  of  nervous  temperament,  he  fs  energetic 
in  all  his  undertakes  and  acts  in  all  matters  with  char- 
acteristic decision  and  despatch.  He  is  well  thought  of 
by  all  he  comes  in  contact  with,  and  has  many  friends 
throughout  the  country,  a  large  number  of  whom  are 
in  Chicago. 


FREDERICK  W.  HOYT, 


RED  WING,  MINNESOTA. 


FREDERICK  W.  HOYT,  son  of  William  P.  and 
Angeline  Hoyt,  was  born  at  Mendon,  New  York, 
on  the  first  day  of  June,  1841.  When  he  was  seven 
years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  La  Fayette,  Stark 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  passed  the  next  eight  years 
of  his  life  and  acquired  the  rudiments  of  his  education 
in  the  district  schools.  In  1856  the  family  moved  to 
Roscoe,  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  but  young  Hoyt 
returned  to  Illinois  in  order  to  attend  school 
at  Rock  Island.  On  his  return  to  Minnesota  he  studied 
for  three  years  at  Hamline  University,  then  located  at 
Red  Wing,  and  after  leaving  school  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866.  Directly  after  this 
he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Red 
Wing  and  made  that  place  his  home  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  July  13th,  1892.  For  a  time 
he  was  in  partnership  with  J.  II.  Parker  and  afterwards 
with  Col.  J.  S.  Hoard. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hoyt  was  a  strong  Republican,  and 
though  the  stress  of  his  business  would  not  pewnit  his 
devoting  much  time  to  politics  he  was  nevertheless 
elected  court  commissioner  in  18S7,  and  served  his 
county  in  the  lower  house  of  the  State  Legislature  in 
1881  and  again  in  18S9. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Hoyt  was  one  of  the  foremost 


business  men  of  Red  Wing,  and  to  his  efforts  that  city 
•  is  indebted  for  much  of  its  progress.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  president  of  the  Duluth,  Red  Wing, 
and  Southern  Railroad,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
originators  and  in  whose  interests  he  has  spent  much 
of  his  valuable  time.  He  was  also  secretary  of  the 
Red  Wing,  Duluth  and  Sioux  City  Construction  Com- 
pany, and  president  of  the  North  Star  Stoneware  Com- 
pany, whose  plant  was  built  in  1892  under  his  personal 
supervision  and  which  to  him  owes  its  name.  He  was 
also  president  of  the  Red  Wing  Furniture  Company, 
and  of  the  Inter-Ocean  Building  Association,  St. 
Paul,  a  director  of  the  Goodhue  County  Bank,  of  the 
La  Grange  Mill,  and  of  the  Red  Wing  Sewer  Pipe  Com- 
pany. He  also  served  as  a  trustee  of  Hamline  Univer- 
sity and  as  vice-president  of  the  Minnesota  State 
Reform  School  Board,  which  institution  was  secured 
for  Red  Wing  almost  entirely  by  his  untiring  efforts. 
The  same  breadth,  fertility  of  resources,  steadiness  of 
purpose  and  unflagging  energy  which  were  the  leading 
characteristics  of  his  business  life,  marked  his  Chistian- 
ity  and  his  work  for  the  church.  He  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Red  Wing  in  1868,  and 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life  remained  in  hearty  sym- 
pathy with  Methodism  and  with  the  work  done  by  the 


6o6 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Red  Wing  branch  of  that  church.  His  plans,  liberality 
and  zeal  have  done  much  to  make  the  church  at  Red 
Wing  one  of  the  leading  charges  of  the  Minnesota  Con- 
ference. He  tilled  every  lay  position  in  the  church, 
and  for  many  years  filled  all  of  them  at  once,  and  was 
ahravs  equally  efficient  and  interested  in  each  of  them. 
He  was  ever  one  of  the  pastor's  warmest  adherents  and 
generous  to  a  fault  in  all  church  affairs.  The  fine  pipe 
organ  in  the  Red  Wing  church  was  his  individual  gift, 
and  is  to  day  one  of  the  best  monuments  that  his  life 
has  erected  to  his  memory.  He  was  a  model  Sunday 
School  superintendent  and  never  allowed  anything  to 
interfere  with  the  performance  of  his  duties  in  that 
position,  often  riding  hundreds  of  miles  and  neglecting 
other  business  in  order  to  be  at  his  post.  He  was  a 
reserve  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  in  1888  and 
made  an  enviable  record,  especially  in  the  legislation 
upon  the  Permanent  Fund.  He  was  always  greatly 
interested  in  plans  for  providing  for  worn-out  preachers, 


and  wrote  eloquently  in  the  furtherance  of  a  plan  to 
enlist  the  church  in  their  behalf.  His  religious  life  was 
clear,  practical,  even,  helpful  and  consistent.  He  was 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  for  eight  years, 
and  under  his  care  it  grew  until  it  was  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  entire  State. 

On  the  9th  day  of  August,  1870,  Mr.  Hoyt  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Josephine  Bassett.  Three 
children,  two  daughters  and  one  son.  were  born  to  this 
union,  and  the  daughters  Winefred  E.  and  Fannie,  sur- 
vive to  help  her  mother  bear  her  great  loss.  Frederick 
W.  Hoyt  was  a  man  respected  and  esteemed  bv  all  who 
knew  him,  a  kind  Christian  gentleman  and  a  loving 
husband  and  father.  No  man  stood  higher  in  the  com- 
munity than  did  he  ,and  in  his  death  the  entire  city  of 
Red  Wing  felt  that  each  inhabitant  had  experienced  an 
individual  loss.  But  though  he  has  passed  away  his 
works  still  live  and  his  memory  will  long  be  reverenced 
by  those  who  knew  and  loved  him  in  life. 


JOHN    FORD  MEAGHER, 


MANKATO,  MINNESOTA. 


JOHN  FORD  MEAGHER,  son  of  Jeremiah  and 
Catherine  Meagher,  was  born  in  County  Kerry, 
Ireland,  on  the  llth  day  of  April,  1836.  Both  parents 
died  when  he  was  about  ten  years  of  age,  and  shortly 
afterwards  he,  with  a  brother  and  sister,  came  to 
America,  and  settled  in  LaSalle  county,  111.,  where  he 
remained  for  about  three  years,  when  he  was  offered 
an  opportunity  to  learn  the  trade  of  tinner.  Realizing 
that  a  trade  would  be  of  great  material  benefit  to  him 
in  the  battle  of  life,  and  knowing  that  during  his 
apprenticeship  he  was  assured  of  a  good  home  with  a 
kind,  motherly  woman,  he  eagerly  embraced  the  oppor- 
tunity and  of  his  own  volition  bound  himself  as  an 
apprentice  to  a  tinner  at  Ottawa,  111. 

He  served  for  three  years,  receiving  the  first  year 
$30,  the  second  year  $40  and  the  third  and  last  year  $50 
for  his  work,  after  which  time,  though  only  seventeen 
years  of  age,  he  found  no  difficulty  in  securing  employ- 
ment at  his  trade  at  the  regular  wages  paid  to  men. 
Believing  that  in  the  newly  settled  districts  there 
would  be  a  better  chance  for  a  young  man's  ad- 
vancement, he  determined  to  go  to  Minnesota,  and 
accordingly,  in  September,  1857,  he  took  passage  on  the 
steamer  Northern  Light  at  Dunleith,  111.,  and  voyaged 
up  the  Mississippi  to  Hastings,  Minnesota.  At  Hastings 
he  met  a  friend  who  told  him  that  at  Faribault,  Minne- 
sota, a  firm  had  just  opened  a  hardware  store  and  were 
in  need  of  a  practical  tinner.  He  immediately  went  to 
Faribault  and  securing  employment  remained  through 
the  winter.  The  result  of  the  panic  of  1857  was  felt, 
even  on  the  frontier,  and  the  merchants  then  found 
themselves  overstocked  and  commenced  casting  about 
for  ways  and  means  of  disposing  of  their  surplus  stock. 


To  effect  this  a  hardware  firm  doing  business  at  Hast- 
ings decided  to  open  a  branch  store  at  Mankato,  and 
engaged  Mr.  Meagher  to  aid  in  its  establishment  and  to 
remain  there  afterwards  to  assist  in  the  management. 
So  in  June  1858  he  went  to  Mankato  and  remained  in 
the  interest  of  the  firm  thereuntil  1861,  when  he  bought 
out  their  interests  and  started  in  business  for  himself. 
He  had  been  in  business  but  a  short  time,  when  news 
of  the  Indian  outbreak  which  reached  Mankato  on  the 
evening  of  the  19th  of  August  interrupted  him.  The 
townspeople  being  summoned  to  the  levee  by  the  ring- 
ing of  the  city  bell,  they  organized  a  company  of 
volunteers  to  go  to  the  defense  of  New  Ulm.  The 
captaincy  of  this  company  was  tendered  to  Mr.  Meagher, 
but  he,  while  willing  to  serve  in  any  other  capacity; 
declined  this  honer  and  accepted  the  rank  of  first 
lieutenant.  The  company  went  to  New  Ulm,  and  there 
is  no  need  to  enlarge  here  upon  the  gallantry  with 
which  they  acquitted  themselves,  as,  besides  being  a 
matter  of  history,  it  is  a  household  tale  all  through  that 
section  of  Minnesota. 

After  hostilities  had  ceased  for  the  time  being,  a 
part  of  the  company  were  established  at  South  Bend, 
and  Mr.  Meagher  returned  to  Mankato,  where  he 
organized  a  company  for  the  defence  of  that  town,  and 
was  commissioned  by  the  governor  and  designated  by 
General  Pope,  of  the  Department  of  Militia,  as  com- 
mandant of  the  post  at  Mankato. 

He  continued  in  the  hardware  business,  and  in  1868 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Mankato,  serving  as  its  vice-president  during  the 
whole  time  of  his  connection  with  it.  In  1872  he 
withdrew  from  the  First  National,  and  was  a  most 


tftf 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


active  factor  in  the  organization  of  the  Citizen's  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  which  he  was  the  president  during  its 
entire  existence,  which  ended  in  1892.  Out  of  the  old 
bank  the  National  Citizen's  Bank  was  then  organized 
to  carry  on  the  business,  and  Mr.  Meagher  was  elected 
president  of  the  new  bank,  still  serving  in  that  cap- 
acity. He  has  also  been  actively  interested  in  all  pub- 
lic enterprises  in  his  section  and  State,  having  been  at 
different  times  a  director  in  the  Mankato  Brick  Com- 
pany, the  Mankato  Woolen  Mill  Company,  the  Man- 
kato Axe  Company,  the  Mankato  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, the  Mankato  Gas  and  Electric  Light  Company, 
the  Wells  branch  of  the  C.  M.  &  St.  P.  Ry.,  the  North 
Western  Manufacturing  and  Car  Company,  of  Still- 
water.  He  has  also  been  a  stockholder  in  the  St.  Paul 
Trust  Company,  the  First  National  Bank  of  St.  Paul, 
the  National  German-American  Bank  of  St.  Paul,  the 
National  Commercial  Bank  of  St.  Paul,  and  many 
others. 

Politically,  Mr.  Meagher  is  a  Democrat,  and  though 
his  party  is  in  a  hopeless  minority  in  his  section  of  the 
country,  he  has  been  its  candidate  on  numerous  occa- 
sions, and  has  never  vet  met  with  defeat,  his  personal 
popularity  carrying  him  through  on  each  occasion.  He 
was  first  put  in  nomination  for  the  office  of  county 
treasurer  by  the  Democratic  count}'  convention  in 
1863,  and  though  no  candidate  of  that  party  had  been 
elected  to  office  in  the  county  for  years,  Mr.  Meagher 
was  elected  by  a  large  majority,  although  the  balance 
of  the  ticket  suffered  defeat.  In  1869,  while  he  was 
in  the  East  and  without  his  knowledge,  he  was  nomi- 
nated to  represent  his  district  in  the  Legislature.  The 
district  was  regarded  as  hopelessly  Republican,  and 
Mr.  Meagher,  not  believing  that  there  was  any  chance 
of  election,  only  consented  to  the  use  of  his  name  on 
the  condition  that  no  effort  should  be  made  in  his 
behalf,  thinking  to  allow  the  election  to  go  by  default. 
His  conditions  were  agreed  to.  and  notwithstanding, 
he  was  triumphantly  elected  by  a  majority  of  several 


609 

hundred,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  session  of  1870.  He 
was  re-elected  in  1871  by  an  increased  majority,  and 
in  1872  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  where  he  was 
a  member  of  several  important  committees,  including 
those  of  finance,  railroads  and  education. 

His  record  in  both  the  House  and  Senate  is  a  parti- 
cularly clean  and  able  one,  his  conduct  there  being 
frank,  open,  and  manly  ;  and  to-day  he  numbers  among 
his  best  friends,  men  of  both  parties  who  served  with 
him  and  were  impressed  with  his  honesty  of  purpose 
and  direct  manliness.  He  has  also  served  three  years 
as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Mankato  and  was 
for  a  time  president  of  that  bod}7.  He  also  served  one 
year  as  chairman  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 
In  the  Tilden-Hayes  presidential  campaign  he  was  an 
elector  at  large  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  In  1881, 
Governor  Hubbard  appointed  him  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane.  He  was  reappointed  by 
Governors  McGilland  Nelson,  and  in  1887  the  Legisla- 
ture made  him  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  to 
re-locate  the  State  Reform  School. 

In  1888  he  was  appointed  by  the  Legislature  as  one 
of  the  trustees  to  take  charge  of  the  erection  of  a  monu- 
ment at  New  Ulm  to  commemorate  the  battle  fought  in 
defense  of  that  city,  and  in  behalf  of  the  trustees  Mr. 
Meagher  turned  the  monument  over  to  the  Governor 
of  the  State  on  the  23d  of  August,  1891. 

On  Sept.  26th,  1886.  Mr.  Meagher  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Battelle  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  They 
have  had  seven  children. 

John  F.  Meagher  is  one  of  the  men  who,  starting 
under  adverse  circumstances,  have  built  up  their  fortunes 
by  the  exertion  of  their  own  brain  and  muscle  and  owe 
their  prosperity  to  themselves  alone.  An  orphan  at 
the  early  age  often,  be  has  since  had  to  make  his  way 
in  the  world  alone,  but  by  going  resolutely  to  work 
and  allowing  nothing  to  deter  him  he  has  earned  for 
himself  not  only  wealth  but  the  honor  and  esteem  of 
all  who  know  him. 


JOHN  W.  SPONABLE, 


PAOLA,  KANSAS. 


JOHN  WARREN  SPONABLE,  son  of  George  and 
Eliza  (Sweet)  Sponable,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Fulton  county,  N.  Y.,  on  November  2,  1832.  On  his 
father's  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  a  German  family, 
who  came  to  America  and  located  in  Montgomery 
count}',  on  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  as  early  as  1700, 
and  on  his  mother's  side  from  an  English  family,  who 
settled  in  New  England  about  1740.  Young  Sponable 
remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen 
and  then  went  to  Alleghany  county  to  learn  a  trade. 
He  remained  only  a  few  months,  however,  and  then 
went  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  worked  for  the  next 
three  years. 


In  the  fall  of  1849,  he  went  to  Cincinnati.  Ohio,  and 
secured  employment  in  a  general  store.  While  there 
he  carefully  saved  as  much  as  possible  from  his  salary, 
and  in  1853  removed  to  Preble  county  in  Ohio,  where 
he  opened  a  family  grocery  store,  and  also  was  engaged 
in  buying  grain  for  shipment  to  Cincinnati.  He 
remained  in  this  business  until  1857,  when  it  not  prov- 
ing to  beas  profitable  as  desired,  he  sold  out  and  went  to 
Kansas  City,  Mo.  In  1858  he  went  to  Gardner,  John- 
son county,  Kan.,  where  he  opened  a  general  store. 
Here  he  was  very  successful  and  accumulated  consider- 
able money,  which  during  the  three  years,  1859-1861, 
he  invested  largely  in  real  estate  in  Johnson  county, 


6io 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


and  which  increasing  rapidly  in  value  yielded  him 
large  profits.  Some  of  these  farms  he  owns  at  the 
present  time.  In  1801  he  was  elected  treasurer  of 
Johnson  county,  and  was  re-elected  in  1863.  When  he 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  in  1861  he  found 
the  county  deeply  in  debt  and  without  credit,  but 
through  his  management  the  debt  was  paid  in  full,  a 
stone  court-house  and  jail  was  erected,  and  when  he 
retired  from  office  the  county  was  free  from  debt,  and 
its  credit  firmly  re-established.  Mr.  Sponable  served 
one  term  as  a  member  of  the  Kansas  Legislature,  and 
was  for  several  years  a  director  of  the  Kansas  City  and 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  company. 

The  school  facilities  of  Johnson  county,  not  being 
as  good  as  he  wished  to  give  his  children,  in  1873  Mr. 
Sponable  sold  a  large  part  of  his  interests  and  moved 
to  Paola,  Kansas.  Needing  some  kind  of  business  to 
occupy  his  time  he  bought  a  mill,  which  he  operated 
with  great  success;  in  fact  it  proved,  to  use  his  own 
words,  "almost  a  gold  mine"  up  to  1881,  at  which 
time  he  disposed  of  the  business. 

In  1875,  Mr.  Sponable,  in  company  with  several 
other  substantial  business  men,  organized  the  Miami 
County  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  and  it  opened 
its  doors  for  business  January  1st,  1876,  with  J.  E. 
Thayer  as  president,  and  J.  W.  Sponable  as  vice-pres- 
ident. Three  3' ears  later  Mr.  Thayer  resigned  and 


Mr.  Sponable  was  elected  president  in  his  place,  and 
has  held  that  position  up  to  the  present  time.  In  1884 
the  capital  stock  of  the  bank  was  doubled,  and  one 
year  later  it  was  converted  into  a  National  Bank,  being 
now  known  as  the  Miami  County  National  Bank,  and 
is  one  of  the  strongest  and  best  banking  institutions  in 
the  State. 

Mr.  Sponable  has  always  been  deeply  interested  in 
affairs  pertaining  to  the  prosperity  of  both  Johnson 
and  Miami  counties,  and  of  Paola,  which  town  he  has 
twice  served  as  mayor.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  national  matters  and  has  drafted  two  bills 
pertaining  to  banks  and  banking  that  have  received 
universal  commendation  from  students  of  finance.  He 
spends  considerable  of  his  time  each  year  in  traveling 
over  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  investigating 
her  various  resources. 

Paola  has  a  free  public  library  of  6,000  standard 
books,  and  about  half  of  the  cost  was  contributed  by 
Mr.  Sponable.  The  town  also  has  a  new  library  build- 
ing well  arranged  and  commodious,  and  fully  paid  for. 
The  lot  was  donated  by  Mr.Sponable  and  about  half  the 
expense  of  the  building,  which  is  an  ornament  to  the 
city.  Mr.  Sponable  started  in  the  world  for  himself  a 
poor  boy  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  what  he  has  since 
accumulated  is  the  result  of  his  own  industry,  persever- 
ance and  economy,  combined  with  ability. 


LEONIDAS   MERRITT, 


DULUTH,  MINNESOTA. 


T  EONIDAS  MERRITT,  son  of  Lewis  H.  and  Heph- 
1— t  zibeth  (Jewett)  Merritt,  was  born  in  Hanover 
township,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  20th  day 
of  February,  1844.  The  Merritt  family  were  originally 
French  Huguenots  who  fled  from  France  to  Kent, 
England,  to  avoid  persecution,  and  the  branch  of  the 
family  from  which  the  subject  of  this  biography  is 
descended  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Connecticut 
early  in  the  sixteenth  century.  Thomas  Merritt,  the 
grandfather  of  Leonidas,  walked  from  Connecticut  to 
Chautauqua  county,  -N.  Y.,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  that  county.  On  his  mother's  side, 
Leonidas  Merritt  is  descended  from  another  family 
who  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  New  England. 

Young  Merritt  first  attended  school  in  New  York, 
and  after  the  family  came  west  finished  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  at  Oneota,  Minn.  While  in 
school  his  favorite  studies  were  history,  geography  and 
elocution,  and  to  these  he  devoted  as  much  of  his  time 
as  was  possible.  From  his  earliest  youth  Mr.  Merritt 
has  been  extremely  fond  of  the  woods,  and  his  natural 
bent  as  an  explorer  was  materially  developed  by  the 
fact  that  the  family  lived  in  a  region  where  his  tastes 
in  this  direction  found  abundant  gratification. 

After  leaving  school   he  went  to  the  oil  fields  of 


Pennsylvania,  partly  to  gratify  a  desire  for  travel  and 
partly  to  demonstrate  his  ability  to  take  care  of  himself. 
He  was  afterwards  successively  engaged  in  farming, 
the  lumber  and  mill  business,  ship  building,  and  after- 
wards in  sailing  as  commander  of  his  own  vessels  until 
1879,  when  he  took  up  exploring  as  a  profession  and 
has  followed  it  ever  since.  He  first  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  locating  pine  lands  and  located  at  different 
times  many  different  tracts,  but  his  greatest  success  was 
in  the  discovery  and  opening  up  of  the  great  Missaba 
Iron  Range  and  the  building  of  the  Duluth,  Missaba 
and  Northern  Railroad,  which  has  its  terminal  docks  at 
Oneota,  very  near  to  the  spot  where  the  family  first 
landed  in  that  town  in  1856.  Besides  the  opening  up 
of  the  Missaba  Range  and  building  of  the  D.  M.  &  N. 
Ry.,  Mr.  Merritt  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  the 
organization  of  the  Lake  Superior  Consolidated  Iron 
Mining  Company,  of  which  he  is  president.  He  is  also 
president  of  the  Iron  Exchange  Bank  of  Duluth,  vice- 
president  of  the  Duluth,  Missaba  and  Northern 
Railway,  and  the  owner  of  the  Mountain  Iron  Bank 
at  Mountain  Iron,  Minn.,  having  established  it  in 
1892. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  1864,  Mr.  Merritt  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  B,  Brackett's  Battalion  of  Minne- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


sota  Cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Captain  John  A. 
Reed,  and  after  gallant  service,  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged in  several  battles  and  skirmishes,  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  on  the  1st  day  of  June,  1866. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  though  never 
seeking  office  he  has  at  different  times  allowed  his 
friends  co  persuade  him  to  serve  the  public  in  an 
official  capacity.  Thus  for  three  years  prior  to  1887  he 
served  as  a  school  director  of  St.  Louis  county.  He 
was  also  the  first  president  of  the  town  of  West  Dulutb, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1892  was  elected  to  represent  his 
county  for  two  years  in  the  Minnesota  Legislature. 

On  the  8th  day  of  May,  1873,  Mr.  Merritt  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Wheeler  at  Oneota, 
Minnesota.  Three  children,  Ruth,  Lucian  and  Harry, 
have  blessed  the  union  and  are  now  attending  school, 
the  two  elder  in  the  high  school  at  Duluth  and  the 
youngest  in  the  public  school  at  Oneota.  Eeared  in 
the  Methodist  church,  Mr.  Merritt  has  been  connected 


613 

with  that  denomination  since  his  early  youth,  and  takes 
an  active  though  quiet  part  in  all  church  work.  He  is 
a  member  .of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  has  traveled  for 
business  purposes  all  over  the  United  States. 

Leonidas  Merritt  is  of  medium  height,  has  dark  hair 
and  eyes  and  a  face  that  expresses  great  strength  of 
character.  His  dealings  with  his  fellow-men  have  all 
been  characterized  by  fairness  and  influenced  by  a 
strong  sense  of  justice  and  high  regard  for  the  right. 
His  disposition  is  cheerful,  and  he  has  a  penchant  for 
looking  at  events  from  the  humorous  side  when 
possible. 

In  short  Mr.  Merritt  is  a  liberal-minded,  broad- 
guage  business  man,  unassuming  in  manner,  active, 
progressive  and  generous,  and  to  his  friends  loyal  to  a 
fault.  In  northern  Minnesota  no  man  stands  higher, 
and  there  is  no  one  whose  advice  is  more  eagerly 
sought  or  whose  decisions  are  more  acted  upon  and  re- 
spected than  Leonidas  Merritt. 


HON.  A.  G.  HOVEY, 


EUGENE,  OREGON. 


AG.  HOVEY,  "son  of  Captain  John  and  Abigail 
.  (Dusten)  Hovey,  was  born  at  Londonderry,  New 
Hampshire,  on  the  llth  of  July,  1830.  On  his  father's 
side  he  is  connected  with  a  family  long  known  and 
honored  in  the  New  England  history,  and  his  mother 
was  a  descendant  of  Mrs.  Hannah  Dusten,  who  having 
seen  her  husband  and  child  inurdered  by  their  Indian 
captors,  made  her  escape  after  slaying  several  of  the 
Indians  with  their  own  tomahawks.  The  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  well  educated  and 
refined  woman,  justly  celebrated  for  her  kindness  of 
heart  and  wide  charity.  The  son  was  one  of  eight 
children,  and  received  his  education  in  the  historic  town 
of  Marietta,  Ohio,  to  which  place  his  father  moved 
when  our  subject  was  but  a  lad. 

In  1849  he  joined  a  company  of  twenty  men  to 
cross  the  plains,  and  work  the  gold  mines  of  California. 
They  reached  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  safely,  but  while  there 
four  of  their  number  succumbed  to  the  cholera  which 
raged  so  fiercely  among  the  emigrants  at  that  time. 
They  left  St.  Joseph  in  April,  and  arrived  in  Sacramento 
city,  CaL,  in  the  following  October.  They  fitted  them- 
selves for  the  mines,  and  located  at  Rhodis'  Bar  on  the 
Cossumnie  river  during  the  fall,  and  later  went  to 
the  diggings  at  Longs'  Hollow  in  the  Weaver 
district,  where  they  spent  the  winter.  Young  Hovey 
was  not  particularly  lucky  in  his  mining  ventures, 
and  not  being  attracted  by  the  class  of  men 
who  made  up  the  community,  he  embarked 
for  Oregon  by  steamer  from  San  Francisco,  and  landed 
at  Portland  in  October,  1850.  He  went  up  the  Willa- 
mette valley,  and  after  visiting  the  various  towns, 


located  at  Corvallis,  where  he  taught  the  first  school 
the  term  commencing  in  December.  He  worked  for  a 
time  for  Hon.  Wayman  St.  Glair,  the  pioneer  merchant 
of  the  town,  and  early  in  1851  was  appointed  clerk  of 
the  United  States  District  Court  for  Benton  county, 
by  Judge  O.  C.  Pratt,  and  later  was  elected  county 
clerk.  During  his  service  in  the  courts  Mr.  Hovey 
studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1853,  and 
later  to  practice  before  the  Supreme  court  of  the  State. 
He  never  entered  into  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, however,  but  moved  to  his  claim  near  Cor- 
vallis, where,  from  1853  to  1862,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing with  considerable  success.  In  1862  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  from  Benton  county,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  until  1867.  In  1866  to  moved  to  Port: 
land,  Ore.,  but  remained  there  only  one  year,  and  then 
went  to  Springfield,  in  Lane  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  milling  and  mercantile  business  until  1879.  He 
then  removed  to  Eugene,  in  the  same  State,  where, 
two  years  later,  he,  with  two  associates,  organized  and 
established  the  Lane  County  Bank,  the  firm  being 
known  as  Hovey,  Humphrey  &  Co.  Mr.  Hovey  was 
elected  president  of  the  bank  at  the  time  of  organizaj 
tion,  and  has  held  the  office  up  to  the  present  time. 
He  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  all  enterprises 
pertaining  to  the  material  welfare  of  the  section  in 
which  he  resides,  and  has  spent  considerable  time  and 
money  in  aiding  public  works,  and  is  now  taking  a 
leading  part  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad  between 
Eugene  and  the  Suislan  Coast. 

Mr.  Hovey  was  united  in  marriage  in  1853  to  Miss 
Mary  Ellen  Mulkey,  who  died  in  1861,  and  three  years 


614 

later  he  married  Miss  Emily  Humphery.     They  have 
three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

An  ardent  Republican,  Mr.  Hovey  has  always  taken 
a  leading  part  in  politics,  and  has  held  many  offices  of 
honor  and  trust,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  that 
of  State  Senator  and  mayor  of  Eugene.  He  has  been 
selected  as  a  delegate  of  the  National  Eepublican  Con- 
vention a  number  of  times,  and  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Harrison  a  member  of  the  board  of  visitors  to  the 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


annual  examinations  at  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  in  1892.  He  has  taken  a  great  interest  in 
educational  institutions,  and  was  recently  appointed  a 
member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  Oregon  State 
University,  of  which  he  has  been  treasurer  for  many 
years.  A  man  of  strong  convictions,  he  is  positive  in 
his  character  and  of  incorruptible  integrity.  He  is  an 
intelligent,  useful  citizen,  and  justly  takes  rank  as  one 
of  Oregon's  leading  and  representative  men. 


MATTHEW  BLAND  HARRISON, 

DULUTH,   MINNESOTA. 


MATTHEW  BLAND  HARRISON,  son  of  Robert 
Wiley  and  Louise  Christine  (Bland)  Harrison, 
\vas  born  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  on  the  24th  day  of  April, 
1854.  On  his  father's  side  he  was  descended  from  Ben- 
jamin Harrison,  and  on  his  mother's  from  Richard 
Bland,  both  members  of  the  first  Continental  Congress, 
and  among  the  most  prominent  of  the  Virginians  of 
the  Revolutionary  period.  Benjamin  Harrison  was 
the- ancestor  of  William  H.  Harrison,  once  president  of 
the  United  States. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  fitted  for  college  at 
the  University  school  at  Petersburg,  and  while  a  thor- 
ough boy,  entering  heartily  into  all  boyish  sports,  he 
studied  faithfully  and  his  name  was  second  on  the  list 
of  prize  men  of  the  upper  school  for  the  session  of 
1S72-73. 

In  1874  he  entered  the  academic  department  of  the 
University  of  Virginia,  but  did  not  graduate,  as  failing 
health  necessitated  his  leaving.  After  a  year  of  quiet 
he  opened  a  school  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in  which  he  at 
once  achieved  extraordinary  success,  but  steadily  keep- 
ing in  view  the  law  as  his  ultimate  profession  he  con- 
tinued his  studies  in  that  direction,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1882.  He  moved  to  the  State  of  Washing- 
ton in  the  same  year  and  settled  in  Spokane  Falls, 
where  he  practiced  his  profession.  He  remained 
in  Spokane  Falls  two  years  and  then  came  East  and 
located  in  St.  Paul,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business.  In  this  business  he  found  his  true  calling, 
and  from  the  moment  that  he  embarked  in  it,  his  suc- 
cess was  assured.  After  remaining  in  St.  Paul  for 
nearly  a  year  he  concluded  that  Duluth  was  to  be  the 
metropolis  of  the  northwest,  and  in  the  year  1886 
he  moved  to  that  town,  where  he  remained  actively 
identified  with  many  private  and  all  public  enterprises 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  29th  day  of 
February,  1892.  His  death  was  caused  by  complica- 
tions arising  from  la  grippe,  which  seized  him  early  in 
January,  and  which  had  apparently  yielded  to  treat- 
ment; but  he  suffered  a  relapse  on  February  27th  and 
two  days'  later  he  peacefully  passed  away. 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1886,  Mr.  Harrison  married 
Miss    Lucy    Gray    Henry,   of   Richmond,  Va.,   second 


daughter  of  Hon.  William  Wirt  Henry  and  Lucy  Gray 
Marshall.  His  wife  was  descended  on  her  father's  side 
from  two  distinguished  Virginians,  the  great  revolu- 
tionary patriot  and  orator,  Patrick  Henry,  and  his 
eminent  contemporary,  Colonel  William  Cabell,  of 
Union  Hill,  and  on  her  mother's  side  from  the  promi- 
nent families  of  Marshall  and  Watkins.  A  daughter, 
Louise  Henry  Harrison,  was  the  only  issue  of  this 
marriage,  and  she  and  her  mother  survive  the  husband 
and  father.  . 

In  1890  he  was  appointed  (;is  a  Democrat)  one  of 
the  World's  Fair  Commissioners  from  Minnesota,  by 
President  Harrison.  He  was  placed  at  once  on  three 
of  the  most  important  committees  of  the  temporary 
organization,  and  after  the  permanent  organization  of 
the  great  Exposition  was  effected,  he  was  put  upon  the 
committee  on  ceremonies,  and  upon  the  executive 
committee,  which  was  afterwards  called  the  Board  of 
Control,  and  consisted  of  but  eight  men,  who  were 
apily  called  the  brains  of  the  National  Commission. 

Mr.  Harrison  wasof  medium  size  and  his  face  bore  a 
strong  resemblance  of  that  of  Gen.  William  Henry  Har- 
rison. Ills  hair  and  eyes  were  black.  His  head  wasof 
a  high  type,  with  a  finely  developed  forehead, a  strong 
mouth,  and  a  somewhat  receding  chin.  His  eyes  were 
bright  with  the  unmistakable  light  of  genius.  His 
words  were  few  and  to  the  point.  His  conceptions  were 
quick  and  followed  by  immediate  action.  Whileothers 
were  debating  he  concluded  and  acted  upon  his  conclu- 
sions. It  was  thus  that  he  so  often  gained  the  advant- 
age over  others  in  his  business  transactions.  Indeed  in 
nothing  did  he  show  genius  more  marked  than  in  the 
rapid  it}7  with  which  he  reasoned  and  came  to  s<  und 
Conclusions.  Others  slower  in  their  reasoning.  :md 
seemingly  more  cautious  in  their  actions,  were  amazed 
at  what  seemed  the  rashness  of  the  young  Virginian, 
but  ere  long  they  were  constrained  to  admit  that  he 
acted  wisely.  When  he  came  to  Duluth  no  one  had 
grasped  its  future  as  he  did,  suid  no  one  was  so  well 
prepared  to  profit  by  its  rapid  growth.  One  of  the 
most  striking  characteristics  of  Mr.  Harrison  was  his 
liberality  in  business.  He  never  stickled  over  small 
things.  He  could  not  have  afforded  it  had  he  been 


^^fe^ 
^^tek 

Jpsfcyp^^ 

-a     ^ 


6, 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of   THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


inclined,  but  his  nature  was  of  too  generous  a  mould. 
His  aims  were  high, and  he  was  princely  in  his  methods. 
Not  only  to  his  friends  and  relatives  was  he  generous 
to  a  fault,  but  he  never  saw  a  young  man  struggling  to 
rise  in  the  world  that  he  did  not  extend  a  helping  hand. 
It  was  largely  to  this  rare  combination  of  genius  for 
business  and  generosity  of  disposition,  united  with  cor- 
dial and  unaffected  manners,  that  he  owed  his  phenom- 
enal success,  and  the  warm  affection  in  which  he  was 
held  in  his  adopted  home.  Perhaps  no  one  has  ever 
accumulated  so  large  a  fortune  by  strictly  business 
methods  in  so  short  a  time,  and  with  so  little  envy  from 
others. 

Mr.  Harrison  found  Duluth  a  town  of  some  18,000 
inhabitants  in  1886,  and  he  lived  to  see  it  a  city  of 
over  50,000  in  1892.  No  one  man  contributed  more  to 
its  rapid  growth  than  he.  In  the  enterprises  which 
have  given  it  permanent  prosperity  he  was  often  the 
leader,  and  always  the  helper,  and  as  a  city  builder 
his  name  is  indissolubly  linked  with  this  young  giant 
of  the  Northwest.  He  was  foremost  in  advertising  its 
great  natural  advantages,  and  inducing  capital  to  seek 
investment  there.  One  of  the  enterprises  brought  by 
him  to  Duluth,  was  the  Minnesota  Car  Works,  giving 
birth  to  the  flourishing  suburb  known  as  West  Duluth. 
already  an  important  manufacturing  point.  Mr.  Har- 
rison was  one  of  the  first  to  appreciate  the  value  of 
the  mining  deposits  of  the  Missaba  range,  and  their 


617 

importance  to  Duluth.  He  was  among  the  first 
investors  in  its  iron  properties,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  efficient  projectors  of  the  Duluth.  Missaba  & 
Northern  railroad,  which  connects  this  wonderful 
range  with  the  city  of  Duluth.  He  entered  on  the 
purchase  and  development  of  iron  properties  in  this 
range  when  others  were  incredulous,  but  he  lived  to 
see  its  riches  made  known  and  its  deposits  considered 
the  most  valuable  in  America.  From  the  develop- 
ment of  these  mines  Duluth  will  undoubtedly  become 
a  great  manufacturing  city. 

The  record  made  by  Mr.  Harrison  is  almost  without 
a  parallel.  When  one  considers  his  measure  of  success 
and  the  conditions  under  which  it  was  attained,  his 
life's  work  appears  simply  marvelous,  and  only  a  close 
acquaintance  with,  and  thorough  knowledge  of,  the 
man  himself  could  explain  the  results  he  achieved. 
His  was  an  energy  untiring,  an  enthusiasm  irresistible, 
a  foresight  unclouded,  a  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs 
intuitively  perfect.  Coming  into  the  western  business 
world  at  the  age  of  thirty-two,  his  brain  and  force  of 
character  his  only  capital,  within  the  space  of  five  years 
he  acquired,  not  by  a  lucky  chance  but  by  legitimate 
business  methods,  not  only  the  estate  of  a  millionaire, 
but  with  it  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  entire 
community,  so  that  at  his  death  Minnesota  was  said  to 
have  lost  one  of  her  brightest  son.s,  and  Duluth  her 
foremost  citizen. 


ANDREW  JARRED  MEACHAM, 


RED  WING,  MINNESOTA. 


A  NDIIEW  JARRED  MEACHAM,  son  of  Jere- 
i\  miah  and  Elizabeth  (Cox)  Meacham,  was  born 
at  Ellison,  Warren  county,  111.,  on  the  15th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1840.  His  father's  family  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Kentucky  and  his  mother's  grandfather  was 
a  pioneer  of  Illinois. 

Andrew  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  ten  children 
and  his  early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm,  from  which  he 
at  intervals  attended  the  county  district  schools.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  Hamline  University  at 
Red  Wing,  Minnesota,where  he  worked  at  doing  chores 
and  served  as  janitor  in  order  to  help  pay  his  way. 
Afterwards  he  taught  school  for  one  term  and  took  a 
course  of  lessons  in  book-keeping. 

In  1862,  he  entered  a  general  merchandise  store  a» 
clerk  and  book-keeper,  but  after  four  years'  experience 
started  in  business  for  himself  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Bowman,  Meacham  &  Co.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he 
sold  out  his  interests  in  Red  Wing  and  the  following 
spring  he  went  to  Minneapolis,  where  for  the  succeed- 
ing six  and  a  half  years  he  occupied  the  position  of 
treasurer  of  the  North  Star  Iron  Works.  In  October, 
1876,  he  returned  to  Red  Wing  to  accept  the  position 
of  assistant  cashier  of  the  Goodhue  County  Bank,  in 


which  position  he  remained  for  ten  years.  He  then 
resigned  in  order  to  accept  the  general  management  of 
the  Northwestern  Endowment  and  Legacy  Association, 
which  he  has  held  to  the  present  time. 

From  boyhood  Mr.  Meacham's  sympathy  has  been 
with  the  principles  and  aims  of  the  Republican  party, 
with  which  he  has  always  voted.  He  has  never  sought 
political  preferment,  though  in  1870  he  consented  to 
have  his  name  placed  on  the  Republican  ticket  as  can- 
didate for  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Red  Wing,  and  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  War  Mr.  Meachara  offered  his  services  to  the 
government,  but  his  offer  was  declined  on  account  of 
his  having  lost  two  of  his  fingers  in  an  accident  when 
a  boy. 

Mr.  Meacham  has  been  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  O.  F. 
since  1868,  and  was  a  charter  member  of  the  first  lodge 
of  Knights  of  Pythias  organized  in  Minneapolis  in 
1870.  In  the  latter  order  he  has  been  quite  prominent, 
having  assisted  at  the  organization  of  the  First  Grand 
Lodge  of  Minnesota,  of  which  he  is  Senior  Past  Grand 
Chancellor.  lie  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, which  he  joined  in  1883.  He  has  been  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  church  for  more  than  thirtv- 


6i8 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


six  years  and  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  church 
work,  having  been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school 
for  eight  years. 

On  the  28th  day  of  October,  1867,  Mr.  Meacham 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  Bassett, 
at  Laporte,  Ohio,  who  died  October  8th,  1878,  leaving 
three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter.  On  Novem- 
ber 26th,  1S79,  he  was  married  a  second  time,  the  bride 
being  Miss  Mary  I.  Raymond,  of  Utica.  Minnesota. 

Besides  being  manager  of  the  Northwestern  Endow- 


ment and  Legacy  Association,  Mr.  Meacham  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Goodhue  County  Bank,  the  Red  Wing 
Furniture  company,  and  the  Xorth  Star  Stoneware  Co. 
What  he  is  to-day  he  has  made  himself,  for  he  began 
in  the  world  with  nothing  but  his  own  energy  and  wil- 
ling hands  to  aid  him.  By  constant  exertion  and 
economy,  associated  with  good  judgment,  he  has  raised 
himself  to  the  prominent  position  he  now  holds,  having 
the  friendship  of  many  and  respect  of  all  those  who 
know  him. 


DR.  H.   BARRIE    MILLICAN, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  promising  young  professional  men  of 
Chicago  is  Dr.  H.  B.  Millican,  who  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Anna  C.  (Spring)  Millican,  and  was  born 
at  Belwood,  Ontario.  Canada,  September  13,  1868. 
His  father  was  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  located  at 
Belwood,  where  he  had  preached  for  a  period  of  over 
thirty  years.  For  the  last  two  years,  however,  since 
retiring  from  the  ministry  he  has  resided  at  Gait, 
Ontario,  where  his  son,  W.  J.  Millican,  a  brother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  and  where  he  has  established  a  large 
clientage. 

Another  brother,  Dr.  J.  A.  Millican,  is  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  at  Preston,  Ontario,  three 
miles  from  Gait.  He  is  also  medical  superintendent  of 
the  Baker-Rose  Sanitarium  for  the  cure  of  liquor, 
opium,  cocaine  and  tobacco  habits. 

Young  Millican,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  ob- 
tained his  early  education  at  the  public  schools  at  Bel- 
wood,  and  after  graduating  he,  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  entered  the  Gait  Collegiate  Institute,  graduating 


therefrom  two  years  later.  His  first  position  was  in 
the  law  office  of  William  Bell  at  Hamilton,  Ontario, 
when  he  was  seventeen  years  old.  Here  he  remained 
one  year,  and  then  went  to  Toronto,  Ontario,  and 
obtained  a  position  in  a  wholesale  tailor's  trimming 
house  as  entry  clerk,  remaining  with  the  firm  eighteen 
months.  He  then  came  to  Chicago,  and  entered  the 
United  States  Den tal  College  for  the  stmly  of  dentistry. 
He  graduated  from  this  institution  in  1890,  and  was 
chosen  valedictorian  of  the  class,  the  highest  honor  con- 
ferred by  the  class  on  any  one  of  its  members.  The 
exercises  were 'held  at  the  Auditorium. 

After  graduating,  Dr.  Millican  opened  a  dental 
office  in  Chicago,  and  has  continued  the  business  ever 
since,  he,  in  the  meantime,  having  worked  up  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice.  Dr.  Millican  is  unmarried,  is  a 
man  of  more  than  medium  height,  fine  looking  and 
well  built.  His  affable  and  pleasing  disposition  have 
made  him  hosts  of  friends,  not  only  in  business  but  in 
a  social  way,  and  he  certainly  has  prospects  of  a  bright 
future  before  him. 


ISAAC  STAPLES, 

STILLWATER,  MINNESOTA. 


ISAAC  STAPLES  was  born  of  English  ancestry  at 
1  Topsham,  Maine,  on  the  25th  day  of  September, 
1816.  During  his  youth  he  attended  the  common 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  bargained  with 
his  father  to  contribute  three  hundred  dollars  toward 
building  a  home.  He  was  possessed  of  extraordinarv 
physical  strength  and  good  judgment,  and  was  success- 
ful early  in  life.  When  eighteen  he  began  work  at 
Penobscot  Boom,  and  learned  the  logging  and  lumber- 
ing business,  having  a  severe  practical  experience.  By 
the  time  he  had  reached  his  majority  his  savings 
amounted  to  between  five  and  six  hundred  dollars.  His 
father  lacked  sixty  dollars  of  having  enough  to  pay  for 
the  home,  and  young  Staples  paid  the  amount  as  agreed. 


Mr.  Staples  engaged  in  the  Mercantile  business  at 
Oldtown,  Maine,  in  1840,  and  two  years  later  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  brother.  This  firm  did  a 
thriving  business  until  1854,  when  the  partnership  ivas 
dissolved.  Early  in  the  last  half  of  the  century  he 
heard  considerable  of  the  operations  in  the  pine  forests 
of  the  Northwest,  and  in  May  of  1853  he  made  a  trip 
to  Minnesota,  where  he  purchased  large  tracts  of  pine 
lands  on  the  St.  Croix  river  and  its  tributaries,  and 
within  a  period  of  seven  years  he  had  purchased  two 
hundred  thousand  acres  of  this  property.  After  the 
partnership  with  his  brother  was  dissolved  in  1854,  Mr. 
Staples  engaged  'with  Mr.  Hersey  in  buying  up 
pine  lands,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hersey,  Staples 


C/ 


A\^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


621 


&  Company,  and  built  a  large  mill  for  the  lumbering 
business  at  Stilhvater,  Minn.,  where  they  did  a  very 
large  business,  cutting  from  ten  to  fifteen  million  feet 
of  lumber  annually.  April  1st,  1861,  the  above  firm 
was  succeeded  by  that  of  Hersey,  Staples  &  Hall,  con- 
tinuing together  until  October  1,  1866,  when  Mr.  Hall 
withdrew,  and  the  firm  of  Herse}',  Staples  &  Bean  was 
formed.  This  company  continued  in  business  until 
1875,  when  the  partnership  of  Hersey  and  Bean  was 
dissolved,  and  the  stock  divided  into  thirds,  Mr. 
Staples  having  for  his  share  one  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  land.  He  then  purchased  a  mill  from  Sawyer 
&  Ileaton,  and  in  1882  sold  it  to  the  Northwestern 
Manufacturing  Car  Company.  In  1886  Mr.  Staples' 
sales  of  lumber  amounted  to  $225,000.  In  1887  his 
sales  were  $250,000  and  in  1889  $550,000.  Many  years 
ago  he  organized  the  Boom  Company,  with  a  cap- 
ital of  $100,000.  and  for  twenty  years  has  been  its 
president.  He  also  has  extensive  interests  in  other 
concerns,  among  which  is  a  flour  mill  with  a  capacity 
of  two  hundred  barrels  per  day,  and  a  grain  elevator, 
with  a  capacity  of  300,000  bushels.  In  1871  Mr.  Staples 
organized  the  Lumberman's  National  Bank  of 
Stilhvater,  of  which  he  is  president,  the  capital 
of  the  bank  being  $250,000.  He  also  assisted  in 
organizing  the  Second  National  Bank  of  St.  Paul, 
of  which  he  is  a  director.'  In  addition  to  all 
these  enterprises  Mr.  Staples  is  the  owner  of  several 
splendid  farms,  the  principal  one  being  "Maple  Island," 
which  is  located  a  few  miles  northwest  of  Stillwater. 
The  farm  comprises  two  thousand  acres,  and  is  in  a 


high  state  of  cultivation,  being  well  stocked,  and  pro- 
vided with  the  necessary  buildings.  His  stock  is  of 
the  finest  class,  being  the  Holsteins,  Alderneys,  Short 
Horn  and  Dutch  Belt  cuttle.  On  one  of  his  farms  he 
has  a  fine  race  track  which  is  one  mile  in  length,  and  is 
the  owner  of  fifty  fast  horses,  one  of  them  being 
"  Neptune,"  which  was  one  of  the  fastest  horses  on 
record.  In  1889  Mr.  Staples  purchased  of  Caleb  Cush- 
ingall  the  riparian  rights  of  St.  Croix  Falls,  and  it  is 
believed  that  the  benefits  which  are  and  can  be  derived 
from  these  falls  will  lead  to  a  large  city  being  built  near 
them. 

In  politics  Mr.  Staples  is  a  Democrat,  but  his  many 
business  interests  have  not  permitted  him  to  devote 
much  time  to  affairs  political.  In  1849  he  was  Indian 
agent  for  the  Penobscot  Indians,  and  that,  and  serving 
as  mayor  of  Stillwater,  constitute  the  only  offices  of 
prominence  he  has  held. 

In  1839  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Caroline 
Eogers,  of  Oldtown,  Maine,  who  died  in  1840.  In  1841 
he  was  again  married,  this  time  to  Miss  Olivia  J. 
Pettengill  of  the  same  place.  He  has  three  sons  and 
four  daughters. 

In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Staples  is  a  man  of 
large  physical  proportions,  and  of  a  very  genial  disposi- 
tion. Although  well  advanced  in  years  he  has  plenty 
of  physical  and  mental  vigor.  He  is  a  man  who  has 
steadily  and  rapidly  worked  his  way  to  success  since  his 
first  start  in  life,  and  has  always  been  noted  for  his 
great  business  ability,  for  his  energy,  will  power,  sound 
judgment  and  integrity. 


COL.  JAMES  A.  SEXTON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JAMES  A.  SEXTON  was  born  in  Chicago,  January 
5,  1844,  his  parents  having  moved  here  in  1834, 
from  Rochester,  N.  Y.  At  the  early  age  of  nine  years 
he  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  and  when  seven- 
teen, at  the  first  call  for  Union  volunteers  in  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion,  he  enlisted  in  the  three  months  service, 
and  later  for  "three  years  or  during  the  war." 

After  the  expiration  of  his  three  months'  service  he 
re-enlisted  in  Company  1,  Fifty-first  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  made  sergeant.  In  June, 
1862,  he  was  transferred  to  Company  E,  Sixty-seventh 
Regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  in  which  he  was  promoted 
to  a  lieutenancy,  and  in  August  following  a  company 
was  recruited  under  the  auspices  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  of  Chicago,  and  he  was-elected  as 
its  captain.  This  was  known  as  Company  D.,  Seventy- 
second  Regiment  Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  regiment  at  the  battles  of  Columbia,  Duck 
River,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and 
fought  through  the  Nashville  campaign.  In  1865  he  was 
assigned  to  duty  on  the  staff  of  General  A.  J.  Smith, 


Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  acting  provost  marshall,  and 
served  till  the  close  of  the  war,  making  for  himself  a 
brilliant  record.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  received 
a  commission  as  first  lieutenant  in  the  regular  army, 
but  not  long  after  resigned,  and  became  engaged  in 
cotton  raising  in  Alabama.  Two  years  later,  in  1867, 
he  returned  to  Chicago,  leaving  his  plantation  in  charge 
of  an  overseer.  In  Chicago  he  associated  himself  with 
Mr.  John  Jackson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Jackson  & 
Sexton,  in  a  stove  foundr}T.  This  firm  was  succeeded 
by  that  of  Messrs.  J.  A.  &  T.  S.  Sexton,  and  was  con- 
ducting business  at  No.  176  Lake  street  at  the  time  of 
the  great  fire  of  October  8,  9,  1871.  In  1872  the  firm 
was  changed  to  Cribben,  Sexton  &  Co.,  and  the  increase 
of  business  justified  the  erection  of  spacious  warerooms 
at  Nos.  75  and  77  Lake  street.  Soon  thereafter  followed 
the  purchase  of  the  McArthur  Iron  Works,  on  Erie 
street,  where  the  firm  began  the  manufacture  of  stoves 
and  grey  enamel  hollow-ware.  The  firm  has  been  very 
successful  and  has  done  an  immense  business,  being  at 
present  composed  of  Henry  Cribben,  James  A.  Sexton 


622 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


and  Will  H.  Cribben.  Colonel  Sexton  takes  an  active 
interest  in  Grand  Army  affairs,  and  is  a  past  depart- 
ment commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
of  Illinois. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  the  Union 
League  Club,  and  the  Veteran  Union  League,  and  is  a 
Mason  of  high  degree.  Colonel  Sexton  is  emphatically  a 
self-made  man,  and  has  reached  his  present  success  and 
influential  position  in  the  community  by  virtue  of  his 
native  ability,  untiring  energy  and  force  of  character. 


His  ability  was  fittingly  recognized  in  his  appointment 
by  President  Harrison  as  postmaster  of  Chicago,  earlv 
in  his  administration.  That  the  endorsement  of  Colonel 
Sexton  for  the  position  was  so  general  in  Chicago,  that 
no  earnest  competitor  appeared,  shows  the  universal 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held.  That  he  was  a  model 
official  the  postal  service  reforms,  inaugurated  and 
perfected  by  him  during  his  term,  so  recently  ended, 
strikingly  show.  Colonel  Sexton  is  socially  popular, 
and  a  most  genial  and  companionable  gentleman. 


JOHN    B.  KIRK, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THEEE  is  no  business  man  of  Chicago  that  stands 
higher  in  the  mercantile  community  than  John  B. 
Kirk.  He  was  born  on  November  8,  1842,  in  Utica, 
New  York,  and  is  the  second  son  of  James  S.  Kirk  and 
Nancy  Ann  (Dunning)  Kirk.  His  father  was  of 
Scottish  origin,  the  son  of  a  celebrated  civil  engineer  of 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
while  very  young.  He  was  educated  in  Montreal 
(Canada)  Academy,  and  married  in  Ottawa,  in  1839. 
In  the  year  of  his  marriage  he  located  in  Utica,  New 
York,  and  entered  into  business  there. 

Our  subject  obtained  his  education  in  the  city  of 
his  birth,  and  upon  commencing  his  mercantile  life, 
entered  into  the  business  his  father  had  founded  in 
1839,  and  his  career  has  since  been  identified  with  the 
firm  of  James  S.  Kirk  &  Co. 

The  success  of  the  house  of  James  S.  Kirk  &  Co., 
which  was  founded  in  Utica  in  1839,  and  has  grown 
from  a  toddling  infant  at  the  time  of  its  foundation 
until  it  is  now  a  manufacturing  giant,  with  an  output 
larger  than  any  plant  of  its  kind,  not  only  in  this 
country,  but  in  the  entire  world  (its  product  amounting 
to  70,000,000  of  pounds  of  soap  annually,  besides 
various  articles  manufactured),  is  unquestionably  due 
to  the  firm  business  policy  exercised  by  James  S.  Kirk 
during  his  life,  and  the  valuable  and  practical  assistance 
rendered  him  by  his  elder  sons,  in  whom  he  early  in 
life  engrafted  the  qualities  necessary  for  a  worthy 
business  career. 

In  1859  the  firm  removed  to  Chicago,  and  with  the 
exception  of  the  disastrous  effects  of  the  fire  of  1871, 
which  entailed  a  loss  to  them  of  a  quarter  of  a  million 
dollars,  their  career  has  been  one  of  continued  success. 

The  firm  re-organized  immediately  after  the  fire, 
and  through  the  hearty  co-operation  of  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Kirk  family,  the  business  was  soon  on  a  sub- 
stantial footing,  and  it  has  continued  to  enjoy  great 
prosperity  ever  since.  Through  the  ingenuity  of  John 
B.  Kirk  and  his  brothers,  the  process  of  manufactur- 
ing soap  has  been  revolutionized,  and  many  labor-saving 
methods  have  been  devised. 

John  B.  Kirk's  acknowledged   ability  as  a  financier 


induced  the  directors  of  the  American  Exchange 
National  Bank  to  choose  him  for  the  position  of  vice- 
president,  and  afterward  president,  which  position  he 
creditably  filled  from  1889  to  about  the  first  of  Janu- 
ary, 1894,  when  he  resigned,  from  choice,  on  acoount 
of  the  firm  and  personal  interests  that  demanded  his 
entire  time  and  attention. 

On  October  4,  1866,  Mr.  Kirk  was  married  to  Miss 
MacVean  of  this  city.  The  couple  have  been  blessed 
with  four  children.  Their  names  in  order  of  birth  are: 
James  M.,  Frederick  L,  Josephine,  and  the  baby  Susie. 

The  Northwestern  University,  located  atEvanston, 
is  widely  known  as  one  of  the  leading  educational 
institutions  of  the  West,  and 'its  reputation  is  con- 
stantly increasing.  This  worthy  enterprise  has  always 
found  a  warm  sympathizer  and  friend  in  Mr.  Kirk. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  executive  committee,  and  a 
trustee  of  that  institution,  and  has  always  been  ready 
to  assist  both  financially  and  personally  any  movement 
that  had  the  good  of  the  University  for  its  object. 

Oratory  and  elocution  are  two  of  the  grandest  of 
man's  accomplishments,  and  to  stimulate  these  grand 
arts,  Mr.  Kirk  has  donated  an  annual  prize  of  $100,  to 
be  awarded  to  the  successful  competitor  in  the  annual 
oratorical  contest  held  by  the  senior  students  of  the 
University.  One  of  the  most  interesting  and  longed-for 
events  is  this  annual  contest;  and  it  may  be  true  that 
some  modern  Demosthenes  will  owe  his  success  as  an 
orator  to  the  fact  that  his  natural  powers  were  stimu- 
lated by  a  strong  desire  to  be  victorious  in  the  annual 
oratorical  contest  for  the  "Kirk  prize." 

Our  subject's  efforts  to  advance  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion have  not  been  confined  to  helping  the  Northwest- 
ern University ;  but  all  worthy  objects  that  have  in 
view  better  improvement  of  facilities  for  advancing 
the  youth  of  this  country  in  education  find  in  him  a 
ready  and  willingsympathizer  and  friend. 

Mr.  Kirk  has  a  particular  fondness  for  medical  in 
vestigation  and  study,  and  it  is  probable  that  had  he 
not  been  influenced  by  his  father,  who  desired   him  to 
enter  the  business  that  was  his  pride,   he  would    have 
chosen  the  medical  profession  rather  than  the  life  of  a 


.C} 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THt.  OSEA  r  WEST. 


625 


business  man;  and  it  being  true  that  ability  will  show 
itself  and  make  itself  known  no  matter  in  what  field  it 
is  placed,  this  worthy  profession  would  have  had  a 
worthy  member  of  its  body  in  John  B.  Kirk. 

Among  the  residents  of  Evanston,  Mr.  Kirk  has 
made,  through  his  upright  and  honorable  record,  many 
sincere  friends,  and  there  is  no  man  at  present  residing 
in  that  suburban  city  that  holds  a  higher  position 
among  its  residents,  or  is  more  highly  esteemed  than  he. 
He  is  not  only  admired  for  his  honorable  conduct 
to  his  fellow-men,  and  for  his  generous  hospitality,  but 
he  is  also  esteemed  for  his  many  acts  of  true  charity. 
One  of  his  neighbors  remarks,  that  "  no  deserving 
object  is  ever  refused  help  by  John  B.  Kirk." 

Of  Mrs.  Kirk  it  may   also  be  said  that   her   high 


appreciation  of  what  is  right,  and  sympathy  with  all 
that  is  good,  has  endeared  her  to  all  who  know 
her.  She  is  held  in  equal  esteem  with  Mr.  Kirk, 
and  no  lady  in  Evanston  is  more  truly  honored  and 
admired. 

In  summing  up  the  events  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Kirk 
it  can  be  stated  that  his  career  has  been  such  as 
to  warrant  the  trust  and  confidence  of  the  business 
world  ;  that  he  has  always  tried  to  transact  his  business 
matters  in  the  same  honorable  manner  that  placed  his 
father  before  him  in  such  a  high  and  esteemed  position 
in  the  business  community.  With  a  record  unsullied 
and  a  high  degree  of  ability,  no  businessman  of  Chicago 
is  better  spoken  of  by  his  associates  than  the  worthy 
subject  of  this  sketch. 


WILLIAM   H.  SEEGER, 


KANSAS  CITY,  MISSOURI. 


WILLIAM  II.  SEEGEK,  son  of  Harry  R.  and 
Madalene  Seeger,  was  born  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, December  12,  1853.  When  four  years  of  age. 
his  parents  moved  to  Kansas  City  and  there  he  has 
since  resided.  His  education  was  received  in  the  public 
and  high  schools  of  that  city,  and  after  graduating 
from  the  high  school,  he  took  a  course  at  Spaulding's 
Commercial  College,  from  which  he  graduated  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  and  immediately  found  employment 
in  the  old  Watkins'  Bank.  On  the  consolidation  of 
that  bank  with  the  National  Bank  of  Kansas  City,Mr. 
Seeger  was  transferred  to  that  institution,  and  begin- 
ning at  the  lowest  clerical  position  of  the  bank,  he 
steadily  rose  to  the  highest,  having  filled  satisfactorily 
every  clerical  position  in  the  institution. 

In  the  fall  of  1881,  he  and  Mr.  A.  A.  Whipple 
organized  the  Citizens  National  Bank,  Mr.  Whipple 
being  chosen  cashier  and  Mr.  Seeger  assistant  cashier, 
and  on  Mr.  Whipple  retiring  he  was  chosen  cashier. 


This  position  he  retained  until  the  retirement  of  Hon. 
Philip  E.  Chappell,  when  he  was  elected  president. 
This  was  only  natural,  for  it  may  be  said  that  to  him 
more  than  to  any  other  man,  has  been  due  the  mar- 
velous success  of  the  bank.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and,  politically,  is  a  Republican. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Kate  Reed,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Allen  S.  Reed,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Clay  county, 
Mo.,  at  Liberty,  on  the  7th  of  November,  1883. 

Mr.  Seeger  has  reached  his  present  position  only  by 
his  own  great  energv  and  business  sagacity.  He  came 
to  Kansas  City  when  it  was  but  a  frontier  village,  and 
has  seen  it  grow  to  its  present  position,  among  the 
business  centers  of  the  country.  He  received  a  good 
business  education,  and  he  has  made  the  most  of  it  dur- 
ing his  life.  As  he  is  still  comparatively  a  young  man, 
it  may  be  predicted  that  he  has  only  fairly  started  on 
the  business  career  that  has  been  so  successful,  and  which 
may  be  expected  to  add  further  luster  to  his  name. 


H.  M.  HAGESTEAD, 

BELLINQHAM,  MINNESOTA. 


HM.  HAGESTEAD,  son  ol  Ole  O.  and  Marthine 
•  Hagestead..  was  born  at  Hard  anger,  Norway, 
October  28,  1853.  Both  his  father's  and  his  mother's 
families  arc  prominent  in  Norway;  one  in  agriculture 
and  politics,  and  the  other  in  mercantile  and  profess- 
ional life.  The  youth  attended  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  land  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and 
then  came  to  America  with  his  parents.  They  arrived 
in  the  spring  of  1867,  and  located  on  .a  farm  at  Trem- 
pealeau,  Wisconsin.  Here  he  remained  for  a  few  years 
performing  hard  farm  labor,  and  attending,  when  he 


could,  the  district  school.  Concluding  that  farming 
was  not  the  vocation  that  he  cared  to  follow  through 
life,  he  left  Wisconsin  and  started  for  the  "Far  West," 
arriving  in  Camp,  Renville  county,  Minnesota,  at  that 
time  a  small  trading  post,  in  the  winter  of  1871.  In 
the  spring  of  1872,  he  secured  employment  as  clerk  in 
a  retail  grocery  at  New  Ulm,  Minnesota,  which 
position  he  retained  for  two  years  and  returned  to 
Camp,  where  he  embarked  in  business  for  himself. 
He  had  bright  prospects,  but  during  the  following 
summer  the  grasshoppers  invaded  the  neighborhood, 


626 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


destroying  all  crops  of  even7  kind,  and  the  consequent 
depression  ruined  his  business,  and  left  him  without  a 
dollar.  He  then  went  to  northern  Wisconsin,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1875  located  at  Grantsburg,  in  Burnett 
county.  Here  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  until  in  the  fall, 
when  he  was  appointed  register  of  deeds,  which  position 
he  retained  until  1880,  when  he  resigned  and  again 
returned  to  Camp,  Minnesota,  where  he  engaged  in 
business,  remaining  until  the  fall  of  1887,  when  his 
property  was  destroyed  by  fire.  After  settling  up  all 
claims  he  removed  to  Bellingham,  Minnesota,  then  a 
new  place  without  a  single  store,  where  in  company 
with  two  other  gentlemen,  he  engaged  in  the  general 
merchandise  business,  the  firm's  name  being  Aws,  Berg 
and  Hagestead.  In  the  spring  of  1891  he  retired  from 
this  business,  and  commenced  his  career  as  a  private 
banker,  which  was  continued  until  January  18,  1892, 
when  the  bank  was  reorganized,  and  became  a  State 
bank,  with  Mr.  Hagestead  as  president.  This  position 
he  still  holds,  and  the  prosperous  condition  of  the 
bank's  growing  business  is  due  in  a  large  measure  to  his 
capable  management. 

Mr.  Hagestead  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows, 
the  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  belonging  to 


the  lodges  of  these  orders  at  Bellingham.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  given  the  candidates  of  that 
party  his  hearty  support  ever  since  he  cast  his  first 
ballot,  which  was  for  President  Hayes  in  1876.  A 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  since  his  early  youth, 
he  is  active  in  church  work,  and  liberal  in  dealing  with 
the  victims  of  misfortune. 

March  23,  1879,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  G. 
Christie,  of  Beaver  Falls,  Minn.  They  have  four  child- 
ren. Mr.  Hagestead  is  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a  self- 
made  man.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  commenced 
to  carve  out  a  fortune  and  after  nearly  three  \Tears  of 
toil  he  found  his  justly  established  business  totally 
wrecked  by  an  unforeseen  scourge.  Nothing  daunted, 
he  set  to  work  again,  and  by  hard  work,  great  perse- 
verance and  business  capability  he  has  at  last  conquered 
the  bad  fortune  that  for  a  time  seemed  to  have  marked 
him,  and  to-day  occupies  a  position  of  honor  and  trust 
among  the  people  of  his  section. 

He  is  of  cheerful  disposition,  but  an  inherent  cast 
of  stubborness  has  precluded  the  idea  of  failure  of  any 
kind  touching  any  enterprise  that  he  has  in  hand. 
His  motto  is,  "Never  say  fail,"  and  he  has  lived  np  to 
it  both  in  the  letter  and  in  the  spirit  of  the  motto. 


HENRY   HILL, 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


THE  career  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  brief 
sketch  to  commemorate  would,  if  adequately  set 
forth  in  all  its  connections,  bean  epitome  of  the  history 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  At  the  period  when  Mr. 
Hill's  residence  began  in  the  "West,  St.  Louis  had 
only  7,000  inhabitants.  Galena  was  a  prosperous 
village  of  ten  to  twelve  hundred;  the  first  settler  in 
Chicago  had  arrived  only  three  years  before,  while 
the  whole  country  South  and  West  of  Illinois  was  terra 
incognita,  except  as  its  wilderness  was  penetrated  by 
the  hardy  trapper  or  explored  by  the  pioneer  mission- 
ary. Stage  coaches  toiling  through  the  marshy  roads 
furnished  the  most  expeditious  mode  of  travel,  while 
the  flat  boats,  leisurely  floating  down  the  river,  carried 
the  slight  commerce  of  the  West.  Ad  venturous  settlers 
were  beginning  to  found  homes  where  now  is  the  seat 
of  a  great  inland  empire,  populous  and  rich  in  all  the 
elements  of  a  high  civilization.  In  the  development  of 
this  stupendous  civilization  Mr.  Hill  was  a  powerful 
factor.  In  manufactures,  in  trade,  in  finance,  and  more 
than  all  in  perfecting  facilities  of  transportation  by 
river  and  rail  through  the  Mississippi  Valley,  he  was  a 
pioneer  and  a  most  conspicuous  actor. 

Henry  Hill  was  born  May  19th,  1828,  in  Stoke- 
clerason,  Devonshire,  England.  His  ancestors  for  many 
generations  were  yoemen  of  that  country,  his  grand- 
father owning  the  farm  which  he  cultivated  in  fee. 
John  Hill,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  emigrated  to^America 


in  1832  with  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife,  six  sons 
and  one  daughter.  One  of  these  sons  was  Henry  Hill, 
then  of  the  age  of  four  years.  After  remaining  in 
Philadelphia  about  a  year,  John  Hill  pushed  on  toward 
the  West,  and  joined  a  company  of  Philadelphia  and 
Pittsburg  gentlemen,  formed  for  the  purpose  of  found- 
ing a  city  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  as  architect 
and  master  mechanic,  and  in  that  employment  com- 
menced operations  in  building  a  city  called  Marion 
City,  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river,  in  the  spring 
of  1834.  The  enterprise  was  eventually  abandoned, 
and  the  waters  of  the  great  river  now  flow  over  its 
site.  Afterwards  engaging  in  his  employment  on  the 
public  works  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  hesettled  his  fam- 
ily on  a  farm  ten  miles  east  of  Warsaw.  Here  his  son 
Henry,  then  only  twelve  years  old, was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  farm,  while  his  father  was  engaged  elsewhere  in 
building  and  operating  a  mill,  called  the  "  Big  Stone 
Mill."  At  this  early  age,  having  observed  that  good 
habits  as  well  as  industry  were  essential  to  success  in 
life,  he  resolved  never  to  use  tobacco  or  intoxicating 
drinks,  and  with  characteristic  tenacity  of  purpose  he 
has  kept  the  resolution  to  the  present  time.  At  four- 
teen years  of  age  he  joined  his  father  working  in  the 
"  Big  Stone  Mill,"  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  machinery  and  engine  depart- 
ment of  the  Spencer  mill. 

In  1846  young  Hill  entered  the  employ  of  J.H.  Wood, 


v*°X 


MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


a  blacksmith  of  great  renown  in  his  trade,  but  better 
known  as  a  man  of  the  utmost  rectitude,  of  broad  and 
liberal  views,  and  indeed  a  deep  thinker.  There  amid 
the  flying  sparks,  under  the  tuition  of  this  admirable 
man,  the  boy  learned  much,  not  only  of  his  trade,  but 
of  his  duty  to  himself  and  to  his  fellow-men.  From 
the  shop  of  this  famous  blacksmith,  with  the  aid  of  his 
sturdy  apprentice,  was  turned  out  the  first  diamond 
plow  that  would  scour  and  clean  itself  in  the  rich  prai- 
rie soil — the  precursor  of  the  modern  plow.  While  Mr. 
Wood  and  his  wife  were  absent  on  a  visit  to  his  old 
Eastern  home,  the  young  apprentice,  then  but  eighteen 
years  of  age,  made  all  the  wrought-iron  work  for  a  saw 
mill  which  his  father  was  building.  Soon  he  joined 
two  of  his  brothers  who  were  employed  as  engineers  on 
the  "  Prairie  Bird,"  a  Mississippi  river  steamboat,  en- 
gaged in  carrying  passengers  between  St.  Louis 
and  Chicago  by  way  of  the  I'linois  river,  connecting 
with  the  canal  boats  at  La  Salle.  At  that  time  the 
population  of  Chicago  was  not  more  than  14,000,  while 
St.  Louis  numbered  60,000. 

In  the  winter  of  1848-9,  being  at  home  and  unem- 
ployed, Henry  attended  school  for  two  months.  This, 
with  the  exception  of  a  little  schooling  when  but  five 
to  seven  years  of  age,  constituted  his  only  education, 
other  than  that  acquired  in  the  active  school  of  life. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  Henry  took  charge  of  the  mill, 
which  his  father  was  obliged  to  give  up  through  failing 
health.  He  acquired  the  interest  of  his  father's  partner 
in  the  property,  and  thenceforth  conducted  the  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  John  Hill  &  Sons.  In  the 
same  year  he  married  the  daughter  of  Dr.  William 
Smith,  a  prominent  physician,  who  formerly  resided  in 
La  Harpe,  in  that  part  of  the  country.  Mrs.  Hill,  like 
her  husband,  had  experienced  the  privations  of  frontier 
life,  and  living  with  him  for  forty-four  years  with  like 
experiences  and  sympathies,  she  has  made  an  admir- 
able helpmate. 

The  following  year  the  business  was  enlarged  by 
the  addition  of  a  grist  mill.  An  incident  occurred 
about  this  time  which  shows  the  quickness  of  percep- 
tion and  tenacity  of  purpose  which  characterize  the 
man.  He  used  a  fine  team  of  horses  about  his  business, 
one  of  which  fell  sick.  He  was  advised  to  administer 
a  decoction  of  a  quart  of  green  coffee.  The  horse 
died,  and  a  farmer  customer,  learning  the  remedy 
which  had  been  used,  informed  him  that  the  dose  was 
enough  to  kill  half  a  dozen  horses.  Mr.  Hill  reasoned 
that  if  a  dose  of  coffee  would  kill  a  horse,  it  could  not 
be  a  healthful  beverage  for  a  man,  and  he  then  and 
there  resolved  never  again  to  use  coffee,  and  he  never 
has.  Another  incident  a  little  later  was  quite  as 
characteristic.  Having  invested  quite  largely  in  logs 
to  be  cut  on  the  Des  Moines  river,  when  several  rafts 
had  been  made  up  he  learned  that  heavy  rains  had 
fallen  along  the  river.  Mr.  Hill  started  in  the  after- 
noon to  follow  the  shore  of  the  river  from  Alexandria 
to  Bonaparte,  a  distance  of  twenty-six  miles,  on  foot 
and  alone,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  meet  his  men 


629 

and  the  rafts.  His  path  was  a  rugged  one,  forcing 
him  not  only  to  wade  the  little  streams  emptying  into 
the  river,  but  often  to  swim  the  larger  ones,  not  yet 
clear  of  ice.  He  reached  his  destination  at  eleven 
o'clock  that  night,  tired  out,  but  much  elated  to  find 
his  men  with  the  logs  lying  safe  at  the  bank. 

From  1850  to  1856  the  flouring  and  sawmills  were 
managed  successful!}7.  For  the  purpose  of  securing 
logs  for  the  sawmill,  Mr.  Hill,  in  company  with  the 
present  Judge  Orendorff,  of  Baltimore,  visited  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony  in  1852.  After  the  lapse  of  forty 
years  he  now  lives  in  the  metropolis  of  the  Northwest, 
one  of  its  active  citizens,  where  then  he  found  but  a 
hamlet  with  a  single  sawmill.  Quick  to  observe  the  need 
and  to  provide  the  facilities  for  commercial  intercourse, 
Mr.  Hill,  in  1854,  with  his  brothers  and  several  associ- 
ates, organized  the  Northern  Line  Packet  Company, 
whose  steamboats  plied  between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul, 
forming  the  sole  line  of  communication  throughout  the 
valley  of  the  upper  river.  Two  of  his  brothers  were 
in  the  management  of  the  company,  and  one  of  them, 
T.  B.  Hill,  was  for  many  years  captain  of  several  of 
the  boats.  J.  J.  Hill,  the  well  known  railway  magnate, 
president  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  was  one  of 
the  company's  clerks  in  St.  Paul,  whose  career  illus- 
trates what  a  man  of  brains  and  push  can  accomplish 
in  the  great  Northwest. 

One  of  Mr.  Kill's  friends  who  was  engaged  in  dis- 
tilling, becoming  embarrassed,  lost  his  credit,  and 
appealed  to  him  for  assistance.  In  order  to  assist  him 
he  undertook  the  purchase  of  about  40,000  bushels  of 
corn  on  his  own  credit,  then  in  store  in  Missouri  towns. 
Crossing  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  ice  on  the  4th 
day  of  April,  he  had  negotiated  the  purchase  of  the  corn, 
and  was  ready  to  return  on  the  8th,  when  he  found  the 
ice  had  become  thin,  and  gave  every  indication  of 
breaking  up  or  sinking.  Anxious  to  return  and  relieve 
the  anxiety  of  his  family,  against  the  remonstrances  of 
his  Missouri  friends  who  had  accompanied  him  to  the 
river,  he  decided  to  undertake  the  crossing.  With  a 
long  pole  in  his  hand,  he  started,  but  found  that  the  ice 
would  not  support  his  weight.  Throwing  himself 
prostrate,  he  worked  himself  by  slow  degrees  over  the 
dangerous  places,  and  was  received  by  a  crowd  on  the 
Illinois  side,  who  had  watched  his  progress,  with 
cheers.  This  incident  gave  him  a  wide  reputation  for 
business  sagacity  and  personal  daring. 

About  a  year  later  the  friend  whom  he  had  aided 
in  an  emergency  proposed  to  take  Mr.  Hill  into  partner- 
ship, and  all  the  arrangements  to  that  end  were  per- 
fected, when  it  was  broken  up  by  the  objections  of  his 
friend's  sons.  Mr.  Hill,  therefore,  determined  to  with- 
draw the  aid  he  had  extended,  and  to  embark  in  the 
business  on  his  own  account.  Accordingly,  with  his 
three  brothers  and  J.  W.  Knox  (now  one  of  the  pro- 
minent business  men  of  Denver,  Col.),  and  Geo.  S. 
Knox,  a  partnership  was  formed  under  the  name  of 
Hill,  Knox  &  Co.,  to  build  and  operate  a  distillery  on  a 
large  scale.  In  the  winter  of  1855-6,  the  necessary 


630 

buildings  were  erected,  and  the  business  successfully 
commenced.  When  the  disastrous  panic  of  1857 
spread  through  the  country,  all  the  competitors  of  the 
firm  in  that  part  of  the  country  went  into  bankruptcy. 
In  September,  1858,  an  incident  occurred  which  tested 
Mr.  Hill's  integrity,  and  in  its  outcome  illustrates  the 
adage  that  "honesty  is  the  best  policy."  Credit  had 
become  contracted,  specie  was  hoarded,  and  paper  cur- 
rency dishonored,  owing  to  the  failure  of  most  of  the 
State  and  private  banks.  Their  was  little  sale  for 
their  product,  and  their  indebtedness,  some  $200,000, 
was  large  for  those  times.  Their  creditors  became 
urgent  and  threatened  legal  proceedings.  Their  counsel 
advised  making  a  sale  to  one  of  Mr.  Hill's  brothers, 
who  was  not  connected  with  the  business,  and  taking  a 
lease,  continue  the  business  to  the  defeat  of  the  credit- 
ors. When  this  advice  was  given  Henr}'  Hill  resented 
it  in  the  most  indignant  and  forcible  language.  Soon 
a  committee  of  the  creditors  came  on  from  St.  Louis  to 
institute  proceedings  against  the  firm.  They  applied  to 
the  same  counsel  who  had  before  advised  the  firm, 
and  learning  what  had  occurred,  were  so  impressed 
with  Mr.  Hill's  honesty  and  pluck  that  they  returned 
without  taking  proceedings,  and  when  they  made  their 
report  it  was  determined  not  only  not  to  press  for  pay- 
ment, but  to  make  the  firm  a  large  advance  without 
security.  This  was  done,  and  the  result  justified  the 
unusual  proceeding,  for  Hill,  Knox  &  Co.  soon  paid  all 
their  indebtedness,  and  thereafter  transacted  a  very 
large  and  profitable  business. 

A  portion  of  the  time  during  the  Civil  war,  this 
firm  paid  the  U.  S.  government  a  tax  of  $96,000 
per  month,  fitted  out  and  sent  a  large  number  of  men 
into  the  Union  army,  and  bought  of  the  first  issue  of 
Government  bonds  as  much  as  they  could  raise  money 
to  pay  for.  The  distillery  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  1864,  without  insurance,  entailing  a  heavy  loss  upon 
the  owners.  It  was  never  rebuilt,  but  the  same  firm 
constructed  in  its  place  a  large  woolen  mill  at  Warsaw, 
111.,  at  a  cost  of  $180,000,  the  most  complete  mill  of  its 
kind  in  the  West.  For  over  thirty  years  Mr.  Hill  has 
been  and  still  is  a  partner  in  the  bank  of  Hill,  Dodge 
&  Co.,  at  Warsaw.  About  this  time  the  firm  became 
interested  in  the  great  dry  goods  house  of  J.  V.  Far- 
well  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  and  assisted  Douglas  Far  well 
to  become  a  partner  in  the  firm. 

In  1886,  Mr.  Hill  entered  upon  a  new  era  in  his 
various  experiences,  engaging  extensively  in  railroad 
building.  With  several  associates  he  undertook  the 
construction  of  the  Toledo,  Peoria&  Western  Eailroad. 
He  was  made  president  of  thd  construction  company, 
and  pressed  the  work  to  completion  with  his  wonted 
energy.  After  its  completion  he  was  made  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  road.  Mr.  Hill  was  present  in  1869  at 
Ogdan  at  the  completion  of  the  Union  and  Central 
Pacific  railroads.  On  his  return  east  his  opinion  was 
sought  by  J.  E.  Thompson,  president  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Central,  as  to  the  probability  of  the  Pacific 
railroads  being  able  to  earn  operating  expenses  and 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


fixed  charges.  His  adverse  report  then  made  was  jus- 
tified by  the  result. 

About  this  time,  Mr.  Hill,  in  connection  with  J.  E- 
Thompson,  Thomas  Scott,  Andrew  Carnegie,  Charles 
and  James  Secor,  Benjamin  Smith,  Ex-Governor  Den- 
nison  and  Gen.  Drake,  organized  a  construction  com- 
pany for  the  purpose  of  constructing  the  M.  I.  &  N. 
R.  R.,  from  Alexandria,  Mo.,  to  Nebraska  City,  Neb., 
and  was  made  superintendent  of  the  company,  and  sub- 
sequently was  elected  to  the  vice-presidency  of  the 
road.  Another  construction  company  was  organized, 
consisting  of  J.  W.  Converse,  Governor  Dennison,  B. 
F.  Smith,  Brown  and  Deshler,  W.  W.  Phelps  and 
others,  of  which  Mr.  Hill  was  an  active  member,  to 
build  the  Midland  Pacific  railroad  from  Nebraska  City 
to  a  connection  with  the  Union  Pacific  at  Fort  Kearney. 
About  one  hundred  miles  of  each  had  been  completed 
when  the  panic  of  1873  forced  a  suspension  of  work. 
Mr.  Hill's  associates  called  him  to  New  York  to  consult 
as  to  the  best  course  to  be  pursued.  Their  opinion 
differed  from  that  entertained  by  him.  They  thought 
the  panic  would  not  continue  over  ninety  days;  he 
believed  it  would  last  over  several  y ears.  He  husbanded 
his  resources  and  laid  his  plans  accordingly.  In 
connection  with  General  Drake  and  A.  L.  Griffin,  and 
upon  their  individual  resources  and  credits,  Mr.  Hill 
completed  and  operated  the  first  named  road  to  Cen- 
terville,  la.,  and  kept  it  out  of  the  hands  of  a  receiver 
during  the  panic.  Subsequently  he  and  his  associates 
sold  the  Midland  Pacific  of  Nebraska  to  the  C.  B.  &  Q. 
railway  company. 

In  1878,  Mr.  Hill  was  one  of  a  committee  of  three 
selected  by  the  bondholders,  to  purchase,  sell  and 
reorganize  the  T.  P.  &  W.  railway.  This  was  success- 
fully carried  through,  and  the  sum  of  six  million  dollars 
realized  upon  the  sale,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned. While  engaged  in  these  operations,  Robert  G. 
Ingersoll  was  employed  by  Mr.  Hill's  company  as 
attorney  and  counsel,  and  between  him  and  Mr.  Hill 
there  sprang  up  a  warm  and  lasting  friendship.  In 
1879,  in  company  with  Andrew  Carnegie,  Mr.  Hill 
went  to  New  York  to  arrange  for  the  completion  of 
the  railway  constructions  which  had  been  interrupted 
by  the  financial  panic  of  1878.  The  M.  I.  &  N.  R.  R. 
was  extended  by  Mr.  Hill  and  General  Drake  through 
two  more  counties  in  Iowa,  and  they  at  the  same  time 
organized  a  company  and  built  a  road  twenty-six  miles 
in  length  from  Albia  to  Centerville,  which  was  built 
and  sold  in  one  hundred  days  from  the  time  ground 
was  first  broken.  Up  to  that  time  this  was  an  unparal- 
leled feat  in  construction. 

In  1881,  Mr.  Hill  and  his  associates  disposed  of  both 
the  M.  I.  &  N.  and  T.  P.  &  W.  railways  to  the  Wabash 
system,  of  which  Jay  Gould  was  at  that  time  the  head 
and  controlling  power.  This  large  and  successful 
transaction  closed  Mr.  Hill's  railroad  enterprises,  and 
after  nearly  a  year  spent  in  California  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Minneapolis  with  the  intention  of 
retiring  from  active  business.  But  he  was  greatly 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


attracted  by  the  enterprise  of  the  community,  and, 
stimulated  by  the  indications  of  a  great  future  before 
it,  made  some  large  real  estate  investments.  He 
engaged  with  activity  in  the  organization  of  the  Flour 
City  National  bank  of  Minneapolis,  and  has  been  on  its 
board  of  directors  since  its  organization.  In  1891,  in 
connection  with  his  sons  and  Wallace  Campbell,  a 
nephew,  D.  D.  Farwell,  of  the  well  known  firm  of  J. 
V.  Farwell  &  Co.,  with  whom  Mr.  Hill  had  once  been 
connected,  he  established  the  bank  of  Hill,  Sons  & 
Co.,  of  which  he  is  the  president,  their  place  of  business 
being  in  the  Lumber  Exchange  building,  Minneapolis. 
The  life  of  Mr.  Hill  has  been  a  remarkable  one- 
With  a  record  of  nearly  fifty  years  of  active  business 


631 

life,  he  has  never  made  an  assignment  or  failed  to  meet 
his  obligations.  From  small  beginnings,  by  industry, 
good  habits,  perseverance  and  integrity  he  has  achieved 
rare  success.  His  business  associates,  among  whom 
are  some  of  the  foremost  men  of  the  country,  and  his 
social  friends  all  unite  in  their  admiration  and  high 
regard  for  him.  His  charities  and  benefactions, 
although  quiet  and  unobtrusive,  are  none  the  less  large. 
He  has  materially  aided  many  worthy  men  and  con- 
tributed liberally  to  deserving  charities.  Generous, 
honorable,  genial  and  large  hearted,  Mr.  Hill  still 
continues  his  active  life,  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  its 
well  earned  fruits,  high  in  the  esteem  of  his  friends  and 
associates,  loved  by  many  and  respected  by  all. 


HON.   THOMAS   A.   E.  WEADOCK, 


BAY  CITY,  MICHIGAN. 


THOMAS  A.  E.  WEADOCK,  son  of  Lewis  and 
Mary  (Cullen)  Weadock,  was  born  in  County 
Wexford,  Ireland,  on  the  1st  day  of  January,  1850. 
The  family  is  of  Flemish  origin,  although  for  many 
generations  it  has  been  very  prominent  in  County 
Wexford.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  Irish  Rebellion  of  1798,  and  his 
mother's  family  is  also  an  old  one  in  the  above  county, 
the  name  being  a  contraction  of  the  old  Irish  name 
"Cuchulin."  The  parents  of  Thomas  came  to  America 
in  1850,  and  located  on  a  farm  near  the  town  of  St. 
Mary's,  Ohio,  where  he  passed  the  early  years  of  his 
life.  He  attended  the  district  school,  and  also  the 
union  school  at  St.  Mary's,  although  to  attend  the 
latter  he  had  to  walk  three  miles  each  way.  After  his 
father's  death,  which  occurred  in  December,  1863, 
young  Weadock  had  to  leave  school,  and  attend  the 
management  of  the  farm,  as  he  was  the  eldest  son  at 
home,  his  brother  having  enlisted  in  the  Union  army 
in  1862.  During  the  time  that  he  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  farming  he  continued  a  course  of  home  study 
and  reading,  his  taste  for  reading  being  very  pro- 
nounced, and  he  devoted  all  his  spare  time  to  it.  His 
favorite  studies  were  biographical  works  and  history, 
which  opened  the  world  to  the  country  boy,  and  served 
to  otherwise  make  a  lonesome  life  delightful.  Young 
Weadock  managed  the  farm  until  his  brothers  returned 
from  the  army,  in  1865,  and  then  went  to  Cincinnati  in 
search  of  employment.  ,He  had  determined  to  be  a 
farmer,  but  decided  otherwise,  and  entered  a  printing 
office,  but  soon  tiring  of  it  he  engaged  for  some  months 
as  a  clerk,  after  which  he  returned  to  St.  Mary's  and 
attended  school,  and  for  five  years  carried  on  his  own 
studies  while  teaching  others.  Taking  the  money  so 
saved  he  entered  the  law  department  of  Michigan 
University  in  1871,  and  during  his  vacation  read  law 
in  Detroit,  where,  in  1872,  he  cast  his  first  ballot, 
voting  for  Horace  Greeley  for  president  of  the  United 


states.  He  graduated  as  Bachelor  of  Law  on  the 
26th  day  of  March,  1873,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Toledo,  Ohio,  in  June  of  that  year. 

He  intended  to  practice  in  Ohio,  but  it  so  happened 
that  he  returned  to  Michigan,  and  finally  located  at  Bay 
City,  which  place  he  reached  September  12,  1893,  and 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Bay  City  early  in  1874. 
and  for  a  time  was  associated  with  Graeme  M.  Wilson, 
the  firm's  name  being  Wilson  and  Weadock.  The 
partnership  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Wilson, 
which  occurred  in  1877.  On  the  12th  of  July,  1877, 
Mr.  Weadock  was  appointed  prosecuting  attorney  for 
Bay  county,  by  Judge  Sanford  M.  Green,  and  served 
in  that  capacity  until  December  31,  1878.  Mr. 
Weadock's  record  as  a  lawyer  is  a  clean  one,  and  shows 
marked  ability.  He  has  been  engaged  in  many  im- 
portant suits,  both  civil  and  criminal,  and  was  un- 
iformly successful  in  either  branch,  though  of  late  years 
he  has  given  up  criminal  practice,  and  devotes  his 
entire  attention  to  civil  business.  After  the  death  of 
his  first  partner  he  was  practically  alone  for  a  time, 
but  afterwards  he  took  as  his  partner  his  youngest 
brother,  John  C.  Weadock,  which  partnership  has  con- 
tinued to  the  present  time.  Ever  an  enthusiastic 
Democrat,  Mr. Weadock  has  taken  a  leading  part  in  the 
councils  of  his  party.  He  has  taken  the  stump  in  every 
campaign  since  1874;  has  attended  nearly  every 
State  convention;  was  chairman  of  the  Bay  City  con- 
vention in  1885,  and  the  Grand  Rapids  convention  in 
1892.  From  1883  to  1885  he  was  mayor  of  Bay  City, 
and  acted  as  ex-officio  chairman  of  the  police  com- 
mission, the  library  trustees,  etc.,  and  after  his  time  as 
mayor  expired  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  school 
board  In  1890,  his  party,  by  a  unanimous  vote, 
nominated  Mr.  Weadock  for  Congress,  and  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  his  predecessor  was  a  Republi- 
can, he  was  triumphantly  elected  by  a  plurality  of 


632 

1666  votes,  carrying  Bay  City  and  county  by  2149,  the 
largest  plurality  ever  given  to  a  congressional  can- 
didate in  the  district.  AVhile  serving  his  first  term  in 
Congress  Mr.  Weadock  was  on  the  committee  on 
rivers  and  harbors,  and  secured  legislation  peculiarly 
desirable  in  his  district,  and  was  very  active  in  securing 
an  increase  in  the  pay  of  the  men  in  the  life  saving 
service.  He  was  unanimously  renominated  in  1892, 
and  though  experiencing  a  bitter  opposition,  which 
from  its  cause  and  methods  gained  for  him  many  Re- 
publican votes,  he  was  re-elected  by  a  plurality  of  259 
in  a  total  of  31,000  votes  cast. 

Mr.  Weadock  was  reared  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  and  has  always  been  more  or  less  prominent  in*' 
church  affairs.  lie  was  a  delegate  to  the  Catholic 
Congress  held  at  Baltimore  in  1889,  and  that  held  at 
Chicago  in  1892,  and  is  the  author  of  the  historical 
papers  on  Father  Richard  of  Michigan,  delegate  from 
1823  to  1825.  and  the  only  Catholic  priest  ever  elected 
to  Congress,  and  on  Father  Marquette,  the  missionary 
explorer.  Both  of  these  papers  were  read  before  the 
United  States  Catholio  Historical  Society  at  New  York 
City,  and  attracted  widespread  though  favorable  criti- 
cism. In  1874  Mr.  AVeadock  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  Ellen  Tarsney,  of  Saginaw,  Mich.,  who  was 
born  in  Michigan  of  Irish  parents.  She  comes  from  a 
family  that  has  given  to  the  world  their  sons  who  have 
gained  name  and  fame  in  the  history  of  the  country. 
All  are  lawyers  by  profession,  and  all  have  gained 
political  distinction.  Hon.  T.  E.  Tarsney,  now  of 
Detroit,  represented  the  Eighth  district  of  Michigan  in 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


the  Forty -ninth  and  Fiftieth  Congress.  Hon.  John  C. 
Tarsney,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  who  is  now  serving  his 
third  congressional  term,  and  Hon.  Thomas  J.  Tarsney, 
of  Denver,  is  adjutant-general  of  Colorado.  Mrs. 
Weadock  died  on  the  llth  day  of  March,  1889,  leaving 
six  children,  three  sons  arid  three  daughters,  the  eldest 
son,  Thomas  J.,  being  a  freshman  in  Georgetown  Uni- 
versity, at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  Weadock  has  always  been  a  public  spirited  cit- 
izen, and  has  always  assisted  to  the  extent  of  his  ability 
in  every  enterprise  that  would  tend  to  advance  local 
interests.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Com- 
mercial Bank  of  Bay  City,  and  has  been  a  director  and 
"the  bank's  attorney  from  that  time  to  the  present.  He 
does  not  belong  to  an}'  of  the  secret  societies,  although 
a  member  of  two  benevolent  associations.  Being  of 
Irish  birth  Mr.  Weadock  has  always  taken  a  great 
interest  in  Ireland's  struggles  for  freedom  and  self- 
government.  He  was  president  of  the  Bay  City  Land 
League ;  the  Bay  City  St.  Patrick's  Society, and  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians,  and  was  a  delegate  to  -the  Irish 
National  Convention  in  1881.  Mr.  Weadock  is  a  man 
of  pleasing  personal  appearance,  being  of  medium 
height,  weighs  about  160  pounds,  and  has  light  hair  and 
mustache  and  grey  eyes.  He  enjoys  the  best  of  health, 
and  for  many  years  has  not  used  intoxicating  liquors  in 
any  shape.  He  has  many  friends  with  whom  he  is 
deservedly  popular.  His  position  has  been  gained  by 
his  own  efforts,  and  he  fully  deserves  the  credit  accord- 
ed to  those,  who,  by  their  own  ability,  energy  and 
industry  have  gained  high  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 


NAPOLEON    B.  MERRITT, 

DULUTH,  MINNESOTA. 


NAPOLEON  B.  MERRITT,  son  of  Lewis  Howell 
and  Hephzibeth  (Jewett)  Merritt,  was  born  at 
Hanover,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  16th  day 
of  April,  1834.  His  youth  was  spent  in  much  the  same 
manner  as  fell  to  the  lot  of  other  boys  of  that  time  and 
in  a  new  country.  His  schoolboy  days  were  mixed 
with  many  days  of  hard  work,  and  in  his  home  life  the 
fare,  though  plenty,  was  plain.  A  careful,  conscien- 
tious training  in  religion,  temperance  and  morals  was 
one  of  the  features  of  his  every  day  life.  His  early 
education  was  acquired  in  the  country  district  schools, 
but  after  he  had  reached  manhood's  estate  he  attended 
for  two  terms  the  Grand  River  Institute  in  Ohio. 
Under  his  father's  supervision  he  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter  and  millwright,  and  when  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  he  went  to  what  is  now  the  site  of 
Duluth,  Minn.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, hoping  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  successful  future, 
for  even  at  that  time  the  possibilities  of  the  location 
for  becoming  a  large  manufacturing  and  shipping 
center  were  apparent  to  him,  on  account  of  its  geo-S 


graphical  position,  it  being  at  the  very   head  of  the 
deep  water  navigation  on  the  inland  seas. 

In  November,  1859,  Mr.  Merritt  removed  to  Ash  ta- 
bula county,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  the  milling 
business.  He  remained  in  this  place  for  four  years  and 
then  went  to  Warren  counry,  Penn..  in  order  to  accept 
a  position  as  superintendent  of  some  oil  property  con- 
trolled by  a  Philadelphia  syndicate,  and  who  had 
offered  for  his  services  a  salary  of  $130  per  month. 
He  remained  in  the  position  until  the  spring  of  1866, 
then  removing  to  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  where  he  engaged 
in  business,  experiencing  the  variable  fortune  that  falls 
to  the  lot  of  business  men,  sometimes  making  money 
and  at  others  losing.  In  November,  1869,  he  returned 
to  Duluth,  being  attracted  by  the  promising  outlook 
consequent  upon  the  building  of  the  St.  Paul,  Duluth 
and  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  He  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  and  was  uniformly  successful,  until  the 
depression  of  business  caused  by  the  failure  of  Jay 
.Cooke,  when  he  sold  out,  and  in  the  fall  of  1872  moved 
Ito  Atchison  county,  Mo.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T   WEST. 


and  stock  raising,  which  he  carried  on  with  great 
success  until  the  summer  of  1888.  He  then  returned 
to  his  first  love,  Duluth,  Avhere  with  his  brother  and 
his  sons  he  commenced  the  exploration  and  develop- 
ment of  the  "  Great  Missaba  Eange,"  in  forming  com- 
panies to  develop  the  property  and  in  building  the 
Duluth,  Missaba  and  Northern  Eailway.  Among  the 
companies  formed  by  him  may  be  mentioned  the 
Mountain  Iron  Co.,  the  Biwabik  Iron  Co.,  Great 
Northern  Mining  Co,,  and  the  Great  Western  Mining 
Co.  In  the  building  of  the  railroad  the  company  for  a 
time  experienced  great  difficulties  and  were  always 
confronted  with  the  opposition  of  rival  companies,  all 
of  which  has  now  been  done  away.  The  property  is 
universally  recognized  as  one  of  the  greatest  iron 
ranges  in  the  world  and  is  on  a  solid  and  paying  basis. 

Politically,  Mr.  Merritt  has  been  a  Republican 
since  the  formation  of  that  party,  and  before  that,  in 
common  with  all  of  the  family,  he  was  a  Whig.  He 
has  never  dabbled  much  in  politics,  however,  although 
during  the  four  years  of  his  residence  in  Ohio,  he  held 
the  office  of  township  treasurer,  and  for  five  years  in 
Missouri  that  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  that  of 
county  assessor  for  three  years.  During  the  war  Mr. 
Merritt  held  a  commission  as  Captain  of  Company  D, 
2nd  Ohio  Volunteer  State  Guards,  serving  from  1862 
to  1865. 

He  has  long  been  connected  with  railroads  and 
railroad  building,  having  been  right-of-way  agent  for 
the  St.  Louis  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  (now  Wabash 
&  Northern)  in  1878,  and  was  connected  with  the  Bur- 
lington &  Missouri  River  Railroad  when  it  was  built 
through  Iowa  in  1878  and  1879.  He  is  now  president 
of  the  Great  Western  Mining  Company,  a  director  of 
the  Duluth,  Missaba  &  Northern  Railroad,  and  of  the 


635 

Iron  Exchange  Bank  of  Duruth.  Mr.  Merritt  has  trav- 
eled extensively  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada  and  has  a  large  circle  of  warm  friends  in  many 
of  the  Middle  and  Western  States,  especially  in  Ohio, 
Pennsylvania.  Missouri,  Minnesota,  Iowa,  Kansas  and 
Nebraska.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  is  an  earnest  worker  and  a  liberal  giver  in 
the  cause  both  of  Christianity  and  charity.  This  char- 
acteristic is  one  that  belongs  to  the  whole  family,  and 
is  the  result  of  the  home  training  received  from  their 
earliest  youth. 

On  the  Uth  of  October,  1857,  Mr.  Merritt  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  Hulda  Holman,  in 
Ashtabula  county,  Ohio.  She  was  a  lady  of  good  edu- 
cation and  of  more  than  ordinary  address,  with  marked 
executive  ability,  and  possessed  a  disposition  that 
caused  her  to  be  beloved  by  all.  Seven  children,  five 
sons  and  two  daughters,  blessed  this  union,  of  whom 
four  sons  now  survive,  and  are  well  known  as  capable 
and  energetic  business  men.  Mrs.  Merritt  died  in 
April,  1881,  and  on  May  1st,  1882,  Mr.  Merritt  was 
again  married ;  this  time  to  Miss  Matilda  Tannar 
Cranston,  at  Hanover,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Merritt  is  a  fine  specimen  of  physical  manhood, 
and  notwithstanding  his  age,  is  possessed  of  remarkable 
strength  and  vigor.  He  is  a  man  who  has  made  many 
friends,  and,  moreover,  has  the  gift  that  is  even  more 
valuable,  that  of  keeping  them.  Aside  from  his  own 
personal  endeavors,  steady  application  and  "hard  work, 
Mr.  Merritt  says  that  his  present  prosperity  is  due,  more 
than  to  any  other  cause,  to  the  harmony  in  which  the 
entire  family  have  always  worked  together,  their 
parents  having  taught  them  from  early  youth  that  the 
greatest  strength  was  always  to  be  found  in  the  most 
perfect  unity. 


CLARENDON   RUTHERFORD,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  C.  M., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


/CLARENDON  RUTHERFORD,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  C. 
v_>  M.,  was  born  in  Madrid,  St.  Lawrence  County, 
New  York,  June  22,  1854.  He  is  a  son  of  Maj.  John 
T.  and  Belinda  Evelyn  Rutherford.  His  great-grand- 
father Rutherford  came  from  Jed  burgh,  Scotland,  and 
settled  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1818.  His 
grandfather  Casselman  came  from  Germany  and  settled 
in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  New  York  State,  before  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  fought  in  that  struggle.  Young 
Rutherford  was  fitted  for  college  at  the  Waddington 
High  School,  and  entered  Hobart  College  in  1872,  where 
he  remained  until  1875.  He  then  entered  Union  Col- 
lege at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  graduated  as  A.  B.,  in 
18^76,  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  A.,  "  in  course,"  in 
1879.  He  taught  in  Waddington,  N.  Y.,  for  two  years, 
while  taking  special  courses  of  study  in  botany,  history 
and  moral  philosophy,  branches  in  which  he  acquired 


special  distinction  ;  so  that,  while  he  is  a  physician  and 
surgeon,  he  is  more,  having  broadened  his  mind  and 
enriched  his  experiences  in  the  larger  field  of  a  more 
comprehensive  philosophy.  He  then  took  the  four  year 
course  at  the  McGill  Medical  College,  at  Montreal, 
graduating  in  March,  1882,  receiving  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  and  Master  of  Surgery.  As  a 
further  preparation  for  his  profession,  he  took  a  post- 
graduate course  in  Montreal  and  coming  to  Chicago  in 
September  of  the  same  year,  at  once  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  medicine.  Dr.  Rutherford  is  a  member  of 
the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  of  the  Illinois  State  Med- 
ical Society,  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  a 
Fellow  of  the  American  Academv  of  Medicine.  Profes- 
sor of  Descriptive  Anatomy  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  of  Chicago,  and  was  formerly  one  of  the 
attending  physicians  at  the  Chicago  Policlinic,  before 


636 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


being  elected  to  a  chair  in  the  college.  He  was  elected 
Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  of  Chicago,  in  1888. 

Prof.  Rutherford  was  the  first  anatomical  teacher 
in  the  "West  who  taught  anatomy  from  the  standpoint 
of  biology,  it  being  his  wont  to  illustrate  the  devel- 
opment of  organs  by  showing  their  simpler  structure 
in  lower  forms  of  animal  life.  From  this  humble  be- 
ginning has  sprung  up  the  chair  of  biology  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  This  depart- 


ment is  the  most  thorough  of  any  medical  institution 
in  the  country.  Embryology  and  comparative  anatomy 
are  now  taught  thoroughly. 

In  May,  1885,  Dr.  Rutherford  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Jessie  Haiselden,  of  Chicago.  One  child 
— a  daughter,  Bessie  Evelyn,  has  been  born  to  them. 
Dr.  Rutherford  is  a  Jeff ersonian  in  politics;  a  Mason 
and  an  Odd  Fellow;  an  Evolutionist  in  Philosophy  ;  an 
Episcopalian  in  religion,  and  takes  a  lively  interest  in 
political  economy,  sociology,  and  anthropology. 


HUGH    GALBRAITH    HARRISON, 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


HUGH  GALBRAITH  HARRISON,  son  of  Rev. 
Thomas  and  Margaret  Harrison,  was  born  at 
Belleville,  111.,  on  the  23rd  day  of  April,  1822.  His 
father  was  a  minister,  who  left  his  home  in  North  Car- 
olina and  settled  in  the  wilderness  four  miles  from 
Belleville,  111.,  in  1804,  where  he  opened  up  a  farm  and 
reared  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  also  started  a  mill 
and  thus  became  the  pioneer  miller  of  the  Mississippi 
valley.  His  first  venture  in  this  business  was  an  ox- 
mill  at  Belleville,  which  he  purchased  in  1826  for  the 
consideration  of  $300.  Five  years  later  he  moved  with 
his  family  into  Belleville,  and  then  put  into  his  mill  the 
first  steam  engine  set  up  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  A 
new  and  large  mill  was  built  in  1836,  and  it  remained 
in  operation  until  it  was  burned  up,  together  with 
some  five  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  and  five 
hundred  barrels  of  flour.  .Notwithstanding  that 
there  was  not  a  dollars  worth  of  insurance  on  the 
property,  it  was  rebuilt  during  the  next  year  on  a 
larger  scale,  as*  was  made  necessary  by  the  growing 
popularity  of  the  product  of  the  "Harrison  Mills"  at 
Belleville. 

Hugh  G.  Harrison  was  educated  at  McKendree 
College,  at  Lebanon,  111.,  and  after  graduating  was 
associated  with  his  father  and  brothers  in  the  milling 
business.  In  1860  he  and  two  of  his  brothers,  Thomas 
A.  and  William,  went  to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where 
they  engaged  in  business  and  each  built  a  fine  resi- 
dence. That  of  Hugh  G.  was  built  on  the  double 
block  at  what  is  now  Nicollet  and  Eleventh  streets, 
but  at  that  time  was  far  beyond  the  built  up  portion 
of  the  city,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  thicket  of  hazel 
brush.  It  has  since  been  the  family  homestead,  and 
is  to-day  one  of  the  most  admired  residences  in  the 
city.  For  many  years  the  brothers  carried  on  their 
business  in  common,  but  after  a  time  they  sep- 
arated more  and  more,  each  following  his  individual 
taste  and  judgment  in  seeking  investments.  They 
were  among  the  original  stockholders  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  St.  Paul,  and  were  also  largely  inter- 
ested in  the  St.  Paul  and  Sioux  City  railroad. 

In  1862  they  built  on  the  corner  of  Nicollet  and 


Washington  avenues  the  stone  building  which  still 
stands  there.  At  that  time  it  was  the  most  imposing 
edifice  in  Minneapolis,  and  its  hall  for  many  years  was 
the  audience  room  for  public  meetings  and  concerts. 
In  1863  they  associated  themselves  with  Joseph  Dean 
in  the  lumber  business,  the  firm  name  being  Joseph 
Dean  &  Co.,  and  for  the  following  fifteen  years  this 
firm  was  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  city.  They 
bought  timber  lands  and  purchased  and  rebuilt  a  large 
saw-mill  at  the  mouth  of  Bassett's  Creek,  where  they 
converted  their  logs  into  lumber.  Later  they  built  the 
Pacific  mill,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  just  above 
the  suspension  bridge,  which  was  without  exception 
the  largest  and  best  equipped  saw-mill  in  that  region. 
In  1877  the  firm  dissolved  partnership,  and  the  Security 
Bank  was  organized,  having  a  larger  capital  than  any 
other  bank  in  the  city,  with  T.  A  Harrison  as  president, 
Hugh  G.  Harrison  as  vice-president,  and  Joseph  Dean 
as  cashier.  The  bank  was  prosperous  from  the  start, 
and  its  capital  was  increased  from  time  to  time  until  it 
became  $1,000,000,  while  deposits  amounted  to  $6,000,- 
000.  Upon  the  death  of  his  brother,  which  occurred 
October  27,  1887,  Mr.  Hugh  Harrison  was  elected 
president,  and  filled  this  position  until  the  close  of  his 
own  life,  August  10,  1891.  Mr.  Harrison  was  always 
foremost  in  every  enterprise  relating  to  the  growth 
and  well  being  of  the  city  of  his  adoption,  and  for 
many  years  during  the  formative  and  constructive  per- 
iod of  the  school  system  he  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  one  of  its  most  faithful  and  effective 
workers,  and  to  his  wise  judgment  Minneapolis  owes 
much  of  its  valuable  school  property  of  to-day.  He 
was  also  the  trustee  of  the  (Kirby)  Spencer  estate, 
which  became  the  foundation  of  the  public  library. 
Mr.  Harrison  was  a  careful  student  of  political  ques- 
tions, though  not  a  politician  in  the  ordinary  sense  of 
the  term.  In  1868  he  was  mayor  of  Minneapolis,  and 
gave  the  young  city  a  careful,  capable  and  clean 
administration  that  was  no  small  help  to  her  growth. 
Besides  the  business  before  mentioned,  Mr.  Harrison 
founded  the  grocery  house  of  B.  S.  Bull  &  Co.,  and 
later  that  of  Geo.  R.  Newell  &  Co.  He  was  one  of  the 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


largest  subscribers  to  and  one  of  the  first  directors  of 
the  Minneapolis  Exposition,  and  always  took  a  deep 
interest  in  Hamline  University,  to  which  he  also  con- 
tributed large  sums  of  money.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  vice-president  of  the  Minneapolis  Trust 
Company. 

Mr.  Harrison  was  a  lifelong  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist church  and  was  for  years  a  trustee  of  Hennepin 
Avenue  M.  E.  church  of  Minneapolis.  He  was  always 
generous  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  church,  and 
an  appeal  for  charity  was  never  addressed  to  him  in 
vain.  He  was  always  a  student  and  had  traveled  ex- 
tensively both  in  this  country  and  abroad.  He  was  a 


639 

great  lover  of  good  music,  broad-minded  and  liberal  in 
every  way,  and  to  the  young  man  struggling  for  a 
start  he  was  ever  ready  to  extend  a  helping  hand,  the 
only  stipulations  attached  to  his  help  being  appreciation 
and  non-publicity. 

On  the  8th  day  of  December,  1847,  Mr.  Harrison 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Irene  Amelia  Kobinson, 
at  Belleville,  111.  The  union  was  blessed  by  five  sons, 
all  now  living,  and  prosperous  and  respected  business 
men.  Mrs.  Harrison  died  on  the  13th  day  of  August, 
1876,  and  on  the  25th  of  October,  1877,  he  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wood  Hunt,  who  with  her  daughter, 
Helen  Louise,  and  Mr.  Harrison's  five  sons,  survives  him. 


HON.  JOHN    P.  ALTGELD, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  P.  ALTGELD  was  born  in  Germany,  De- 
cember 30,  1847,  and  came  to  thiscountry  with  his 
parents  when  only  a  child.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm 
in  Richland  county,  Ohio.  His  elementary  education, 
in  his  early  days,  was  very  limited.  In  1864,  when 
sixteen  years  of  age,  he  joined  the  Union  army  and 
participated  in  the  James  river  campaign.  Subsequently 
he  taught  school  for  a  time,  and  in  1869  went  West.  At 
this  time  young  Altgeld  met  and  overcame  the  great 
struggle  of  his  life.  With  a  scant  supply  of  money,  he 
traveled  on  foot  across  Southern  Illinois  and  when, 
after  many  privations,  he  reached  the  Mississippi  river, 
opposite  St.  Louis,  he  had  only  fifteen  cents  left.  With 
this  he  paid  five  cents  ferry-boat  fare,  and  a  like  sum 
for  a  still  more  unfortunate  fellow  traveler,  and  then 
balanced  and  closed  his  account  by  buying  writing 
paper  and  a  postage  stamp  with  the  remainder.  He 
worked  for  some  time  in  St.  Louis  and  then  went  to 
Southern  Kansas,  where  he  was  taken  sick  and  had  a 
severe  struggle.  After  his  recovery  he  went  to  north- 
western Missouri,  where  he  taught  school  and  studied 
law. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872.  He  was  soon 
after  appointed  city  attorney  of  Savannah  and  after- 
wards elected  state's  attorney  of  Andrew  county.  His 
success  in  these  public  positions  and  his  ability  as  a 
lawyer  made  him  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  that 
section  of  the  State.  In  1875,  desiring  a  larger  field 
for  his  labors,  he  removed  to  Chicago.  When  hearrived 
in  this  city  he  was  an  entire  stranger.  He  soon  built  up 
a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  and  was  engaged  in  some 
of  the  most  notable  cases  that  came  before  the  Cook 
county  bench.  In  1884,  he  ran  for  Congress  in  the 
fourth  district,  and  reduced  the  Republican  majority  by 
several  thousand,  but  was  defeated  ;  he  however,  made 
a  great  reputation  as  a  campaigner. 

In  1886  Mr.  Altgeld  was  nominated  for  judge  of 
the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  county  by  the  Democratic 
party,  and  was  elected  by  an  overwhelming  majority. 


As  a  judge  he  proved  himself  fearless,  independent 
and  impartial ;  his  decisions  were  clear,  laconic  and 
comprehensive,  and  gave  proof  of  much  care,  study 
and  legal  knowledge.  His  energy  and  industry  were 
remarkable,  and  won  for  him  the  highest  encomiums 
of  the  press,  the  people  and  the  profession. 

After  discharging  the  duties  of  his  high  office  with 
the  utmost  satisfaction  for  five  years,  Judge  Altgeld 
astonished  every  one  by  tendering  his  resignation  to 
the  governor.  The  judge  assured  his  friends  that  the 
claims  of  his  private  business  only  could  force  him  to 
retire  from  the  position  to  which  they  had  elevated 
him.  The  duties  of  a  judge,  he  said,  were  not  only 
onerous,  but  unceasing,  and  he  would  not  occupy  the 
position  unless  he  could  give  it  his  undivided  attention. 
The  people  deserve,  and  should  receive,  the  fullest 
services  of  those  whom  the}'  select  for  a  high  and  im- 
portant office.  In  1890  he  was  made  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Superior  Court.  In  the  general  election  of  1892, 
Jduge  Altgeld  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
governor  of  Illinois,  and  was  elected  by  a  big  majority, 
which  office  he  still  holds. 

Governor  Altgeld  is  recognized  as  an  able  exponent 
of  the  principles  of  his  party,  who  in  both  his  public 
and  professional  life  is  earnest,  original  and  practical. 
He  is  a  quiet  man  who  prefers  action  to  talk,  and  who 
believes  that  social  and  industrial  reforms  are  more 
readily  effected  by  business  methods  than  by  the  most 
eloquent  post-prandial  orations.  His  arguments  are 
clear,  concise  and  convincing,  and  his  thoughts  are 
occasionally  clothed  in  the  choicest  language,  and 
adorned  by  an  unstudied  and  captivating  rhetoric. 

Judge  Altgeld  has,  during  the  last  ten  years,  built 
some  of  the  finest  mercantile  office  buildings  of  this 
citv,  among  \vhieh  may  be  cited  Unity  Building,  one 
of  the  finest  building  of  its  class  in  the  world.  Amid 
his  manv  business  and  professional  duties  he  has  not 
forgotten  or  neglected  the  studious  habits  of  early  life, 
for  we  find  him  in  these  latter  busy  days  devoting  him- 


640 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


self  occasionally  to  literature.  "Our  Penal  Machinery 
and  its  Victims,"  "  Live  Questions,"  and  papers  on 
various  topics  of  the  day,  are  from  his  pen.  When  tired 
of  law  and  business  he  falls  back  to  his  early  friend — 
study.  He  is  fond  of  travel,  and  has  visited  nearly 
every  place  of  interest  in  North  America.  He  was 
married  in  1877  to  Miss  Ford,  of  Richland  county, 
Ohio.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Germania  Mannerchor 
and  Iroquois  club.  He  is  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  fine 


physical  development,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  good 
health.  His  expressive  features  reflect  a  calm,  thought- 
ful and  active  intelligence,  and  impress  one  with  the 
dignity,  strength  and  reserve  of  an  original  mind.  If 
strong  sympathy  and  active  co-operation  with  every 
movement  for  the  benefit  of  the  masses,  and  a  broad  and 
liberal  spirit,  guiding  great  and  generous  efforts, 
deserve  recognition,  then  shall  an  honorable  and  irre- 
proachable career  be  rewarded  by  a  grateful  people. 


GILBERT  WHEELER  ROE, 


OSHKOSH,  WISCONSIN. 


THE  career  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  enters  as  a 
very  large  and  important  element  into  the  finan- 
cial growth  and  material  prosperity  of  the  thriving 
city  of  Oshkosh,  Wis.  For  thirty -seven  years,  more  than 
a  generation,  he  has  been  known  to  all  throughout  the 
country  as  the  eminent  representative  of  sound  banking 
and  the  promoter  of  the  best  financial  interests  which 
have  had  their  center  in  that  city.  Bringing  to  the 
business  which  he  there  helped  to  establish  in  1858  a 
half  dozen  years  of  previous  experience  in  banking 
practice,  he  has  by  untiring  energy,  mature  judgment, 
well  directed  enterprise  and  a  high  order  of  ability,  all 
joined  to  conservative  methods,  made  not  only  a  name 
in  the  financial  world,  of  which  he  may  well  be  proud, 
but  he  has  been  a  credit  to  his  .city  and  State,  and  a 
power  in  the  building  up  of  its  fortunes. 

.  Gilbert  Wheeler  Roe  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Warwick,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  his  father  being 
Joseph  Roe,  a  merchant  of  that  place,  and  his  mother 
Harriet  (Wheeler)  Roe,  a  woman  of  many  lovable 
qualities.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  afterward  con- 
tinued at  the  Warwick  Academy,  which  for  several 
months  he  attended,  and  where  he  made  creditable 
progress.  He  also,  with  a  class  of  young  men,  attended 
for  two  years  a  high  school  under  the  teaching  of  Prof. 
John  K.  Joline,  and  had  the  advantage  of  a  public 
library  in  the  store  of  500  volumes.  His  first  business 
experience,  after  leaving  school,  was  as  a  clerk  in  his 
father's  store  in  Warwick,  succeeded  in  a  short  time  by 
the  management  of  a  store  of  his  own  in  Edenville,  N. 
Y.,  which  for  three  years  he  conducted  with  success. 
The  young  merchant  found,  however,  that  the  close 
confinement  to  the  business  of  a  village  store,  together 
with  the  long  hours  involved,  was  a  severe  strain  upon 
his  health  and  strength,  and  being  offered  the  position 
of  teller  in  the  bank  of  Chester,  N.  Y.,  he  accepted  and 
entered  upon  its  duties,  which  he  discharged  witli  fidel- 
ity for  some  five  or  six  years. 

At  the  end  of  this  time  he  decided  to  indulge  his 
desire  for  a  broader  field  of  activity  than  was  then 
presented  in  the  East,  and  came  to  the  growing  West. 
His  first  venture  an  this  undeveloped  country  was  made 


at  Milwaukee,  where,  with  Mr.  Thomas  T.  Reeve,  a 
private  banking  business  was  established,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Reeve  and  Roe,  their  banking  rooms  being  loca- 
ted on  East  Water  street.  This  business  was  successfully 
conducted  until  1858,  wh^n,  in  November  of  that  year, 
Messrs.  Reeves  and  Roe  bought  out  the  entire  interests 
of  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Oshkosh,  Wis.  That  the 
Milwaukee  enterprise  was  managed  with  rare  ability, 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  during  the  severe  strain  on 
banking  institutions  caused  by  the  panic  of  1857,  in- 
volving the  entire  country,  the  bank  of  Messrs.  Reeve 
and  Roe  rode  the  storm  successfully. 

Removing  to  Oshkosh,  to  enter  upon  the  administra- 
tion of  the  affairs  of  the  commercial  bank,  Messrs. 
Reeve  and  Roe  have  ever  since  remained  in  control  of 
its  management  during  the  successive  stages  of  its 
history  as  a  private  banking  house,  as  a  National  and 
as  a  State  bank.  During  all  this  time  it  has  been 
known  as  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Oshkosh.  Septem- 
ber 1,  1880,  is  the  date  of  the  charter  under  which  the 
bank  is  now  conducted.  Since  1858  Mr.  Roe  has  served 
twenty-two  years  as  its  cashier,  and  is  now  in  his  fourth 
year  as  its  president,  and  has  served  twelve  years  as  its 
vice-president,  making  a  continuous  banking  record  of 
forty-three  years  since  he  assumed  the  position  as  teller 
of  the  bank  of  Chester,  N.  Y. 

During  this  extended  -experience,  Mr.  Roe  has  en- 
countered many  financial  storms  and  has  been  through 
critical  periods,but  has  always  paid  dollar  for  dollar  on 
his  liabilities,  and  paid  every  claim  at  maturity.  This  is 
high  praise  for  any  man  so  situated,  and  well  illustrates 
Mr.  Roe's  financial  ability  and  integrity.  His  career  as 
a  financier  has  from  the  first  been  characterized  by  a 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  men,  a  clear  recognition 
of  the  needs  of  the  public,  and  by  conscientious  activity 
and  unflagging  determination. 

Although  Mr.  Roe's  time  and  energies  have  been 
given  chiefly  to  the  banking  business,  he  has  been  in- 
terested in  other  enterprises,  from  time  to  time,  more 
especially  in  the  ownership  of  valuable  pine  and  other 
timber  and  farm  lands.  Of  these  lands  he  is  a  large 
holder  in  the  State  of  Arkansas,  Georgia  and  Wiscon- 
sin, as  well  as  Michigan.  He  is  at  the  present  time 


MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


vice-president  of  the  Oshkosh  Log  and  Lumber  Co., 
\vhicho\vnsnearlyt\vohundred  million  feet  of  stand- 
ing timber  in  the  upper  peninsula  of  Michigan. 

Mr.  Roe  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss  Elizabeth  C. 
Clark,  daughter  of  Judge  Hulet  Clark  and  Etneline 
Greenleaf  Cla'rk,  of  West  Tower,  Orange  county,  New 
York,  and  they  have  two  children,  William  J.  Roe, 
and  Lizzie,  the  latter  the  wife  of  Dr.  Arthur  J.  Bur- 
gess, of  Milwaukee.  In  social  life  Mr.  Roe  is  genial 
and  courteous,  but  has  always  been  too  much  devoted 
to  business  affairs  to  shine  as  a  prominent  "society 
man."  He  is,  however,  alwa\rs  companionable,  easily 
approached,  and  has  a  large  circle  of  steadfast  friends 
who  value  his  friendship  and  often  seek  and  profit  by 
his  kind  advice.  He  has  spent  considerable  time  in 
travel,  having  visited,  in  company  with  his  family, 
most  parts  of  the  United  States,  and,  at  one  time  spent 
more  than  a  3Tear  making  a  tour  of  England,  central  and 
southern  Europe,  Turkey,  Asia  and  Morocco.  As  a 
traveler  he  is  a  close  observer,  and,  while  thoroughly 
enjoying  his  journeyings  for  the  pleasure  they  bring, 
does  not  fail  to  enrich  his  knowledge  of  men  and 
things  thereby. 


643 

In  politics  Mr.  Roe -is  a  Republican,  having  in  his 
early  life  been  a  Whig.  He  has  been  far  too  busy  a 
man  to  enter,  however,  into  political  life  as  an  office- 
bearer, but  has  never  failed  to  interest  himself  in  good 
government,  locally,  and  in  the  State  and  Nation, 
rightly  believing  that  the  duty  of  every  loyal  citizen 
requires  him  to  keep  well  informed  on  all  current 
issues  of  the  day  and  to  vote  for  the  right  principles 
administered  by  the  right  men.  In  his  religious  pre- 
dilections, he  is  a  Congregationalist,  being  a  regular 
attendant  of  the  Congregational  church  at  his  home. 

Whether  considered  with  reference  to  his  charac- 
teristics and  innate  qualities  as  a  man,  personally,  or 
with  reference  to  his  career  in  its  relation  to  the  public 
anil  the  good  of  his  fellow  men,  Mr.  Roe  easily  rises 
above  the  rank  and  file  and  stands  forth  as  a  leader. 

In  his  chosen  field,  few  men,  with  similar  oppor- 
tunities, have  during  the  same  period,  accomplished  so 
much  ;  and  to  few  men  has  it  been  given  to  look  back 
upon  so  long  a  life  of  usefulness,  conscious  of  the  cordial 
approval  of  his  fellow  citizens,  both  as  a  man  of  integ- 
rity and  as  a  promoter  of  the  material  prosperity  of 
the  city  of  his  adoption. 


JOHN  TASCHER,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  TASCHER,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
Tascher,  was  born  at  Freisenheim,  Baden,  Ger- 
many, December  27,  1851.  His  parents  came  to 
America  in  185i  and  settled  in  Peoria  county,  111.,  and 
later,  in  1865,  on  a  farm  in  Iroquois  county,  where 
they  still  live. 

Young  Tascher  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, later  graduating  at  the  International  Business 
College,  at  Peoria,  111.  In  1873  he  entered  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  School,  remaining  two  years,  teaching 
school  during  the  summer  months.  Early  in  1875  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  under  L.  W.  Critzer,  M. 
D.,  eclectic  physician,  at  Crescent  City,  111.  In  1876 
he  entered  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati, 
graduating  in  May,  1878.  He  then  practiced  until 
October,  1879,  at  Martinton,  111.,  and  then  entered  the 
Bennett  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  graduating  in 
1880.  After  graduating  he  commenced  the  practice  of 
medicine,  continuing  same  ever  since,  and  is  now  hav- 
ing a  large  and  lucrative  practice.'  In  1880  he  was 
elected  Professor  of  Anatomy  of  the  Bennett  Medical 
College.  Filling  that  position  for  three  terms,  he 
resigned  in  1884  on  account  of  his  growing  practice, 
and  was  immediately  elected  Professor  of  Diseases  of 
Children,  which  position  he  held  until  1891,  when  the 
Board  elected  him  to  the  chair  of  Materia  Medica  and 
therapeutics,  which  position  he  still  holds.  In  1882  he 
was  elected  trustee  and  in  1889  treasurer  of  the  board 
of  trustees,  which  position  he  still  fills. 


In  1889,  eclectic  physicians  of  Cook  county  were 
accorded  recognition  on  the  Cook  County  Hospital 
staff  and  Dr.  Tascher  was  assigned  to  the  medical 
department,  continuing  until  1892,  when  he  was  as- 
signed to  the  gynaecological  department,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  holds. 

Mr.  Tascher  is  of  an  inventive  turn  of  mind.  In 
1886  he  invented  an  intubation  tube,  which  is  fully 
described  in  the  June  number  of  the  Chicago  Medical 
Times  of  that  year.  In  1893  he  invented  a  magazine 
camera  for  handling  glass  plates  and  loading  same 
without  entering  a  dark  room. 

Dr.  Tascher  has  done  quite  well  in  his  real  estate 
holdings.  He  was  one  of  the  physicians  appointed  to 
solicit  subscriptions  from  physicians  of  Chicago  for  the 
World's  Fair. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  F.,  and  was  elected 
high  medical  examiner  in  1SS7.  Has  been  a  member 
of  the  II.  D.  S.  since  1883,  and  of  the  R.  A.  since  1887, 
and  of  the  R.  L.  since  1886.  and  was  the  first  archer 
of  the  Schiller  Council.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Ashlar  Lodge  No.  308,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

In  1891  he  made  atrip  abroad,  visiting  the  princi- 
pal cities  of  England,  Belgium,  Prussia,  France,  Swit- 
zerland, Austria,  Bohemia,  and  his  birth  place. 
Although  on  a  pleasure  trip  the  doctor  made  it  a  point 
to  visit  the  principal  hospitals  and  clinics  with  a  view 
to  benefit,  professionally. 

He  attends  the  Lutheran  church  and  is  known  to  be 


644 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


quite  liberal  in  his  views.     In   politics  he  has  always 
been  a  Republican. 

Dr.  Tascher  was  united  in   marriage  December  23, 
1880,  to  Miss  Clara  Oesting,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass. 


Three  children  were  born  to  them  :  Irnia,  John  Ralph, 
and  Beatrice.  Dr.  Tascher  is  a  man  of  medium  height 
and  weight,' dark  complexion,  of  genial  disposition, 
quite  domestic  in  his  tastes  and  habits. 


GYSBERT  VAN  STEENWYK, 

LA  CROSSE,  WISCONSIN. 


TO  a  considerable  majority  of  the  men  who  have 
won  distinction  in  that  portion  of  our  country 
which  a  generation  ago  was  the  "Western  borderland, 
certain  well  defined  conditions  are  common.  Those 
upon  whom  the  real  pioneer  work  has  fallen  were 
endowed  with  few  early  advantages  save  the  hardy 
physique  and  steadfast  mind  acquired  by  a  toilsome 
and  somewhat  narrow  life  from  youth  up.  They 
found  their  opportunities  in  the  resources  of  the 
country,  and  attained  wealth  and  some  measure  of 
preferment  in  advanced  life  which  the  disadvantages 
of  youth  debarred  them  from  rightly  enjoying. 
Another  class  came  into  the  West  fresh  from  the  uni- 
versities, without  either  the  physical  endowments  or 
mental  equipment  essential  to  successful  pioneering. 
The  lives  of  many  such  were  obscure,  misspent  even, 
whereas  amid  more  congenial  surroundings  they  might 
have  been  distinguished.  In  the  rare  cases  where 
most  of  the  desirable  influences  have  been  combined, 
such  as  education  and  culture, robust  physique,  courage 
and  a  temperate  habit  of  life,  the  West  has  produced 
men  of  note  in  the  community  who  have  acquired 
property,  fulfilled  important  trusts  and  rightly  enjoyed 
the  best  gifts  of  life. 

Of  this  class  Hon.  Gysbert  Van  Steenwyk,  president 
of  the  Batavian  Bank  of  LaCrosse,  is  a  fit  representa- 
tive. A  natiye  of  Holland,  his  great  mistake  was  in 
not  having  commenced  his  American  life  ten  years 
earlier.  Not  that  the  time  spent  in  the  cultivated 
society  of  his  native  city,  Utrecht,  was  wasted,  but 
because  so  much  more  might  have  been  added  to  his 
busy  and  useful  career  as  an  American  citizen  at  a 
time  when  one  year  counted  as  two  in  a  man's  life- 
time, in  the  opportunities  afforded  by  the  developing 
country. 

Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren. His  father  was  a  gentleman  farmer,  owning 
lands  within  ten  miles  of  the  city  of  Utrecht,  and 
accounted  a  man  of  considerable  means.  The  children 
had  the  benefits  of  a  good  and  thorough  education, 
opportunities  for  culture  and  means  sufficient  for 
maintenance  in  the  manner  to  which  they  were  ac- 
customed, or  for  establishment  in  any  business  or 
profession  they  might  select.  The  subject  of  this' sketch 
was  the  youngest  but  one,  a  sister,  now  living  in  their 
native  city.  He  was  born  January  30,  1811,  and  is, 
therefore,  more  than  eighty  years  of  age.  The  first 
half  of  his  life  was  passed  in  his  native  land.  The 


University  of  Utrecht  offered  educational  opportunities 
as  good  as  any  in  Europe,  and  he  was  a  student  of 
that  institution  until  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  although 
his  degree  in  philosophy  and  philology  was  taken  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two.  At  sixteen,  at  the  time  of  the 
Belgian  revolution,  he  was  enrolled  as  a  volunteer  in 
the  army  of  the  Netherlands,  serving  two  years.  From 
1838  to  1849,  when  he  departed  for  America,  he  was  a 
commissioned  officer  in  the  Netherlands  National 
Guards.  During  the  time  he  resided  in  Utrecht  he  lived 
the  social  life  of  the  well-to-do  of  his  native  city. 

But  it  was  not  the  life  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  desired; 
it  was  not  a  life  to  satisfy  his  mind  or  employ  his 
talents.  He  took  up  the  law  as  a  study,  but  the  pro- 
fession was  distasteful  to  him.  He  could  speak  French 
and  German  fluently  and  read  English.  America 
had  been  an  object  of  much  study  and  inquiry  on 
account  of  its  form  of  government  and  also  because  of 
its  opportunities.  Finally,  in  the  winter  of  1848,  while 
visiting  a  friend  in  a  neighboring  city,  he  announced 
his  intention  of  going  to  the  United  States.  The  friend, 
who  was  a  teacher  of  Greek  and  Roman  literature  in  a 
Latin  school,  was  of  the  same  mind,  and  they  fully 
determined  to  start  for  the  western  land  the  following 
spring.  Another  friend  desired  to  join  them,  and  on 
their  embarkation  in  May,  1849,  a  fourth  Hollander  of 
some  means  became  one  of  the  part}'.  Passage  was 
taken  in  an  American  sailing  vessel  expressly  for  the 
purpose  of  acquiring  that  familiarity  with  the  language 
which  would  result  from  hearing  nothing  else  spoken 
during  a  voyage  of  some  six  weeks.  This  was  of 
inestimable  advantage  to  all,  especially  to  Mr.  Van 
Steenwyk,  whose  studies,  reinforced  by  practice,  en- 
abled him  to  converse  readily  with  the  people. 

The  party  of  four  spent  the  summer  in  New  York 
and  Newark,  learning  what  they  could  about  the 
country  and  the  advantages  offered  by  different  sec- 
tions. It  was  agreed,  in  their  councils,  that  they 
should  seek  a  western  State,  and  further,  that  the 
autumn  months  should  be  spent  in  exploring  Michigan, 
Illinois,  Iowa  and  Wisconsin.  Early  in  September 
they  started  West.  Michigan  took  up  but  little  of  their 
time.  Riding  through  the  heavily  timbered  country, 
where  the  houses  found  scanty  room  among  the  stumps, 
and  fire  had  run  through  the  woods,  they  found  little 
to  please  the  eye  or  hold  out  promises  to  the  imagina- 
tion. Illinois  was  hardly  more  satisfactory.  Chicago, 
then  a  town  of  30,000  people,  was  attracting  notice, 


e  or  Western  ffistan 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


but  to  the  Hollanders  it  was  dreary  and  depressing. 
They  made  a  tour  among  the  northern  Illinois  towns 
and  found  much  that  was  promising;  but  everywhere 
they  were  warned  not  to  settle  anywhere,  else  except 
where  they  were  just  then  visiting  unless  they  pre- 
pared to  die  of  fever  and  ague  !  So,  concluding  that 
a  country  where  malaria  was  absent  only  from  the 
immediate  point  of  inquiry  was  hardly  a  sanitarium, 
they  returned  to  Chicago  and  took  a  -steamer  to 
Milwaukee. 

Here  the  life  and  career  of  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk 
began;  all  the  years  preceding  had  been  preparatory, 
and  only  important  for  their  influence  upon  those  that 
followed.  Milwaukee  with  its  surroundings,  lying  some- 
what elevated,  was  pleasing  to  the  eye,  and  the 
impression  was  not  dispelled  by  a  closer  view.  Never- 
theless, the  party  desired  to  see  the  new  towns  spring- 
ing up  through  the  State,  and  as  soon  as  possible  joined 
in  the  purchase  of  a  team  and  carriage,  by  means  of 
which  Racine,  Kenosha,  Janesville,  Madison,  Oshkosh 
and  intermediate  places  were  visited,  the  trip  occupying 
six  weeks  in  October  and  November.  It  is  not  strange 
that  theunanimous  verdict  of  the  home  seeking  quartette 
was  in  favor  of  the  larger  town,  and  thither  they 
returned,  each  to  pursue  his  appointed  way  of  life. 

Through  letters  of  introduction  and  acquaintance 
speedily  made  with  the  leading  men  of  the  town,  Mr. 
Van  Steenwyk  was  not  long  without  opportunities  for 
employment.  McGregor  &  Ten  tie}',  lawyers,  advised 
him  to  enter  their  office,  but  the  profession  was  no 
more  to  his  taste  in  America  than  in  his  native  land. 
Mr.  McGregor,  who  had  an  insurance  agency,  then 
proposed  increasing  the  list  of  companies  and  forming 
a  partnership  in  this  branch,  to  promote  the  business 
among  the  foreign  population.  This  received  favorable 
consideration,  but  did  not  develop  to  any  great  extent. 
It  became  expedient,  however,  that  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk 
should  have  some  official  authority,  and  he  soon 
received  his  first  appointment  as  notary  pirblic  from 
Governor  Nelson  Dewey,  the  first  governor  of  the 
State. 

The  Hollanders,  of  whom  there  were  about  800  in 
Milwaukee,  were  not  long  in  learning  that  one  of  their 
countrymen  was  able  to  assist  them  in  their  business 
affairs,  and  their  calls  upon  him  were  so  frequent, 
especially  for  correspondence  with  the  old  country, 
where  many  of  them  retained  some  property  interests, 
that  the  securing  of  some  representative  authority 
became  a  matter  of  convenience,  if  not  of  necessity. 
Accordingly  a  letter  was  dispatched  to  a  friend  in  the 
Hague  and  in  due  time  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  received 
his  commission  from  the  Hague  as  consul  of  the 
Netherlands  for  Wisconsin.  Thereupon  a  second  sign 
was  hung  beside  the  office  door,  and  to  this  an  addition 
was  made  the  following  year,  when  he  was  also  commis- 
sioned consul  for  Michigan  and  Minnesota.  He  now 
had  plenty  of  business,  was  doing  well  and  heartily 
enjoyed  life. 

The  legislature  of  1852  created  the  office  of  com- 


647 

missioner  of  immigration,  the  incumbent  to  reside  in 
New  York,  and  his  duties  to  be  the  promotion  of  im- 
migration to  Wisconsin.  Mr. Van  Steenwyk's  Milwau- 
kee friends  advised  him  to  accept  this  appointment  in 
case  it  was  offered  to  him.  He  declined,  because  he 
had  other  plans  and  did  not  want  an  office  of  that 
nature  anyway.  His  friends  became  more  urgent, 
representing  that  his  command  of  several  languages 
would  be  of  great  value,  and  he  could  do  more  for  the 
benefit  of  his  adopted  State  in  that  manner  than  in  any 
other  way.  While  the  matter  was  under  discussion 
Governor  Farwell  telegraphed  him  to  come  to  Madison. 
He  obeyed,  was  the  governor's  guest  during  the  visit, 
was  tendered  the  appointment  and  finally  accepted  it, 
though  not  without  reluctance.  During  most  of  the 
years  of  1852  and  1853  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  resided  in 
New  York.  His  labor  in  securing  for  Wisconsin  a 
thrifty,  industrious  and  temperate  class  of  settlers 
among  the  foreigners  then  flocking  to  America,  has 
exerted  an  influence  upon  the  welfare  of  the  State 
which  cannot  be  estimated.  The  legislature  of  1853 
took  the  power  of  appointment  of  this  office  from  the 
governor,  and,  being  a.  Democratic  body,  while  the 
incumbent  had  united  with  the  Whig  party,  his  suc- 
cessor was  named,  and  he  returned  to  Milwaukee. 

Having  become  interested  in  lands  in  the  interior 
of  the  State,  especially  along  the  line  of  the  LaCrosse 
and  Milwaukee  Railroad,  then  in  process  of  construc- 
tion, Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  moved  to  Newport,  on  the 
Wisconsin  River,  where  it  was  expected  the  railroad 
would  cross.  The  village  rose  to  considerable  promi- 
nence upon  this  expectation,  but  declined  and  almost 
went  out  of  existence  when  the  railroad  company  fixed 
the  crossing  point  a  mile  and  a  half  above,  where  anew 
town  was  laid  out  and  called  Kilbourn  City.  Thither 
most  of  the  Newport  settlers  moved,  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk 
with  them,  in  1858.  In  1857  he  had  been  commissioned 
brigadier-general  of  State  troops,  obtaining  a  title 
which  serves  his  friends  in  familiar  intercourse  to  .the' 
present  day.  In  1859  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Assembly  from  Columbia  county,  after  a  contest  which 
was  a  history  in  itself,  receiving  a  majority  of  200  over 
a  Democrat  in  a  Democratic  district.  He  resigned  his 
consular  office,  not  deeming  it  proper  that  a  legislator 
in  the  United  States  should  be  the  representative  of  a 
foreign  government.  The  following  year  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Republican  State  convention  and 
received  the  nomination  for  bank  comptroller,  to  which 
office  he  was  elected.  In  this  period  of  great  political 
and  military  events,  the  finances  of  the  country  were 
in  such  chaos  as  no  person  living  at  that  time  can  ever 
forget,  and  General  Van  Steenwyk's'  duties  equalled  in 
importance  those  of  any  office  of  the  State.  His  own 
choice  would  have  been  to  have  entered  the  army,  and 
he  could  have  had  a  regiment,  but  it  was  urged  upon 
him  that  his  official  duties  could  not  be  committed  to 
other  hands,  and  the  welfare  of  his  fellow  citizens 
could  in  no  other  way  be  so  well  promoted  as  by 
getting  what  salvage  was  possible  out  of  the  financial 


648 

wrecks  all  about  the  State.  In  one  year  the  comp- 
troller wound  up  forty  banks,  having  occasion  to  visit 
LaCrosse  several  times  in  the  way  of  business. 

The  knowledge  gained  while  in  office  determined 
his  future  course,  and  the  outlook  at  LaCrosse  decided 
the  location.  Accordingly,  upon  the  expiration  of  his 
official  term,  in  1862,  the  Batavian  Bank  was  opened 
in  La  Crosse,  and  for  more  than  thirty  prosperous 
years  it  has  been  a  landmark  in  the  business  field. 
General  Van  Steenwyk  at  once  took  a  place  in  the  first 
business  circles  of  the  community,  but  held  no  public 
office  until  1873,  when  he  served  the  city  one  term  as 
mayor,  being  nominated  as  a  Eepublican  and  almost 
unanimously  supported  by  the  Democrats.  In  1879  he 
was  called  upon  to  represent  the  thirty-first  district, 
composed  of  the  city  and  county  of  LaCrosse,  in  the 
senate  of  the  State,  receiving  a  considerable  majority 
over  the  Democratic  and  Greenback  candidates. 

In  1874  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  went  abroad  and  spent 
a  year  and  a  half  traveling  in  Europe.  While  there  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  'Marietta  Nicholls,  a 
native  of  Danbury,  Conn.,  and  daughter  of  Hon.  David 
P.  Nicholls,  for  many  years  treasurer  of  that  State,  who 
was  traveling  with  her  sister.  The  acquaintance  led  to 
a  matrimonial  engagement,  and  in  Ma\r,  1875,  they 
were  united  in  marriage  at  Berne,  Switzerland,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  General's  personal  friend,  Hon. 
Horace  Rublee.  minister  of  the  United  States  in  that 
country,  and  afterwards  editor  of  the  Milwaukee 
Sentinel.  Three  charming  children  have  blessed  this 
union;  but  one,  a  lovely  boy,  bright  of  eye  and  mind, 
the  emblem  of  every  good  promise,  has  gone  somewhat 
in  advance  along  the  dark  road  whither  all  journey  to 
make  the  way  lighter  to  those  soon  following  after. 

General  Van  Steenwyk's  most  important  recent 
work  has  been  as  one  of  the  executors  of  the  late 
governor  C.  C.  Washburne's  will.  He  was  the  in 
timate  friend  of  the  late  governor,  was  with  him 
several  weeks  at  the  Eureka  Springs,  Ark.,  shortly 
before  his  death,  and  well  acquainted  with  all  his 
business  affairs.  The  vast  property  in  mills,  elevators, 
water  powers,  railroads,  lumber  and  farming  lands, 
aggregating  nearly  $2,000,000,  has  been  so  managed 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


that  every  industry  has  been  profitably  employed 
during  the  course  of  settlement  and  the  estate  has  in- 
creased very  largely  in  value.  To  the  sagacious  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  and  his  co-executors, 
Charles  Payson  and  Charles  J.  Partin,  the  heirs  and 
beneficiaries  under  the  will,  are  very  much  indebted. 
General  Van  Steenwyk  is  also  vice-president  (the 
mayor  being  president  ex-officio)  of  the  permanent 
board  of  trustees  of  the  public  library  established  in 
LaCrosse  by  a  provision  of  Governor  Washburne's  will, 
and  takes  great  interest  in  the  institution. 

To  enumerateall  the  business  enterprises  with  which 
he  has  been  connected  would  be  difficult,  even  for  him- 
self, perhaps,  without  some  thought.  Among  the  more 
important  recent  ones  are  the  Victor  Flouring  Mill,  the 
LaCrosse  Linseed  Oil  Mill,  the  La  Crosse  Street  Rail- 
way Co.,  the  Edison  and  Brush  Electric  Light  and 
Power  Cos.,  the  La  Crosse  Tannery  and  the  East  Fork 
Improvement  Co. — the  latter  a  lumber  organization. 
In  all  but  the  two  first  named  and  some  other  local 
companies  he  is  now  a  stockholder.  It  is,  however,  as 
a  banker  that  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  is  and  will  be  best 
known.  For  more  than  thirty  years  the  Batavian  bank 
has  been  a  pillar  of  strength  in  the  community.  It 
has  upheld  the  weak  until  they  became  strong,  and 
carried  the  strong  in  their  hours  of  weakness.  It  has 
always  been  steadfast,  reliable,  conservative  without 
timidity,  and  to-day  occupying  one  of  the  finest  build- 
ings in  Wisconsin,  outside  of  Milwaukee,  and  offices 
that  cannot  be  surpassed  for  elegance  and  comfort,  it 
stands  in  the  front  rank  of  the  strong  financial  institu- 
tions of  the  Northwest. 

Notwithstanding  his  years,  Mr.  Van  Steenwyk  is  in 
the  enjoyment  of  mental  and  bodily  vigor.  His  office 
hours  are  regularly  kept,  his  duties  as  trustee  or  director 
in  the  various  institutions  never  neglected,  and  in  his 
elegant  home,  surrounded  by  the  best  books  and  many 
works  of  art,  happy  in  the  companionship  of  his  wife, 
whose  natural  gifts  have  been  developed  by  travel, 
study  and  the  best  social  advantages,  interested  in  the 
education  of  his  children,  with  leisure  for  occasional 
travel,  he  enjoys  the  gifts  of  life  as  one  who  has  earned 
its  privileges  and  its  immunities. 


HON.  S.  H.  MALLORY, 


CHARITON,  IOWA. 


SMITH  HENDERSON  MALLORY,  son  of  Smith 
L.  and  Jane  Henderson  Mallory,  was  born  Decem 
ber  2,  1835,  at  Croton  Mills,  about  four  miles  easterly 
from  Penn  Yan,  Yates  county,  N.  Y.  His  grandfather, 
Meredith  Mallory,  a  lieutenant  in  the  War  of  1812, 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Yates  county,  N.  Y. 
He  built  and  owned  several  flouring  mills  on  the 
outlet  of  Keuka  lake,  was  elected  member  of  the  State 
legislature  in  1834,  and  in  the  year  1838  was  elected 


member  of  congress.    In  1843  he  left  the  State,  moving 
to  Batavia,  111.,  where  he  died  in  the  year  1885. 

Young  Mallory  received  a  common  school  education 
at  Penn  Yan,  and  from  there  entered  the  academy  of 
John  W.  Irwin,  at  Danbury,  Conn.  Independence  and 
self-reliance  were  then,  as  now,  marked  traits  in  his  char- 
acter, and  early  in  life  he  was  prompted  by  these  traits 
to  start  in  the  world's  race,  determined  to  carve  his  own 
fortune.  In  1850,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  left  the  old 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


651 


homestead  in  New  York  for  Batavia,  111.,  where  at  that 
time  his  grandfather  and  his  uncle,  John  Van  Nort- 
wick,  chief  engineer  in  the  construction  of  the  Galena 
tfe  Chicago  Union  railroad  from  Elgin  west,  resided, 
and  in  December  of  the  same  year  he  secured  his  first 
position  as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  P.  J.  Burchell  at  St. 
Charles.  This  occupation  as  clerk  in  a  country  store, 
while  it  trained  him  in  the  formation  of  business  habits, 
and  afforded  him  the  opportunity  to  earn  his  own  living, 
was  too  monotonous  and  circumscribed  for  one  pos- 
sessing his  ambition  and  capabilities,  and  he  looked 
around  him  fora  wider  field.  He  staid  in  this  position 
until  the  following  June,  when  he  secured  a  place 
more  in  accordance  with  his  taste  and  went  with 
George  W.  Waite,  first  assistant  engineer  of  the  G.  & 
C.  U.  R.  R.,  in  his  corps  of  engineers.  Mr.  Waite 
soon  after  was  selected  to  make  surveys  for  the  Aurora 
branch  extension  from  Aurora  to  Mendota,  and  at  the 
commencement  of  this  work  on  August  1st,  1851,  he  was 
promoted  to  rod  man,  and  during  the  construction  in 
1853  was  again  promoted,  and  before  the  completion  of 
the  tracks  to  Mendota,  was  offered  and  accepted  the 
position  of  engineer  in  charge.  Upon  the  completion  of 
the  Central  Military  Tract  railroad  from  Mendota  to 
Galesburg,  Col.  J.  M.  Berrian  was  made  chief  engineer 
of  the  whole  line,  the  road  now  known  as  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy,  which  was  completed  to  Bur- 
lington, la.,  in  1855. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  noticing  the  rapid  advances 
made  in  the  value  of  real  estate,  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  at  Fair- 
field,  Iowa,  just  at  the  time  the  real  estate  boom  of 
.1856  was  collapsing. 

It  is  said  that  one's  love  for  his  birth  place  clings 
so  closely  that  it  is  never  eradicated,  and  the  longing  to 
return  once  more  is  never  satisfied.  Early  in  the  year 
1858,  we  see  Mr.  Mallory  back  in  New  York  State; 
but  it  was  no  longing  visions  of  the  "  Old  Oaken 
Bucket"  beside  the  well  that  had  caused  him  to  lay 
down  his  rod  and  his  compass  and  shake  the  dust  of 
Iowa  from  his  feet.  When  two  bright  e}Tes  come  into 
competition  with  old  home  fancies  the  old  oaken  bucket 
theory  is  badly  discounted.  The  readers  of  the  daily 
papers  of  Penn  Yan,  on  March  22,  1858,  learned  that 
Mr.  Mallory  had  captured  and  married  one  of  her 
fairest  daughters,  Annie  Louisa  Ogden,  daughter  of 
Mordecai  Ogden.  Soon  after  his  marriage,  he,  with 
his  beautiful  and  accomplished  wife,  returned  to  Iowa 
and  received  the  appointment  as  resident  engineer  of 
the  Fairfield  division  of  the  Burlington  and  Missouri 
River  Road,  which  was  then  being  constructed  between 
Rome  and  Ottumwa,  making  his  residence  at  Fail-field- 
On  the  completion  of  the  track  across  this  Fairfield 
division,  December  1,  1858,  he  was  appointed  road 
master. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  he  resigned  the  position 
of  road  master  to  take  charge  of  the  location  and 
construction  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  between  Aurora  and  Chicago.  When  this 
work  was  completed,  he,  like  many  others  at  that 


time,  was  stricken  with  the  "oil  fever"  and  went 
to  Pennsylvania  to  engage  in  the  oil  business.  His 
stay  in  Pennsylvania  was  short,  for  in  the  fall  of 
1865  he  returned  again  to  Iowa,  taking  the  contract  for 
the  construction  of  the  bridges  from  Ottumwa  west  on 
the  Burlington  &  Missouri  River  railroad,  located  at 
Chariton  in  the  Spring  of  1867,  buying  property  and 
building  a  house  for  a  residence,  completed  bridge  con- 
tracts to  the  Missouri  river  in  the  fall  of  1869,  and  was 
then  appointed  division  superintendent  of  the  road, 
with  headquarters  at  Creston,  afterwards  changed  to 
Chariton.  In  the  year  1870  he  organized  and  estab- 
lished the  First  National  Bank  of  Chariton,  an  institu- 
tion which  he,  as  president,  has  just  cause  to  view  with 
gratification.  It  has,  from  its  careful  and  conservative 
management,  from  its  organization  and  the  uniform 
urbanity  of  its  officers,  gained  the  confidence  of  the 
whole  community,  an  institution  to  which  all  citizens 
of  the  city  and  county,  rich  and  poor,  point  with  pride. 
In  the  year  1871  he  was  appointed  chief  engineer  of 
the  Burlington  and  Missouri  railroad,  which  position  he 
held  until  1873.  Resigning,  he,  in  conjunction  with 
John  Fitzgerald  and  Martin  Flynn,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Fitzgerald,  Mallory  &  Flynn,  engaged  in 
the  general  contracting  business,  and  constructed  some 
very  heavy  work  in  the  Cincinnati  Southern  Railroad, 
the  Atchison,Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  in  Colorado  and  the 
Burlington  and  Missouri  River  Railroad  in  Nebraska. 

In  1877,  notwithstanding  his  political  faith  (he 
being  a  staunch  Democrat,  affiliating  with  a  party 
vastly  in  the  minority  in  Lucas  county)  and  his  public 
and  long  continued  connection  with  railroads,  the  peo- 
ple, marking  the  public  spirit  shown  by  him  during  his 
residence  among  them,  and  having  confidence  in  his 
integrity  and  business  qualifications,  elected  him  to 
represent  them  in  the  legislature  of  the  State,  and  the 
record  he  there  made  fully  substantiated  the  good 
judgment  and  wisdom  of  the  electors.  In  the  year 
1875  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Iowa  Centennial 
Commission,  but  owing  to  the  pressure  of  his  private 
business,  with  many  important  contracts  on  hand,  he 
resigned. 

In  1878  he  was  president  of  the  Chariton,  Des 
Moines  &  Southern  railroad,  and  in  1881  was  elected 
vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the  Fulton 
County  Narrow  Gauge  railroad.  In  1883  he  was 
elected  president  and  general  manager,  which  position 
he  still  holds.  During  the  year  1881  he  organized  the 
First  National  Bank  at  Creston,  Iowa.  In  April,  1886, 
he  organized  the  Fitzgerald  &  Mallory  Construction 
Company,  and  was  elected  president  of  the  company, 
which  contracted  and  completed  about  six  hundred 
miles  of  railroad  in  Kansas  and  Colorado,  which  is  now 
part  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  system.  This  road  was 
completed  to  Pueblo,  Col.,  on  December  1,  1887.  The 
whole  six  hundred  miles  was  constructed  in  about 
eighteen  months. 

Notwithstanding  the  vast  enterprises  in  which  he 
has  been  engaged,  occupying  so  much  of  his  time,  and 
close  attention  in  the  management  of  all  the  details, 


652 

yet,  in  the  year  1880  he  made  a  hurried  trip  to  Ger- 
many, with  Mrs.  Mallory  and  their  daughter,  Miss 
Jessie  O.  Mallory,  and  accompanied  by  his  neice,  Miss 
Louise  Smith,  of  Batavia,  111.  On  this  trip  they  visited 
Oberamergau  and  witnessed  the  Passion  Pla}' ;  from 
thence  they  traveled  to  Dresden,  in  which  city  he  left 
his  family,  his  daughter  and  niece  desiring  to  complete 
their  studies  of  German  and  music,  while  he  returned 
home,  his  personal  presence  being  necessary  to  super- 
intend the  work  on  which  he  was  engaged.  This  hav- 
ing been  brought  to  a  successful  issue  in  1881,  he 
returned  to  Dresden,  and  from  there,  accompanied  by 
his  family,  visited  Austria,  Italy,  Switzerland  and 
France,  returning  home  in  the  same  year. 

While  Mr.  Mallory  is  generally  looked  upon  as 
what  is  termed  a  "  railroad  man,"  having  been  so 
actively  engaged  so  much  of  his  life  in  railroad  enter- 
prises, building,  equiping  and  superintending,  yet  ever 
since  his  location  in  Lucas  county  he  has  been  com- 
paratively as  largely  interested  in  agriculture,  and 
might  as  justly  be  called  a  farmer.  He  owns  and 
operates  several  farms  in  Iowa,  and  is  cultivating  a 
large  tract  in  California.  This  home  farm,  on  which 
his  handsome  residence  is  built,  comprises  1.200  acres, 
and  is  well  stocked  with  blooded  cattle  and  horses. 
He  brought  the  first  blooded  cattle  and  draft  horses  to 
Lucas  county,  and  mainly  through  his  enterprise  in 
this  direction,  that  county  stands  to-day  at  the  front 
in  the  blue  grass  region  for  the  superiority  of  the 
horses  raised  in  its  borders. 


PKOMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


During  the  years  that  Mr.  Mallory  has  resided 
in  Lucas  county,  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  there  has 
been  no  public  enterprise  organized  in  the  community 
for  its  benefit  that  he  has  not  been  prominently 
identified  with.  Far  seeing,  energetic,  with  indomitable 
will  power,  independent  in  thought,  yet  cosmopolitan 
in  his  views,  he  has  well  earned  a  competency  far  ex- 
ceeding his  boyish  aim,  yet  in  his  success  he  has  not 
become  selfish,  directly  in  contrast  with  that  eastern 
millionaire  who  is  reported  as  saying,  "The  public  be 
damned."  He  now,  as  he  always  has,  recognizes  him- 
self as  one  of  the  public,  the  public  interests  being 
identical  with  his  individual  interests.  He  spent  much 
time  superintending  the  erection  and  furnishing  of 
the  Iowa  Building  at  the  Columbian  Exposition  at 
Chicago,  in  1893,  Governor  Boies  having  appointed 
him  commissioner.  The  commission  elected  him  chair- 
man of  the  executive  committee.  To  those  who  have 
met  with  reverses  his  ear  is  open,  and  not  oply  his  ear 
but  his  hand  also. 

Mr.  Mallory  was  made  a  Mason  at  Batavia,  111., 
about  the  year  1856,  Royal  Arch  Mason,  at  St.  Charles 
in  1864,  and  a  Knight  Templar  at  Osceola,  la.,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1875.  Joined  Chariton  Lodge  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No. 
64,  in  May,  1878. 

The  old  saying  has  it,  "  God  made  the  countr\r,  and 
man  makes  the  town."  Had  Chariton  a  few  more  such 
men  within  its  borders  as  S.  H.  Mallory  has  proved 
himself  to  be,  it  would  soon  grow  to  be  a  cit}T  in  fact, 
as  it  is  now  in  name. 


SAMUEL  ARTHUR  HARRIS, 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


SAMUEL  AUTHOR  HARRIS,  son  of  Thomas  G. 
Harris  was  born  at  Goshen,  Elkhart  county,  In- 
diana, on  the  25th  of  October,  1847.  His  father  was  one 
of  the  best  known  lawyers  of  the  State,  and  during  his 
later  years  helped  to  found  and  was  president  of  the 
Salem  bank  at  Goshen.  He  came  to  the  latter  place 
from  New  York  in  1830,  and  died  when  his  son  was  but 
eleven  years  old,  leaving  a  family  consistingof  his  wife, 
a  daughter  and  the  son,  who  is  the  subject  of  our  sketch. 
Samuel  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
later  graduated  from  the  high  school,  after  which  he 
spent  a  couple  of  years  in  the  East  and  in  Europe. 

In  the  year  1868,  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  he  came  West  and  located  in  Minneapolis,  where 
he  at  first  secured  employment  as  clerk  in  the  hardware 
store  of  Hedderly  and  Yroman.  He  remained  in  this 
position  for  one  year  and  then  went  to  work  for  Harris 
&  Putman,  large  lumber  dealers,  with  whom  he  also 
staved  for  one  year.  When  the  firm  went  out  of.busi- 
ness  he  worked  for  a  few  months  as  a  clerk  in  the  State 
National  bank,  until  the  Hennepin  County  Savings 
bank  was  organized,  in  1870,  when  he  became  a  stock- 


holder and  trustee  and  was  appointed  assistant  cashier. 
In  this  position  he  remained  for  nine  y ears,  when  he 
resigned  to  take  a  similar  position  with  the  North- 
western National  bank.  In  the  spring  of  1880  Mr. 
Neiler,  the  cashier,  dissolved  his  connection  with  the 
bank  and  Mr.  Harris  was  advanced  to  his  position,  and 
seven  years  later  he  became  president  of  the  bank. 
Under  his  administration  the  institution  prospered 
exceedingly,  enlarged  its  capital  to  $1,000,000  and  took 
its  place  among  the  larger  financial  institutions  of  the 
city.  When  Mr.  Harris  took  hold  of  the  management 
of  the  bank  its  assets  consisted  largely  of  real  estate 
holdings,  but  he  soon  disposed  of  this  and  had  the  bank's 
money  invested  so  as  to  be  more  available  in  an 
emergency. 

In  1890  Mr.  Harris,  feeling  the  need  of  rest,  resigned 
the  presidency  of  the  Northwestern  and  for  some 
months  spent  the  time  quietly  with  his  family  or  in 
travel.  He  expected  to  take  up  some  other  line  of  bus- 
iness when  thoroughly  rested,  and  accordingly,  in  1891. 
became  treasurer  of  the  Duluth  Elevator  Company,  with 
his  office  in  Minneapolis,  which  position  he  still  holds. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


But  liis  well-known  ability  would  not  allow  him  to 
retire  permanently  from  the  profession  with  which  he 
had  been  so  long  connected,  and  in  December.  1891,  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  National  Bank  of  Com- 
merce, which  office  he  accepted  and  holds  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  He  found  that  this  bank,  like  the  North- 
western, was  encumbered  with  too  much  real  estate,  and 
his  first  work  was  to  dispose  of  this  and  so  get  the 
assets  into  available  shape.  This  task  he  accomplished 
in  about  six  months  time  and  the  bank  stands  to-day 
with  a  cash  capital  of  $1,000,000,  and  is  one  of  the  four 
large  banks  of  Minneapolis.  Mr.  Harris  was  president 
of  the  Clearing  House  Association  and  also  of  the  Dual 
City  Banker's  Club;  he  has  been  for  many  years  a 
member  of  tho  executive  council  of  the  American 
Bankers' -Association,  a  director  of  the  Minnesota  Loan 
and  Trust  Company  from  the  time  of  its  organization, 
and  has  been  for  a  long  time  treasurer  of  the  Globe 
Gas  Light  Company. 

On  September  16,  18T2,  Mr.  Harris  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Anna  C.  Stewart,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Daniel  Stewart,  D.  D.,  of  Minneapolis,  and  their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  two  sons  and  one  daughter.  For 
many  years  Mr.  Harris  has  been  an  elder  in  the  West- 
minister Presbyterian  church,  has  given  considerable 


655 

of  his  time  and  attention  to  its  evangel, stic  and  mission 
work,  and  \vasforyears  the  treasurer  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian Alliance. 

Personally,  Mr.  Harris  is  quiet,,  unostentatious  and 
somewhat  reticent,  methodical  in  his  work,  and  has 
achieved  his  success  by  assiduous  attention  to  details 
and  his  great  energy  and  unflagging  industry.  Coupled 
with  these  traits  he  has  a  sound  judgment,  an  intuitive 
grasp  of  results  and  unquestioned  integrity.  These 
have  been  the  qualities  that  have  contributed  to  success 
in  his  business  life,  and  his  pleasant  manner  and  readv 
sympathy  have  made  for  him  hosts  of  friends  among 
those  who  have  met  him  socially.  In  every  public 
enterprise  looking  to  the  advancement  of  the  material 
interests  of  Minneapolis  he  has  been  among  the  fore- 
most and  most  liberal  supporters,  and  in  his  dealings 
with  those  who  apply  for  aid  from  his  private  purse 
he  has  ever  been  exceedingly  generous  and  an 
appeal  for  worthy  charity  has  never  been  addressed 
to  him  in  vain.  Mr.  Harris  is  still,  comparatively' 
speaking,  a  young  man,  and  the  magnificent  record 
that  he  has  already  made  may  be  but  the  preface 
of  what  is  yet  to  come,  although  should  he  now  retire 
from  active  business  life  the  world  might  well  say, 
"  well  done." 


JAY   J.  THOMPSON,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  is  the  son  of  Judson 
and  Lydia  M.  (Berry)  Thompson,  and  was  born 
near  Rochester,  Minn.,  on  January  21,  1857.  On  the 
maternal  side  he  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  the  Pil- 
grims. His  father  came  West  from  Onandaga  county, 
N.  Y.,  to  Wisconsin  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and  settled  at 
Neenah.  After  his  marriage  he  moved  to  Minnesota, 
where  Jay  J.  was  born.  The  serious  Indian  troubles 
of  that  period  caused  his  father  to  move  back  to  Wis- 
consin when  the  boy  was  two  years  old,  and  where  the 
elder  Thompson  has  resided  ever  since. 

Young  Thompson's  early  education  was  such  as  the 
best  local  schools  afforded,  but  later  he  entered  Law- 
rence University  at  Appleton,  Wis.,  leaving,  however,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  to  accept  a  position  as  teacher  in 
the  public  schools.  He  filled  the  position  of  principal 
in  various  public  schools  throughout  the  State  and  be- 
came well  and  favorably  known  as  an  educator.  In 
1882  Mr.  Thompson  was  called  back  to  Appleton  to 
take  charge  of  one  of  the  public  schools  of  that  city  as 
principal.  While  serving  in  that  capacity  he  devoted 
his  spare  time  to  the  study  of  the  science  of  medi- 
cine, during  his  last  year  of  teaching  pursuing  his  studies 
under  Dr.  Reiley,  a  physician  of  the  regular  school. 
About  eight  years  ago  he  came  to  Chicago,  where 
hecontinued  his  medical  studies  at  the  Chicago  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  College,  graduating  therefrom  with  the 


honors  of  his  class  in  1888.  After  his  graduation.  Dr. 
Thompson  was  for  three  years  associated  with  Dr.  E. 
II.  Pratt  in  founding  and  building  up  the  Lincoln  Park 
Sanitarium.  The  success  which  the  institution  has 
attained  is  largely  due  to  Dr.  Thompson's  energy,  per- 
severance and  ability.  Not  being  altogether  in  har- 
mony with  his  associates,  he  sold  his  interests  in  the 
Sanitarium  in  the  fall  of  1891  and  spent  six  months  in 
travel  in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  returning  home 
in  1892. 

Resuming  his  practice  he  made  a  specialty  of  rectal, 
genito  urinary  and  gynaecological  surgery,  in  which 
branch  of  the  profession  he  has  achieved  a  high  repu- 
tation. In  the  fall  of  1892  Dr.  Thompson  was  appointed 
to  the  chair  of  orificial  and  plastic  surgery  in  the 
National  Homoeopathic  Medical  College,  and  also  as 
gynecologist  and  rectal  surgeon  in  the  Baptist  Hospital 
of  this  city.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Cook  County 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  and  of  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society. 

The  doctor  finds  time  to  furnish  valuable  contribu- 
tions to  the  various  medical  journals  and  works  pub- 
lished, and  is  the  author  of  several  pamphlets  which 
have  been  widely  circulated.  Among  these  are  "Med- 
icine and  Morals;"  " Use  and  Abuse  of  Orificial  Sur- 
gery ;"  •"  Hemorrhoids,  their  Cause  and  Cure."  He 


656 

has  also  in  preparation  a  number  of  articles,  shortly  to 
appear,  of  which  may  be  mentioned,  "  Circumcision — 
History,  Necessity  and  Beneficial  Effects,"  and  one  on 
rectal  irritation  as  asourceof  diseases. 

In  politics  Dr.  Thompson  is  independent,  though  as 
touching  economic  affairs  in  the  nation  a  protectionist 
in  principle.  Religiously,  he  was  reared  a  Baptist,  but 
is  now  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Fullerlon  Avenue 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREAT   ll'ESJ. 


Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  to  Miss  Mary  D.  Hull,  of  Neenah,  Wis., 
the  result  of  the  happy  union  being  one  child,  now 
twelve  years  old,  named  Roy  Arthur  Thompson. 

The  doctor  is  a  man  of  good  personal  appearance, 
the  possessor  of  winning  manners  and  of  a  genial, 
friendly  disposition,  which  serves  to  make  friends,  a 
large  circle  of  which  hold  him  in  high  esteem. 


ALFRED    MERRITT, 

DULTJTH.   MINNESOTA. 


ALFRED  MERRITT,  son  of  Lewis  Howell  and 
Hephzibeth  (Jewett)  Merritt,  was  born  at  Han- 
over, Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  16th  day  of 
May,  18-i7.  His  parents  moved  to  Warren  county,  "a., 
in  1849,  and  later  to  Austinburgh,  Ashtabula  county, 
O.  From  the  latter  place  the  father  went  to  the  head 
of  Lake  Superior  in  1855,  and  the  mother  and  family 
followed  a  year  later. 

The  elder  Merritt  was  a  man  large  alike  in  bod}'  and 
mind,  and  possessed  of  great  force  of  character.  He 
was  a  diligent  and  careful  student,  an  original  thinker* 
and 'clearly  saw  that  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  must  in 
time  be  the  site  of  an  important  city.  His  wife,  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  who  is  still  living  at  Oneota, 
Minn.,  is  one  who  through  her  entire  life  has  declined 
to  see  anvthing  excepting  the  bright  side  of  things;  one 
who  has  ever  been  prone  to  forget  her  own  troubles  by 
endeavoring  to  smooth  the  pathway  of  others.  Her 
children  received  the  best  possible  educational  advan- 
tages, and  in  addition  were  the  recipients  of  right  home 
training  in  religion,  morality  and  temperance,  the 
effects  of  which  are  apparent  to-day  in  their  several' 
lives  and  characters. 

Alfred  Merritt  acquired  his  education  during  the 
winter  terms  of  the  district  schools,  and  spent  his 
leisure  time  working  on  his  father's  farm,  experiencing 
the  same  pleasures  and  the  same  hardships  that 
ordinarily  fall  to  the  lot  of  a  boy  reared  on  a 
farm  in  a  newly  settled  country.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  he  began  working  in  the  lumbering 
woods,  driving  team,  and  from  that  time  on  he 
worked  in  the  woods  during  winter,  and  on  the  farm 
in  the  summer  until  18C5.  He  then  went  before  the 
mast  on  the  schooner  "Pierpont,"  then  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Edwards,  of  Oswego,  on  which  he 
remained  the  following  year,  under  Captain  Beebe.  In 
1867  Mr.  Merritt  was  employed  as  pilot  on  the  tug 
"Agate,"  which  was  the  first  tug  plying  at  the  head  of 
the  lake.  For  two  seasons  he  was  with  Captain  Davis, 
one  of  the  first  navigators  of  mercantile  vessels  on  Lake 
Superior.  In  1879  and  1880  he  was  in  partnership  with 
his  brother  Leonidas  and  II.  S.  Ely,  the  company 
building  the  schooner  "  Shaska,"  which  was  the  first 
boat  of  any  considerable  size  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 
It  was  of  sixty-nine  tons,  seventy-six  feet  over  all,  and 


was  finished  in  the  spring  of  1880.  The  boat  was 
afterwards  wrecked  at  Ontonagon,  where  Mr.  Merritt 
was  engaged  in  hauling  stone  for  the  government 
piers.  With  some  partners  he  afterwards  built another 
schooner  called  the  "Handy,"  of  twenty-nine  tons,  and 
followed  the  business  of  sailing  and  piloting  a  tug  and 
lumbering  until  the  explorations  for  iron  were  begun. 
He  was  the  first  man  to  find  the  iron  claim  on  the 
''Yermillion,"  and  the  explorations  were  carried  on  by 
him,  who  with  his  partner  worked  as  best  they 
could  until  enough  was  saved  up  to  pay  the  ex- 
penses of  another  trip  into  the  woods.  Later 
they  transferred  the  scene  of  their  operations 
to  the  Missaba  range,  and  Alfred  Merritt  was  one  of 
the  first  successful  explorers  there.  In  1885  he  started 
dealing  in  pine  and  iron  lands,  and  Duluth  iron  mines, 
in  which  he  was  interested.  At  the  same  time  plans 
were  laid  for  building  the  Duluth,  Missaba  &  Northern 
Railroad,  and  early  in  the  fall  of  1891  the  road  was 
commenced,  and  by  the  25th  of  October  of  that  year 
was  completed,  while  the  ore  docks,  which  are  the 
largest  in  the  world,  were  also  nearly  finished.  Mr. 
Merritt  has  been  since  then  continuously  connected 
with  the  above  and  other  enterprises,  all  of  which  have 
been  successful.  In  1892  he  was  interested  in  the  for- 
mation of  the  Iron  Exchange  Bank,  now  doing  a  large 
business,  and  in  January,  1893,  was  elected  president 
of  the  Duluth,  Missaba  &  Northern  Railroad. 

In  1876  Mr.  Merritt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Sandlinds,  who  died  July  15,  1882.  In  1885 
he  was  again  married  to  Miss  Jane  A.  Gillis. 

Though  a  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Merritt  has 
never  been  active  in  political  affairs,  for  the  most  part 
being  content  to  vote  with  the  party  of  his  choice. 
However,  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  his  friends,  he 
accepted  the  office  of  county  commissioner  of  St.  Louis 
county,  Minn.,  in  1883,  which  office  he  held  until  1892. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  II.  W.,  and  has  long  been 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  in  which  he  takes  a 
great  interest,  as  he  also  does  in  all  church  and  chari- 
table work,  in  which  he  is  ever  a  willing  helper. 

Mr.  Merritt,  like  his  brothers,  is  a  man  of  great  force 
of  character,  and  few  stand  higher  in  the  Northwest, 
where  he  is  widely  known  as  an  enterprising  citizen 
and  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  high  moral  worth. 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of   THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

HENRY  CLEVELAND  PUTNAM, 

EAU  CLAIRE,  WISCONSIN. 


659 


HENRY  CLEVELAND  PUTNAM,  son  of  Hamil- 
ton and  Janette  (Cleveland)  Putnam,  was  born 
in  the  village  of  Madison,  New  York,  on  the  6th  day 
of  March,  1832.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Dr.  Elijah 
Putnam,  came,  with  his  wife  and  oldest  son  John,  who 
was  then  a  baby  two  years  of  age,  to  the  wilderness 
that  then  marked  the  present  site  of  Madison  in  the 
year  1792.  The  family  traces  its  ancestry  back  to  one 
of  the  original  settlers,  John  Putnam,  who  came  to 
America  from  Bucks  county,  England,  in  the  year 
1634.  From  him  all  of  the  American  branch  of  the 
family  are  descended,  and  a  list  of  the  members  shows 
many  names  which  have  a  prominent  place  in  America. 
One  of  them,  Captain  Henry  Putnam,  and  the  man 
for  whom  the  subject  of  our  sketch  is  named,  went 
into  the  battle  of  Lexington  with  seven  of  his  sons,  he 
being  at  that  time  sixty-five  years  of  age,  and  together 
with  three  of  his  sons  lost  his  life  in  defense  of  his 
country.  A  history  of  the  family  is  now  being  pre- 
pared by  Eben  Putnam,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  and  it  will 
show  fully  the  remarkable  record  of  this  famity, whose 
sons,  for  eleven  generations,  have  occupied  positions  of 
honor  and  trust  among  those  in  whose  neighborhood 
they  have  passed  their  lives.  On  his  mother's  side, 
General  Erastus  Cleveland  and  wife  also  came  to 
Madison,  N.  Y.,  from  New  England,  in  1792. 
They  were  descendants  of  Moses  Cleveland,  who 
came  to  America,  from  England,  in  1635.  The  two  fam- 
ilies were  near  neighbors  in  Madison,  and  it  was  but 
natural  that  their  friendship  should  be  cemented  by  the 
union  of  Dr.  Putnam's  son  and  Gen.  Cleveland's 
daughter. 

Henr\T  C.  Putnam,  our  subject,  received  the  first 
part  of  his  education  in  the  district  school.  He  after- 
ward attended  Cortland  Academy  for  a  time  and  also 
graduated  from  a  private  school  in  Connecticut,  the 
specialty  of  which  was  teaching  engineering  science, 
etc.,  his  studies  while  there  having  been  mostly  in  nat- 
ural science,  engineering  and  forestry.  His  father, 
Hamilton,  was  a  merchant,  but  sold  out  his  store  and 
bought  a  large  farm  near  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  in  order  to 
rear  his  boys  in  the  country.  He  moved  to  the  farm 
when  young  Henry  was  ten  years  of  age  and  from  that 
time  on  the  boy  experienced  the  hard  work  incidental 
to  boyhood  in  the  country.  When  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age  he  had  ten  cows  to  milk  morning  and 
evening,  and  in  the  summer  he  was  at  work  in  the 
field  mowing,  raking  and  binding  grain,  chopping  wood 
and  doing  other  chores,  all  of  which,  though  really 
hard  work,  he  found  in  the  main  agreeable  to  himself, 
although  his  mind  was  too  active  for  farm  work 
and  his  tastes  all  inclined  to  travel  and  exploration; 
hence  his  determination  to  study  civil  engineering  and 
become  a  surveyor.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  took 
a  position  as  assistant  civil  engineer  on  the  Syracuse 
and  Binghampton  R.  R.,  which  he  kept  for  two  years, 


when  in  February  1854,  he  took  a  similar  position  with 
the  Blue  Ridge  R.  R.  in  South  Carolina,  remaining  in 
its  service  for  nearly  two  years,  the  most  of  which  time 
he  spent  in  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  in  South  Caro- 
lina and  Tennessee,  in  company  with  the  president  of 
the  road,  Mr.  Henry  Gourdine,  and  the  Chief  Engineer, 
Mr.  W.  G.  Lythgoe. 

In  September,  1SC5,  he  went  to  "Wisconsin,  where 
he  engaged  in  surveying,  buying  lands,  and  in  locating 
settlers  upon  government  lands.  In  May,  1857,  he 
located  in  Eau  Claire,  Wis.,  where  he  commenced  to 
survey  and  explore  the  forests  of  northwest  Wisconsin. 
He  remained  in  this  line  of  work  for  some  years,  being 
accompanied  by  a  single  helper  and  carrying  his  pack 
on  his  back  during  the  time.  He  was  always  on  the 
watch  for  bargains  in  pine  lands,  which  he  bought 
from  the  government  and  sold  to  private  parties.  From 
1857  till  1862  he  was  town  clerk  and  count}-  surveyor 
of  Eau  Claire.  In  1862  he  was  register  of  deeds,  and 
in  1864  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  government 
land  office  for  the  Eau  Claire  district,  and  held  the 
office  until  1869.  In  the  meantime  he  had  started  ig 
the  lumber  business,  and  all  of  the  time  he  continued 
buying  and  selling  pine  lands.  In  1865-66-67  he 
selected  and  purchased  for  Cornell  University,  of  New 
York,  500,000  acres  of  government  land,  and  until 
1876  he  had  charge  of  this  tract,  acting  as  agent.  In 
the  year  1876  he  started  the  private  bank  (known  as 
the  Chippewa  Valley  bank),  and  of  which  he  is  now 
president.  The  entire  cost  to  Cornell  University  of 
the  land  selected  b}7  him  was  $500,000.  or  $1  per  acre, 
and  from  this  purchase  Cornell  has  realized  an  endow- 
ment and  a  profit  of  about  $5,000,000.  It  was  at  Mr. 
Putnam's  suggestion  that  the  timber  land  was  bought, 
as  the  founder  of  the  University  had  intended  to  buy 
prairie  land,  and  had  actually  located  20,000  acres  of 
this  kind  in  Minnesota,  which  is  still  unsold  and  is  now 
hardly  worth  taxes  and  interest.  Mr.  Putnam  may 
justly  claim  that  to  him  alone  Cornell  University  owes 
its  prosperity  if  not  its  very  existence. 

Besides  being  president  of  the  Chippewa  Valley 
Bank,  which  is  now  organized  under  the  State  laws, 
Mr.  Putnam  is  president  of  the  Eau  Claire  Park  Associ- 
ation, a  stockholder  in  and  a  director  of  the  Grande 
Ronde  Lumber  Company,  of  Oregon,  of  the  Bremen 
Lumber  Company  of  Minnesota,  the  Pioneer  Furniture 
Company  of  Eau  Claire,  and  a  stockholder  in  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Lumber  Company  and  the  Cali- 
fornia Land  Company,  owning  large  tracts  of  redwood 
timber  lands  in  the  latter  State.  He  has  been  in  every 
part  of  the  United  States,  and  probably  knows  the  top. 
ography  of  the  different  parts  of  the  country  as  well  if 
not  better  than  any  other  living  man.  He  has  been 
over  almost  the  entire  country  as  an  explorer  and  sur- 
veyor, and  knows  the  locations  and  extent  of  the  forests 
of  the  continent  west  of  the  Rockies  as  well  as  he  does 


66o 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  r  WEST. 


those  of  Wisconsin.  In  the  year  1885  lie  went  to 
Europe,  and  spent  a  year  there  studying  the  forest 
lands  of  European  countries,  doing  much  of  his  travel- 
ing on  foot,  and  again  in  1887  he  repeated  the  visit  and 
perfected  the  knowledge  acquired  upon  his  previous 
trip.  The  winter  of  1891-92  he  spent  in  Florida,  and 
he  since  his  return  from  Europe  has  perfected  his 
knowledge  of  the  forests  of  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States.  His  organ  of  location  has  ever  been  largely 
developed,  and  his  natural  gift  in  this  direction  has  been 
cultivated  since  his  earliest  youth.  It  is  a  boast  with 
him  that  he  has  never  been  lost  in  the  woods,  and  so 
retentive  is  his  memory  of  places  that  he  can,  from 
memory,  make  an  intelligible  sketch  of  any  part  of  the 
country  that  he  has  once  been  over. 

Mr.  Putnam  became  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  1850,  and  has  since  been  a  consistent  church- 
man, liberal  in  thoughts  and  deeds,  generous  alike  to 
the  general  cause  and  to  the  appeals  to  his  private 
charity.  He  has  been  a  Mason  for  over  forty  years, 
and  helped  to  organize  the  first  blue  lodge  in  the  Chip- 
pewa  Valley.  He  has  held  offices  in  the  lodge,  and  is 


to-day  one  of  the  oldest  resident  Masons  in  Wisconsin. 
Politically,  Mr.  Putnam  is  thoroughly  independent, 
casting  his  ballot  for  the  party  that  in  his  opinion  will 
do  for  the  country  the  most  good. 

On  the  8th  day  of  August,  1858,  Mr.  Putnam  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jane  Eliza  Balcom,  of 
Oxford,  N.  Y.  She  is  a  descendant  of  the  Balcoms 
and  the  Hunniwells,  who  came  over  from  England 
with  the  early  Puritans.  Of  the  six  children  born  of 
this  union  two  are  now  living;  the  son,  Ernest  B., 
being  the  head  of  the  Bremen  Lumber  Company,  at 
St.  Paul,  and  the  daughter,  Sarah  Lynn,  being  the 
wife  of  James  O.  Hinkley,  of  Chicago.  Personally 
Mr.  Putnam  is  a  man  above  the  medium  height,  and  is 
of  pleasant  appearance.  He  is  of  sanguine,  nervous 
temperament,  and  is  fond  of  society.  He  thoroughly 
enjoys  the  good  things  of  life,  and  even  now  never 
misses  a  party  or  social  hop.  Modest  and  unassuming 
in  dress  and  demeanor,  he  is  one  of  nature's  noblemen, 
and  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives,  besides  a  large  number  of 
friends  in  other  and  all  parts  of  the  country. 


GIDEON   COOLEY   HIXON, 

LA  CROSSE,  WISCONSIN. 


IDEON  COOLEY  HIXON,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Electa  (Cooley)  Hixon,  was  born  in  Roxbury, 
Vermont,  on  the  28th  of  March,  1826.  He  was  a 
grandson  of  Green  Cooley,  who  with  his  wife,  Dinah 
Sykes,  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Springfield, 
Mass.  When  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was  ten  years 
of  age  his  father  was  drowned  in  the  Connecticut 
river,  leaving  his  widow  with  a  family  of  five  young 
children,  and  thus  the  boy  was  early  compelled  to 
to  commence  the  battle  of  life  for  himself.  His  early 
education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools,  and 
later  on  at  a  select  school.  After  his  school  days  he 
resided  with  his  grandfather  on  a  farm,  and  it  was  the 
influence  of  this  part  of  his  life  which  so  strongly  im- 
pressed upon  his  character  the  traits  of  personal  and 
business  integrity  that  were  so  characteristic  of  him  in 
his  dealings  with  his  fellow-men. 

Having  a  strong  dislike  for  farm  work,  the  youth  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  started  out  for  himself,  determined 
to  win  the  fortune  that  he  felt  should  fall  to  his  lot. 
He  was  first  employed  in  a  factory,  but  shortly  after- 
wards apprenticed  himself  to  learn  the  tinners'  trade. 
During  his  apprenticeship  he  worked  hard  and  earnestly, 
beginning  early  and  ending  late,  saving  all  that  he 
could  as  a  nucleus  of  the  fortune  that  he  was  deter- 
mined to  win,  and  at  the  same  time  regularly 
sending  a  part  of  his  money  to  his  mother.  After 
his  time  had  expired,  he  went  into  the  hardware  busi- 
ness at  Chicopee,  Mass.  His  business,  which  was 
mostly  contracting,  prospered  exceedingly,  and  when 


he  came  West  in  1856,  to  fill  a  contract  for  tinning 
cans  in  St.  Louis,  he  took  with  him  the  sum  of  $10.000 
in  gold.  In  the  West  he  found  that  many  excellent 
opportunities  were  open  to  him  in  the  railroad  business, 
but  he  finally  drifted  to  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  where  he 
entered  into  partnershp  with  his  brother-in-law, 
Mr.  Crosby,  who  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business, 
and  from  that  time  he  made  La  Crosse  his  permanent 
home.  In  1862  the  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1863 
the  lumber  firm  of  Hixon  &  Withee  was  formed,  and 
continued  in  the  business  until  1878.  For  the  first  few 
years  they  dealt  in  timbered  lands  and  saw  logs,  but 
in  1867  they  decided  to  open  a  lumber  }rard,  and  after 
careful  consideration  they  located  it  at  Hannibal,  Mo. 
Two  years  later  they  built  a  saw  mill  there,  and 
operated  it  successfully  and  profitably  under  the  firm 
name  of  G.  C.  Hixon  &  Company,  until  1882,  when  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1878  the  partnership  was 
dissolved,  Mr.  Withee  taking  the  pine  lands,  and  Mr. 
Hixon  the  other  assets.  The  dissolution  of  this  partner- 
ship was  characteristic  of  these  men,  they  meeting  for 
the  purpose  in  the  morning,  and  parting  at  noon  with 
everything  settled. 

Mr.  Hixon  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the.  T.  B. 
Scott  Lumber  Company  at  Merrill,  Wisconsin,  in  1883, 
and  was  connected  with  this  business  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  Besides  his  lumber  interests  Mr.  Hixon  was 
actively  identified  with  many  other  enterprises,  among 
them  the  La  Crosse  National  Bank,  of  which  he  was 
president  from  the  time  of  its  organization  in  1877. 


Qv    ' 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


For  some  years  Mr.  Hixon  had  been  troubled  with 
heart  disease, and  this  ultimately  caused  his  death.  He 
passed  away  peacefully  on  the  morning  of  September 
23,  1892.  His  death  was  not  unexpected,  although  it 
proved  a  great  shock  to  many  of  his  friends.  His  estate 
which  was  very  large  was  left  in  splendid  shape,  and 
his  sons  and  wife,  who  were  named  by  him  as  executors, 
are  caring  for  the  various  interests. 

As  a  citizen  and  neighbor  Mr.  Hixon  was  one  of  the 
best,  and  there  was  no  one  in  the  community  whose 
loss  could  be  more  felt.  His  career  in  both  public  and 
private  life  was  without  a  blemish;  his  fine  sense  of 
honor  and  uncompromising  devotion  to  the  right  being 
his  strongest  characteristics.  Never,  to  attain  the 
highest  office  in  the  land  or  to  have  accumulated  the 
largest  fortune,  would  he  have  descended  to  an 
unworthy  action  or  to  a  connection  in  any  way  with  an 
enterprise  that  would  not  bear  the  fullest  investigation. 
His  religion  was  "  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the  bro- 
therhood of  man,"  and  this  religion  governed  his  daily 
actions.  He  looked  upon  the  faults  and  follies  of  others 
with  a  lenient  and  charitable  eye,  and  was  ever  ready 
to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  any  erring  one  desirous  of 
becoming  an  upright  man  or  woman  and  a  useful  citizen. 
Many  such  has  he  helped  and  many  are  the  unfor- 
tunates who  have  been  through  him  enabled  to  face 
life  anew  with  good  prospects.  It  is  doubtful  if  he 
himself  knew  of  all  he  had  done,  for  the  next  duty 
that  he  imposed  upon  himself  after  doing  a  good 
action  was  to  forget  it. 

Strong  in  his  political  opinions,  he  is  an  ardent 
Republican,  believing  that  the  principles  of  that  party 
were  best  for  the  entire  country.  He  represented  his 
district  in  the  State  Senate  in  1871-72  and  '74  and  was 
a  member  of  the  common  council  of  La  Crosse,  and  for 
years  was  president  of  the  board  of  education.  For 
twelve  years  preceding  his  death  he  was  unable,  on 
account  of  his  health,  to  actively  engage  in  business 
life,  his  large  lumbering  interests  being  entrusted  to 
his  son  Frank  the  eldest,  and  two  others  of  his  five  sons 
managed  other  branches. 

During  his  life  Mr.  Hixon  traveled  extensively 
throughout  the  United  States,  and  after  visiting 


663 

his  own  country  he  made  three  voyages  to  Europe, 
where  by  close  observation  and  careful  inquiries  he 
gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  European  countries 
and  their  political  and  social  conditions.  Such  is  a  brief 
and  incomplete  description  of  the  life  of  one  of 
nature's  noblemen,  and  we  can  in  conclusion  only  echo 
the  last  tribute  of  his  old  friend,  David  Austin : 

"  I  do  not  feel  competent  to  do  justice  in  anything 
I  can  say  regarding  the  social  and  business  life  of  Gid- 
eon C.  Hixon.  I  know  it  is  very  common  to  eulogize 
one  after  he  is  gone  more  than  is  done  while  he  lives, 
but  of  the  social  and  business  life  of  G.  C.  Hixon  too 
much  cannot  be  said  in  his  praise.  1  have  known  him 
well  for  twenty  years,  and  not  only  considered  him  a 
splendid  business  man  but  a  man  of  sterling  integrity, 
and  one  who  had  rather  lose  a  debt  than  distress  a 
debtor  who  was  doing  what  he  reasonably  could  to  keep 
up.  In  fact  I  have  never  known  of  an  instance  when  he 
pushed  a  debtor  to  the  wall.  He  was  generous  to  a  fault, 
not  perhaps  so  much  to  help  great  public  enterprises  as 
to  individuals  in  need,  and  i  have  no  doubt  many  adollar 
was  given  to  the  needy  without  it  being  known  to  any- 
one but  himself  and  the  recipient.  Socially  he  stood 
high  among  his  fellow  men.  He  was  a  man  of  large 
general  information.  I  very  often  talked  with  him  on 
business,  and  also  on  the  general  topics  of  the  day,  and 
never  left  his  office  without  having  learned  something 
valuable.  In  fact,  I  think  Gideon  C.  Hixon  was  a 
prince  among  men,  and  his  loss  to  this  town  will  be  felt 
severely." 

Mr.  Hixon  was  married  twice,  first  to  Miss  Sarah 
E.  Crosby  in  1850,  at  Blanford,  Mass.,  who  died  in  1856, 
and  again  in  1861  to  Miss  Ellen  J.  Pennell,  of  Hone- 
oye,  New  York,  daughter  of  Abraham  Pennell.  His 
wife  survives  him.  The  union  was  blessed  with  five 
sons,  all  of  whom  are  still  living,  three  of  them  well 
known  and  prosperous  in  business,  and  the  other  two 
are  still  in  college.  The  eldest,  Frank  P.  is  president 
of  the  T.  B.  Scott  Lumber  Company  ;  Joseph  is  a 
meniberof  the  firm  of  Hixon  and  Brittingham,  lumber 
dealers  at  Madison,  Wis.  W.  L.  is  connected  with  var- 
ious mills  in  the  flour  business,  and  George  and  Robert 
are  still  pursuing  their  studies. 


RICHARD   WEAVER   HOCKER, 


KANSAS  CITY,  MISSOURI. 


RICHARD  WEAVER  HOCKER,  son  of  R.  W.  and 
Margaret  Ann  (Shanks)  Hooker,  was  born  in 
Lincoln  county,  Ky.,  October  14,  1853.  Both  parents 
were  descendants  of  Virginia  families,  who  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Kentucky.  His  father  having  died 
when  he  was  an  infant  two  years  old,  he  went  to  work 
as  soon  as  his  education,  which  was  acquired  in  a  private 
school  in  Lincoln  count}',  was  finished.  Thus  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  we  find  him  in  a  dry  goods  store, 


where  he  staid  for  one  year.  Then  he  commenced 
the  study  of  law,  and  at  the  age -of  twenty -one  he 
was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar.  He  practiced 
law  in  Stafford  county,  Kentucky,  for  seven  years, 
when  he  gave  up  his  practice  to  go  into  the  banking 
business. 

He  moved  to  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Saxton  National  bank,  of  which  he 
became  assistant  cashier  in  April,  1883,  and  which 


664 

position  he  held  until  January,  1886,  when  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  cashier.  There  he  remained 
for  one  year,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  vice- 
presidency  of  the  Citizens  National  bank  of  Kansas 
City.  On  the  1st  of  October.  1890,  he  retired  from 
this  position  to  help  organize  the  Metropolitan  Na- 
tional Bank,  which  was  done  and  the  bank  read}'  for 
'business  November  13,  1890.  Mr.  Hocker  was  elected 
president  and  under  his  able  management  the  affairs  of 
the  bank  have  grown  wonderfully,  being  now,  when 
less  than  three  years  old,  the  third  bank  in  size  of 
deposits  and  business  in  Kansas  City. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


Mr.  Hocker  has  not  given  much  attention  to  politi- 
cal matters,  his  business  affairs  taking  all  his  time,  but 
when  he  votes  he  casts  his  ballot  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  D.  Ketchara,  a 
daughter  of  JI.  B.  Ketcham,  an  old  and  prominent 
resident  of  St.  Joseph,  on  the  15th  of  June,  1887. 
They  have  two  daughters.  Though  still  a  young 
man,  Mr.  Hocker  may  well  be  content  to  rest  on  the 
laurels  already  won,  as  his  magnificent  record  in  the 
Metropolitan  National  Bank  alone  is  one  of  the  best 
to  be  found  in  Western  Missouri. 


JOHN    MILTON    DANDY, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  MILTON  DANDY,  son  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  W. 
C.  and  Mary  A.  Dandy,  was  born  at  Versailles, 
Kentucky,  on  the  13th  of  July,  1852.  Dr.  Dandy  was 
for  half  a  century  one  of  the  most  respected  and  hon- 
ored ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
occupying  during  that  long  period  of  service  some  of 
the  most  prominent  and  important  posts  in  that  denom- 
ination. He  has  recently  retired  from  the  active 
service  of  the  ministry  and  is  now  enjoying  a  well 
earned  rest  in  California.  The  associations  of  the 
father's  public  career  had  a  most  desirable  influence  on 
the  son,  and  during  these  formative  years  the  founda- 
tion was  laid  for  those  literary  tastes  and  ambitions 
that  led  the  way  to  the  career  of  journalism. 

John  M.  Dandy  was  educated  at  the  North- 
western University  at  Evanston,  which  popular  institu- 
tion of  learning  he  entered  in  1869,  graduating  in  the 
year  1873.  His  college  career  was  rich  in  pleasant 
memories  and  happy  fellowships,  and  was  not  without 
distinction.  At  its  close,  though  the  youngest  man  of 
his  class,  he  was  one  of  eight  selected  to  deliver  the 
orations  of  graduation  day. 

It  was  while  at  the  University  that  the  fashion  of 
his  life  began  to  shape  itself ; — here  his  journalistic 
instincts  first  found  opportunity  of  development.  He 
became  special  correspondent  of  the  Chicago  Times,  of 
the  Chicago  Journal,  and  other  papers.  On  leaving 
the  University  Mr.  Dandy  resolved  on  journalism  as 
the  profession  of  his  life,  and  determined  that  sooner  or 
later  he  would  establish  a  newspaper  of  his  own. 

In  the  year  1875,  in  conjunction  with  Major  George 
M.  McConnel — for  many  years  dramatic  and  musical 
editor  of  the  Times — and  Lyman  B.  Glover,  the  present 
dramatic  and  musical  editor  of  the  Herald  of  this  city, 
he  embarked  upon  his  chosen  enterprise,  and  The 
Saturday  Evening  Herald  was  established.  The  policy 
and  purpose  of  the  new  journal  was  distinctly  marked 
from  the  outset.  It  was  to  be  a  clean,  bright  journal, 
of  lofty  tone,  wholly  free  from  sensationalism  and  from 
those  characteristics  that  offend  refined  and  cultured 


minds.  Its  business  was  to  provide  for  polite  society 
a  record  of  its  doings,  and  to  deal  with  the  current 
phases  of  the  musical  and  dramatic  world.  Its  editor- 
ials were  to  be  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  literary  and 
social  questions,  and  of  all  matters  of  passing  public 
interest.  The  new  journal  met  with  hearty  apprecia- 
tion from  the  very  outset.  Prosperity  smiled  on  its 
earliest  history.  It  soon  became  recognized  by  the 
public  and  the  press  as  the  established  authority  on  all 
matters  of  interest  in  the  movement  of  polite  society. 
For  more  than  nineteen  years  this  journal  has  not  only 
held  its  own,  but  has  grown  in  public  esteem,  winning 
for  itself  a  wide  and  influential  constituency  among  the 
best  families  in  Chicago  and  towns  tributary,  and 
to-day  it  is  generously  recognized  as  the  leading  society 
paper  of  the  West.  The  press  of  the  country  East  and 
West  has  not  failed  again  and  again  to  congratulate  Mr. 
Dandy  in  words  of  ungrudging  praise.  A  prophet  is 
not  generally  greatly  honored  in  his  own  country,  but 
Mr.  Dandy  has  found  his  warmest  and  most  apprecia- 
tive friends  in  his  "own  country,"  as  the  following  note 
from  the  pen  of  Eugene  Field — which  is  but  an  example 
of  many — will  abundantly  attest: 

"  With  its  current  number  The  Saturday  Evening 
Herald  enters  upon  its  nineteenth  year.  Its  career 
has  been  a  steadily  prosperous  one ;  it  has  never  toler- 
ated the  sensational ;  it  has  never  stooped  to  any  of 
those  affectations  with  which  too  many  publications 
seek  to  advertise  and  promote  their  interests.  The 
Saturday  Evening  Herald  has  attended  strictly  and 
properly  to  its  own  business,  and  as  a  consequence  it 
has  prospered  ;  it  has  always  been  keenly  alive  and 
responsive  lo  the  demands  of  its  readers,  but  it  has 
never  mistaken  vulgarity  for  enterprise,  and  that  is 
why  its  clientage  has  always  been  in  the  upper  class. 
In  and  throughout  the  career  of  this  excellent  family 
paper  the  clean,  manly  personality  of  Mr.  John  >M. 
Dandy,  the  editor,  has  been  clearly  exemplified." 

The  establishment  and  maintenance  of  this  journal 
has  been  the  ambition  of  Mr.  Dandy's  life,  and  to  that 


>v\ 


\1V 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


667 


laudable  ambition  he  brought  not  only  the  patient 
ardor  of  an  enthusiast,  but  a  rare  combination  of 
qualities  essential  to  the  success  of  the  journal.  As 
Eugene  Field  says,  Mr.  Dandy  has  impressed  his  own 
personality  on  his  paper.  lie  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful of  what  we  call  "newspaper  makers; "his  clear 
literary  instincts  and  perceptions  having  helped  him  to 
provide  a  journal  worthy  of  the  best  constituency 
these  advanced  times  afford.  Mr.  Dandy  has  been  for 
some  years  sole  publisher  and  editor-in-chief. 

Personally  Mr.  Dandy  is  one  of  the  best  known  and 
most  popular  men  in  Chicago.  He  has  a  very  happy 
faculty  of  making  friends,  and  keeping  them  when 
made.  His  genial,  courteous  disposition  makes  his  pres- 


ence welcome  in  all  of  Chicago  society.  He  has  long 
been  a  member  of  the  Press  Club  of  Chicago  and  his 
name  has  often  been  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
presidency  of  that  organization.  He  is  a  member  of 
several  social  clubs  and  societies  of  the  city.  At  this 
date  he  holds  the  honorable  position  of  president  of  the 
Alumni  Association  of  the  Northwestern  University— 
his  old  Alma  Mater — to  which  he  was  elected  at  the 
annual  meeting  of  June  14th,  1893.  Mr.  Dandy  is  in  the 
prime  of  early  manhood,  with  a  most  enviable  and 
brilliant  career  before  him.  He  was  married  on  the 
22nd  of  October,  1884,  to  Nellie  Blanford  Cook,  of 
Baltimore.  They  rejoice  in  the  possession  of  two 
children,  a  charming  daughter  and  a  hopeful  son. 


ELBERT   C.  FORTNER,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ELBERT  C.  FORTNER  is  a  native  of  the  progress- 
ive Hawkeye  State,  having  been  born  in  Bremer 
county,  Iowa,  on  April  15th,  1861.  His  father  has 
been  a  prominent  and  much-respected  business  man  at 
"Waverly,  Iowa,  for  the  past  thirty-five  years.  Elbert's 
early  education  was  acquired  in  the  excellent  public 
schools  of  Wavei'ly  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he 
entered  the  Iowa  State  College  at,  Ames.  Here  he  was 
a  most  diligent  student  and  a  favorite  alike  with  the 
faculty  and  with  his  associates.  It  is  much  to  the 
credit  of  young  Fortner  that  he  worked  his  own  way 
through  college,  teaching  in  country  schools  a  part  of  the 
time  and  doing  such  other  work  as  came  to  his  hand. 

While  in  college  at  Ames  young  Fortner  developed 
a  fondness  for  dissecting  and  laboratory  work,  which 
led  him  to  choose  the  medical  profession  as  his  voca- 
tion in  life.  Upon  his  graduation  from  college  with 
the  degree  of  B.  S.  at  the  eaVly  age  of  twenty,  became 
to  Chicago  and  entered  in  earnest  upon  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
taking  a  four  years'  course.  The  second  and  third  years 
he  spent  in  part  as  a  nurse  in  the  wards  of  the  Cook 
County  Hospital,  where  he  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
diseases  and  practical  training  in  their  treatment  which 
was  of  great  value.  In  his  class  in  the  medical  college 
he  was  considered  one  of  the  best  posted  members,  and 
when  he  graduated  in  188G  he  was  exceptionally  well 
equipped  for  his  work.  Though  desiring  to  commence 
practice  in  the  great  city  of  Chicago,  his  parents  per- 
suaded him  to  begin  near  his  birthplace.  Accordingly 
he  located  at  Sumner,Iowa,  and  soon  had  a  good  coun- 
try practice,  at  the  same  time  finding  the  pure  prairie 
air  and  the  exercise  necessary  to  his  work  a  great -pro- 
moter of  health  and  physical  vigor.  While  in  Iowa 
Dr.  Fortner  became  known  extensively  in  several  coun- 
ties and  his  standing  as  a  physician  was  indicated  by 
his  appointment  on  the  board  of  United  States  Pension 
Examiners,  and  as  local  surgeon  of  the  Chicago  & 
Great  Western  railroad.  A  country  practice  was, 


however,  too  circumscribed  for  his  aspirations,  and 
four  years  ago,  in  1890,  Dr.  Fortner  removed  to 
Chicago,  and  courageously  commenced  practice  by 
opening  an  office  on  the  West  Side.  From  the 
first  he  met  with  success,  and  when,  in  January,  1894, 
his  merit  was  recognized  by  appointment  to  the  posi- 
tion of  county  physician  for  Cook  county,  he  enjoyed 
an  extensive  practice.  In  a  great  city  it  rarely  falls 
to  the  experience  of  so  young  a  man  in  any  of  the  pro- 
fessions, unaided  by  family  or  favorable  social  influence, 
to  attain  to  the  measure  of  success  and  to  reach  the 
position  realized  by  this  stirring  Iowa  practitioner. 
Ability,  energy  and  judicious  use  of  opportunities,  with 
untiring  industry  manifestly  lie  at  the  foundation  of 
this  success.  In  his  social  life  Dr.  Fortner  is  a  gentle- 
man of  deserved  popularity,  his  genial  friendliness  and 
magnetic  cordiality  and  uniform  courtesy  winning  for 
him  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  those  with  whom  he 
associates.  His  home  life  is  made  pleasant  by  his  accom- 
plished and  estimable  wife,  whose  culture  and  refine- 
ment are  well  known  to  her  large  circle  of  friends  and 
highly  appreciated  by  her  husband,  to  whom  in  all  his 
labors  and  aspirations  she  lias  been  and  is  a  true  help- 
meet. She  was  formerly  Miss  Eva  Tuthill,  a  niece  of 
Judge  R.  S.  Tuthill  of  this  city  and  became  the  doctor's 
wife  in  1888.  Two  promising  children  have  been  born 
to  them,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  aged  five  and  three 
years  respectively. 

In  his  political  views  and  affiliations  Dr.  Fortner  is 
an  ardent  Republican,  as  was  his  father  before  him, 
and  is  an  intelligent  worker  for  the  principles  of  that 
part}'.  In  his  religious  belief  he  is  somewhat  liberal; 
his  wife  being  a  Presbyterian.  He  is  a  worthy  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias, 
while  his  further  society  and  political  affiliations  are 
represented  by  membership  in  the  Lincoln  and  Mar- 
quette  clubs,  in  both  of  which  he  is  active  and  popular. 
That  he  has  a  future  before  him  of  much  promise  is 
easily  predicted. 


668 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


MARCUS    POLLASKY, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


RAPID  transit  is  the  question  that  now  occupies  the 
attention  of  the  citizens  of  all  our  large  cities. 
In  Chicago  it  has  become  a  most  important  topic  and 
is  eagerly  demanded  and  must  soon  come,  the  question 
being  how  to  get  it.  The  south  and  west  sides  of  the 
city  have  recently  been  provided  with  trunk  lines  of 
elevated  roads,  but  the  north  side,  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  populous  divisions  of  the  city,  lias  so  far 
been  practically  unprovided  for.  Numerous  plans  have 
been  proposed  for  north  side  elevated  roads,  and  some 
of  them  have  been  favorably  considered  by  the  com- 
mon council  cf  Chicago,  which  it  is  unnecessary  to 
detail  here.  Among  the  plans  proposed,  however,  is 
one  by  Mr.  Marcus  Pollasky,  a  young  lawyer  of  note  in 
this  city,  to  not  only  supply  the  people  with  rapid 
transit,  but  to  give  the  city  a  vested  interest  in  the 
proposed  roads  from  the  beginning,  with  the  provision 
that  they  shall  eventually  pass  into  the  complete  pos- 
session of  the  municipalit\r.  The  plan  is  clearly  indi- 
cated by  the  following  statement  as  originally  drawn 
up  by  Mr.  Pollasky  : 

"  The  City  of  Chicago  shall,  by  ordinance  or  other 
appropriate  legislation,  grant  an  ordinance  to  said 
company  [the  Chicago  North  Division  Elevated  Rail- 
road Co.]  which  shall  enable  it  to  build  and  operate  the 
railroad,  and  the  ordinance  shall  provide,  among  other 
things,  for  the  creation  of  a  board,  consisting  of  eleven 
citizens  of  Chicago,  to  be  known  as  the  '  North  Side 
Elevated  Railroad  Commission,'  the  members  of  which 
shall  at  the  first  instance  be  designated  by  the  railroad 
company,  and  be  acceptable  to  the  Common  Council  of 
the  City  of  Chicago.  Said  commissioners  or  trustees, 
when  so  designated  and  having  qualified  to  act,  shall 
forever  after  have  the  power  to  perpetuate  the  com- 
mission by  choosing  successors  to  its  own  members  in 
the  event  of  the  death,  resignation  or  removal  of 
any  of  its  members.  The  Commission  shall  serve 
the  city  for  a  small  compensation,  to  be  paid  by  the 
company." 

"After  paying  the  operating  expenses,  cost  of 
maintenance,  and  the  fixed  charges,  and  creating  a 
sinking  fund  for  the  purpose  of  retiring  the  bonded 
indebtedness,  all  earnings  shall  be  covered  into  the 
treasury  of  the  city  of  Chicago  and  passed  to  the  credit 
of  the  park  fund,  or  library  fund,  or  any  other  fund  to 
be  hereafter  designated  by  the  city  of  Chicago,  or  by 
the  commissioners  mentioned." 

"The  entire  property  of  the  railroad  company  shall 
pass  into  the  hands  and  be  under  the  control  of  the 
Commission,  and  become  the  property  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  whenever  the  bonded  indebtedness  is  paid, 
either  by  the  sinking  fund  to  be  created  or  by  earlier 
payment.  The  city  of  Chicago  shall  have  the  power 
to  call  in  the  bonds  at  any  time  after  the  expiration  oC 
five  years  from  the  date  of  their  issue,  upon  payment 
of  the  bonds  at  par,  together  with  the  premium,  to  the 


holders  thereof,  the  amount  of  such  premium  to  be  there- 
after determined." 

Such  a  proposition  is  new  in  this  country,  and 
will  have  a  tendency  to  forever  remove  from  the  con- 
trol of  the  municipality  a  dangerous  political  instrument 
by  the  unique  plan  of  creating  an  independent  commis- 
sion. As  its  success  in  Chicago  seems  assured,  it  bids 
fair  to  revolutionize  rapid  transit  throughout  the  entire 
country.  It  has  been  heartily  endorsed  by  such  citizens 
of  Chicago  as  Lyman  J.  Gage,  Gen.  William  Sooy 
Smith,  George  M.  Pullman,  Marshall  Field,  P.  D. 
Armour,  S.  W.  Allerton,  Frederick  W.  Gardner,  J.  T. 
Hall,  L.  O.  Goddard,  Andrew  McNally,  and  by 
some  of  the  leading  bankers  and  capitalists  of  New 
York. 

Marcus  Pollasky  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  on 
September  6,  1861.  His  father  was  one  of  those  Hun- 
garian patriots  who,  having  fought  and  lost  in  the 
struggle  for  independence  under  Louis  Kossuth,  came 
to  this  country  to  seek  that  freedom  which  they  had 
been  denied  by  Austria.  During  his  infancy  (1863), 
Mr.  Pollasky  was  taken  to  Alma,  Mich.,  where  his 
father  engaged  in  the  business  of  lumbering  and  general 
merchandise.  Here  he  spent  his  boyhood,  his  early 
education  being  obtained  at  the  public  schools  at 
Alma. 

When  but  thirteen  years  of  age  he  was  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources  and  left  school,  but  continued  to 
devote  his  leisure  time  to  books.  Four  years  later  he 
was  the  traveling  representative  of  one  of  the  largest 
wholesale  houses  in  Detroit.  His  salary  was  small,  but 
having  made  up  his  mind  to  get  a  college  education,  he 
put  away  every  cent  he  could  spare,  and  managed  to 
save  enough  to  enable  him  to  attend  the  University  of 
Michigan.  With  the  money  thus  saved  he  entered  the 
University  at  Ann  Arbor,  being  compelled,  however, 
later,  from  lack  of  funds,  to  resume  fora  time  his  com- 
mercial travels.  Afterwards,  continuing  his  studies,  he, 
in  1883  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the 
University. 

He  then  returned  to  Alma  and  began  the  practice 
of  law,  to  which  he  added  the  business  of  banking, 
organizing  the  Gratiot  County  Savings  Bank,  a  State 
institution,  and  was  soon  known  as  the  youngest  bank 
president  in  the  state  of  Michigan.  Soon  after  he 
became  known  as  a  prominent  promoter  of  the  Lansing. 
Alma  and  Mount  Pleasant  Railroad,  which  afterwards 
consolidated  with  the  Toledo,  Ann  Arbor  and  North 
Michigan  R.  R.  On  its  completion  be  became  its  aud- 
itor and  counsel.  He  was  also  identified  with  the  for- 
mation of  the  Alma  College,  to  which  he  presented  an 
excellent  law  library. 

Mr.  Pollasky  removed  to  Chicago  in  1887,  where  he 
became  intimate  with  Walker  Elaine,  the  favorite  son 
of  Hon.  James  G.  JBlaine,  and  succeeded  to  young 
Elaine's  business  when  he  left  the  city. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T   WEST. 


Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  he  was  admitted 
to  practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  taking  his  oath  upon  the  motion  of  the  then 
Attorney-General  of  the  United  States,  Augustus  H. 
Garland,  side  by  side  with  the  famous  Kentuckian, 
Proctor  Knott. 

In  18S9  and  1890  he  organized  a  company  and 
constructed  a  telegraph  line  from  Chicago  to  the  Lake 
Superior  region  in  opposition  to  the  Western  Union. 
Too  close  application  to  his  arduous  duties,  however, 
began  to  tell  on  Mr.  Pollasky's  health,  and  under  the 
advice  of  his  physician  he  went  to  California.  Here  he 
soon  recuperated,  and  in  a  short  time  we  find  him 
exploring  the  undeveloped  resources  of  San  Joaquin 
Valley.  Having,  made  an  inspection  of  the  foot 
hills  back  of  Fresno,  he  settled  in  his  mind  that  "there 
were  large  profits  to  be  made  in  building  a  railroad, 
which  would  tap  the  mountain  timber  district  and  at 
the  same  time  develop  the  intermediate  country.  He 
proposed  to  the  people  of  Fresno  to  build  such  a  road. 
The  people  there,  however,  were  not  sufficiently  alive, 
to  progressive  ideas  to  appreciate  the  value  or  practica- 
bility of  the  project  and  refused  their  aid.  Nothing 
daunted,  however,  Mr.  Pollasky.  formed  a  company  to 
build  a  hundred  miles  of  railroad  from  Fresno  into  the 
mountains, went  East  to  interest  capitalists  in  the  enter- 
prise, and  eventually  did  build  the  San  Joaquin  Valley 
or  "  Mountain  "  road,  which  taps  the  most  fertile  por- 
tion of  the  county  of  Fresno.  It  runs  through  many 
of  the  largest  vineyards  in  the  State,  and  reaches  the 


671 

San  Joaquin  River  at  the  thriving  town  of  Pollasky,  so 
named  after  its  projector.  In  addition  to  building  this 
road,  Mr.  Pollasky  organized  land,  timber  and  other 
companies,  and  his  name  as  a  progressive  and  public- 
spirited  citizen  is  well  known  in  California. 

On  account  of  the  valuable  assistance  he  had 
rendered  his  party  by  gaining  recognition  for  the  young 
men  of  the  State,  Gov.  Luce,  of  Michigan,  appointed 
him  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Corrections  and 
Charities  in  1887,  which  position  he  held  until  he  left 
for  Chicago. 

During  his  residence  on  the  Pacific  Coast  he  was 
appointed  by  Gov.  Mark  ham  major  and  quarter-master 
of  the  Third  Brigade,  National  Guard  of  California. 
These  are  the  only  public  positions  Mr.  Pollasky  has 
held,  save  that  of  superintendent  of  schools,  to  which 
he  was  appointed  while  yet  a  minor,  and  one  term  as 
village  attorney  while  residing  at  Alma,  Michigan,  in 
1884.  Mr.  Pollasky  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  a  Knight  of 
Pythias  and  K.  O.  T.  M.  Politically  he  is  a  strong  and 
uncompromisingTlepublican,  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  part  in  advancing  the  interests  of  that  party. 

Mr.  Poliasky  was  united  in  marriage  in  1884,  to 
Miss  Nellie  A.  Waldby,  the  only  daughter  of  the  lead- 
ing banker  of  Adrian,  Mich.  She  is  a  refined  and  cul- 
tured lady,  and  being  naturally  of  a  quiet  and  retiring 
disposition,  her  hospitality  and  domestic  tastes  make 
home  a  pleasant  place  for  her  husband  and  friends. 
They  have  no  children,  and  occupy  elegant  quarters  at 
the  Auditorium  Annex. 


MARTIN    KINGMAN, 

PEOKIA.,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Deer  Creek 
township,  Tazewell  countv,  Illinois,  in  1844,  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  four  boys,  his  father  being  a 
native  of  Massachusetts  and  his  mother  of  Virginia. 
They  emigrated  to  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  in  1834. 
When  young  Martin  was  four  years  old  his  father 
died,  and  at  fourteen  he  left  home  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  He  acquired  a  fair  education  and 
at  the  same  time  a  living  by  attending  school  in  sum- 
mer and  teaching  in  the  winter.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a  private  in 
company  G,  Eighty -sixth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  from  which  he  returned  as 
first  lieutenant.  lie  served  part  of  the  time  during 
the  war  on  detached  service  in  charge  of  the  ambu- 
lance corps  and  afterwards  as  assistant-quartermaster. 
After  the  war  Mr.  Kingman  engaged  in  several 
different  lines  of  business  until  1867,  when  the  agricul- 
tural machinery  firm  of  Kingman  &  Dunham  was 
organized  at  Peoria,  which  after  three  years  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Kingman,  Hotchkiss  &  Co.,  remaining  as 
such  for  two  years.  Then  a  new  firm  was  ofgan- 


ized,  consisting  of  Martin  Kingman,  C.  A.  Jamison  and 
G.  H.  Schempff.  In  1882  the  firm  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  of  $600.000.  Aside  from  the  farm 
machinery  business  Mr.  Kingman  has  been  identified 
with  several  other  large  enterprises,  among  which  are 
the  private  bank  of  Kingman,  Blossom  &  Co.,  organ- 
ized in  1879,  succeeded  in  1884  by  the  Central  National 
Bank  with  Mr.  Kingman  as  president;  the  Peoria 
Cordage  Co.;  the  Moline  Plow  Co.;  the  Marseilles, 
(III.)  Manufacturing  Co.,  and  the  Milburn  Wagon  Co., 
of  Toledo,  O.  lie  also  served  for  two  years  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Peoria  Fair  Association  and  was  for  some 
time  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Board  of  Canal  Com- 
missionors.  At  the  present  time  he  occupies  the  posi- 
tion also  of  president  of  the  Peoria  Savings,  Loan  & 
Trust  Co. 

Mr.  Kingman  is  an  active  member  and  a  trustee  of 
the  First  Congregational  church  of  Peoria,  and  is  prom- 
inent in  all  Christian  enterprises,  having  served  two 
years  as  president  of  the  Peoria  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He  was 
married  May  21,  1867,  to  Miss  Emeline  T.  Shelly,  the 
result  of  the  Union  being  four  sons  and  one  daughter. 


672 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST, 

• 

JOEL   ROGERS    GORE,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOEL  KOGERS  GORE,  one  of  the  veteran  physic- 
ians of  Chicago,  with  a  continuous  practice  here 
of  thirty-eight  years,  excepting  three  vears  during  the 
war,  comes  of  an  old  New  England  family,  the  head 
of  which  in  this  country  was  John  Gore,  who  emigra- 
ted from  England  to  Roxbury,  Mass.,  in  1635.  In 
about  1769,  his  great-grandfather,  Obadiah  Gore, 
removed,  with  seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  from 
Connecticut  to  the  famous  Wyoming  Valley,  now  a 
part  of  Pennsylvania,  being  part  of  a  company  of  forty 
Connecticut  Yankees  who  braved  the  perils  of  that 
then  wilderness  country.  One  of  the  sons  of  Obadiah, 
afterwards  entered  the  Continental  army  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  served  with  distinction  and  was 
afterward  associate  judge  of  Luzerne  county,  Pa. 
The  remaining  sons,  with  their  father  and  his  two  sons- 
iri-law,  were  prominent  participants  in  the  gallant 
defense  of  the  Wyoming  settlement  in  July,  1778,  when 
in  the  absence  of  most  of  its  male  defenders  in  the  Con- 
tinental army,  the  infamous  British  colonel,  John  But- 
ler, with  his  Indian  allies  attacked  the  settlement, 
overpowering  the  heroic  handful  of  men  and  women 
who  rallied  against  the  invaders,  and  massacred  women 
and  children.  When  the  conflict  ended  only  the  elder 
Gore  and  one  son  remained  unhurt,  three  of  the  sons 
and  the  two  sons-in-law  having  been  killed  and  one  son 
Captain  Daniel  Gore,  having  suffered  the  loss  of  an 
arm.*  Captain  Gore  was  the  father  of  George  Gore, 
the  father  of  Dr.  Joel  Rogers  Gore,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch.  ' 

The  latter  was  born  at  Wilkesbarre,  in  the  Wyoming 
Valley,  March  31,  1811,  his  mother  being  Mary  Lamed 
Gore.  His  boyhood  days  were  spent  on  the  farm  and 
in  attendance  at  the  common  school.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  and  he 
decided  to  enter  upon  a  broader  career  than  farm  life 
afforded,  in  the  meantime  having  gone  with  his  parents 
to  Ontario  county,  New  York.  By  working  on  a  farm 
part  of  the  year  and  attending  school  during  the  falls 
and  winters  he  succeeded,  under  great  difficulties,  in 
obtaining  a  good  academic  education,  mainly  at  the 
Homer  Academy  at  Cortland,  N.  Y.  During  the 
prosecution  of  his  studies  he  taught  school  several  terms, 
his  first  certificate  to  teach  being  obtained  at  the  age 
of  nineteen.  In  this  struggle  for  an  education  young 
Joel  was  wont  to  improve  his  time  at  an  earl  v  age  when 
in  the  field  following  the  plow,  by  consulting  a  copy  of 
the  old  grammar  of  Lindley  Murray  whenever  it  be- 
came necessary  for  his  ox  team  to  rest,  in  which  he 
made  good  proficiency  in  the  mastery  of  conjugations 
and  declensions.  Having  decided  to  make  the  medical 
profession  his  life  work,  young  Gore,  after  finishing  his 
academic  course,  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  George  W. 
Bradford,  at  Homer,  of  the  allopathic  school,  for  the 
study  of  medicine.  Later  on  he  attended  the  first  and 
second  courses  of  lectures  of  the  Geneva  (N.  Y.)  Medi- 


cal College,  and  in  1836  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Owasco,  near  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  in  Cayuga 
county.  After  several  years  of  practice  Dr.  Gore  de- 
cided, in  1849,  to  add  to  his  attainments  by  attendinga 
regular  course  of  instruction  in  the  University  of  the 
City  of  New  York.  From  this  institution  he  graduated 
in  due  course,  with  honors,  and  then  returned  to  Cayuga 
count}',  where  he  continued  actively  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  until  1856,  when  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
then  a  city  of  scarcely  more  than  75.000  inhabitants. 
Among  the  incidents  of  his  experience  in  medical  prac- 
tice in  New  York  State,  Dr.  Gore  was  called  upon  to 
testify  as  a  medical  expert  in  a  famous  murder  case  at 
Auburn,  the  lion.  Wm.  II.  Seward,  representing  the 
defense,  which  set  up  the  then  somewhat  novel  plea  of 
"moral  insanity."  The  prosecution  was  conducted  by 
John  Van  Buren,  the  son  of  President  Martin  Van 
Buren. 

Upon  entering  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Chicago,  Dr.  Gore  soon  met  with  success  and  became 
well  and  favorably  known,  so  much  so  that  he  became 
county  physician  for  Cook  county  and  continued  to 
occupy  the  position  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion.  He  was  then  sent,  in  1861,  by  the  Cook 
county  board  of  supervisors  to  Springfield  to  furnish 
medical  and  surgical  attendance  to  the  troops  from 
Chicago  being  organized  and  equipped  for  the  field. 
He  also  went,  in  the  same  capacity,  to  Cairo,  where 
the  Barker  dragoons  and  two  artillery  companies  from 
Chicago  had  been  sent  into  camp.  In  1862  he  was 
regularly  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  127th  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry  and  joined  General  Sherman's  com- 
mand,  then  operating  in  the  vicinity  of  Vicksburg. 
He  remained  with  his  regiment  until  October  24,  1863, 
when  he  was  promoted  to  senior  surgeon  of  the  First 
Brigade,  by  order  of  Brigadier-General  M.  L.  Smith, 
commanding  the  Second  Division  of  the  Fifteenth  Army 
Corps,  and  assigned  to  the  staff  of  Brigadier-General 
Giles  A.  Smith,  in  which  position  he  served  with  credit 
to  himself  and  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  then  returned  to  Chicago  and  was  elected  county 
physician.  As  the  result  o'f  his  work  during  the  war, 
there  is  credited  to  Dr.  Gore  specimens  of  fractured 
bone  in  the  Government  Medical  Museum  at  Washing- 
ton, designed  to  illustrate  the  advancement  of  medical 
science  in  military  surgery,  such  as  resection  of  the 
head  of  the  humerus  in  place  of  amputation  at  the 
shoulder  joint.  These  specimens  were  furnished  from 
the  hospital  in  the  rear  of  Atlanta  in  1864,  being  the 
result  of  his  operations. 

While  holding  the  position  of  county  physician, 
prior  to  the  war,  Dr.  Gore  had  materially  assisted  in 
reconciling  the  differences  arising  between  the  city  of 
Chicago  and  Cook  county  relative  to  the  opening  and 
management  of  the  county  hospital,  and  as  a  result  the 
doors  of  that  institution,  which  had  been  for  some 


*See  Charles  Miner's  history  of  Wyoming. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


years  closed  to  the  indigent  sick  and  afflicted  of  the 
city,  were  opened  to  this  class  of  unfortunates.  Being 
naturally  a  man  of  kind  heart  and  generous  impulses 
he  was  admirably  adapted  to  the  work  of  county  phy- 
sician, and  at  no  time  in  the  history  of  Chicago  have 
the  unfortunate  hospital  inmates  been  more  carefully 
or  efficiently  looked  after  than- during  his  administra- 
tion. From  1S67  to  1S7S  Dr.  Gore  was  consulting  sur- 
geon of  the  county  hospital  and  was  also  active  in  the 
selection  of  the  site  of  the  present  hospital  buildings. 
In  1879,  having  served  in  a  similar  capacity  two  prom- 
inent life  insurance  companies,  he  was  appointed  med- 
ical examiner  for  the  Northwestern  Life  Insurance 
company,  and  since  that  time  has  given  a  large  portion 
of  his  time  and  attention  to  the  important  and  exacting 
duties  of  that  position,  which  were  for  twelve  years 
discharged  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  company 
and  of  all  concerned,  and  through  which  he  has  formed 
a  large  and  pleasant  acquaintance  with  many  people 
outside  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 

In  1839,  three  years  after  he  commenced  the  prac- 


6/5 

tice  of  his  profession,  Dr.  Gore  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  A  Fuller,  of  Peekskill,  N.  Y.  She  died  in  1870, 
and  three  years  later,  in  1873,  he  was  again  married, 
this  time  to  Miss  Marie  Louise  Elmers,  of  Chicago, 
though  formerly  a  friend  of  his  first  wife  at  Peekskill. 
N.  Y.  By  neither  of  these  marriages  have  any  children 
been  born,  and  Dr.  Gore  is  probably  the  only  repre- 
sentative in  Chicago  of  a  family  which  over  a  century 
ago  was  one  of  the  most  noted  in  the  Wyoming  Valley 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  whose  names  were  given  a 
prominent  place  on  the  monument  erected  by  their 
descendants  to  the  memory  of  the  heroic  defenders  of 
the  settlement  in  1778. 

The  life  of  Dr.  Gore  has  been  a  busy  and  useful 
one,  full  of  good  deeds,  and  characterized  by  an 
honorable  career  which  many  might  envy ;  and  now, 
at  an  advanced  age,  he  is  permitted  to  enjoy  the 
companionship  of  a  devoted  wife,  and  the  friendship 
of  a  very  large  circle  of  friends,  and  to  look  back  with 
satisfaction  upon  the  path  of  the  past,  made  bright 
with  the  light  of  pleasant  memories. 


DUDLEY  COX  TROTT,  B.  A.,  M.  B.,  B.  C,  F.  R.  C.  S.,  L.  R.  C.  P., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on  the  Island 
of  Bermuda  on  September  4,  1858,  the  son  of 
Harley  and  Adelaide  S.  Trott.  The  father  was  a  mer- 
chant of  Bermuda,  of  the  firm  of  Trott  &  Cox,  and  the 
senior  of  the  direct  line  descended  from-Perrint  Trott, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Bermuda,  who  came  from 
England  and  was  supposed  to  be  a  nephew  of  the 
Countess  of  Bedford.  He  was  for  a  time  governor  of 
Bermuda,  and  one  of  the  leading  spirits  among  its 
early  settlers  ;  also  the  author  of  a  history  of  the  early 
days  of  Bermuda. 

Young  Trott  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
Bermuda  local  schools,  and  in  1873  entered  Dulwich 
House  School,  Upper  Norwood,  London.  Three  years 
later,  in  1876,  he  entered  Guy's  Hospital  Medical 
School,  and  on  the  completion  of  his  studies  became 
resident  dresser  and  resident  obstetrician  at  that  insti- 
tution. Making  most  commendable  progress  in  his 
profession,  Dr.  Trott  became  a  member  of  the  Royal 
College  of  Surgeons  of  England  in  1880.  Entering 
Gains  College,  Cambridge,  in  1881,  he  took  a  thorough 
course,  graduating  in  1884  with  degree  of  B.  A.  in  hon- 
ors in  the  Natural  Science  tripos.  In  the  same  year 
he  became  a  licentiate  of  the.  Royal  College  of  Physi- 
cians of  London,  and  in  1885  a  Bachelor  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery  of  the  University  of  Cambridge.  His 
professional  attainments  during  the  early  years  of  his 
life  are  indicated  by  the  fact  that  in  1880  he  became  a 
Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of  England. 

While  a  medical   student  in  London  he   served  a 


term  of  three  years  in  Military  Service  in  the  20th 
(late  38th)  Middlesex  Regiment  of  Volunteers  in 
England.  Returning  to  Bermuda  Dr.  Trott  practiced 
his  profession  there  during  the  winter  season  for  two 
years  and  in  the  summer  at  Mizzen-top  Hotel  at  Quaker 
Hill,  Duchess  county,  N.  Y.  In  1888  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  not  long  after  was  appointed  assistant  in  the 
surgical  eye  and  ear  department  of  the  Post-Graduate 
Medical  school  and  later  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the 
same  institution,  which  position  he  still  holds.  In  1892 
his  ability  was  recognized  by  an  appointment  as  lec- 
turer on  Surgical  Anatomy  in  the  college  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  this  city  and  a  year  later  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  chair  of  anatomy  in  the  institution,  still 
holding  that  position.  Dr.  Trott  is  also  attending  sur- 
geon at  the  Post-Graduate  hospital,  at  the  Chicago 
Charity  hospital  and  at  the  Chicago  Hospital. 

In  his  early  boyhood  days  Dr.  Trott  was  strongly 
impressed,  as  it  not  unfrequently  happens  to  boys, 
with  the  idea  that  the  life  of  a  sailor  was  all  that 
could  be  desired.  His  experiences,  however,  on  Ber- 
muda in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic  ocean  soon  robbed 
this  ideal  life  of  all  charms  and  persuaded  the  boy  that 
a  sailor's  life  was  anything  but  the  romantic  one  pic- 
tured by  the  tales  and  harbored  in  the  imagination  of 
his  younger  days. 

Dr.  Trott  was  married  in  1886  to  Florence  Lee,  of 
Uedditch,  near  Birmingham,  England.  Mrs.  Trott  is 
the  daughter  of  the  late  James  Lee,  of  Great  House 
Birmingham. 


676 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

EDWARD    F.  BUECKING, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EDWAED  F.  BUECKING,  eminent  as  a  physician 
and  surgeon,  and  prominent  as  an  instructor,  was 
born  in  Washington,  Franklin  county,  Mo.,  in  1857. 
His  parents  came  from  Germany,  his  father  being  a 
physician,  and  for  many  years  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  77,  he  was  in  active  practice  at 
Quincy,  III.  Here  young  Edward  was  reared  and  here 
his  education  svas  received  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
St.  Francis  Solanus  College.  In  1874  young  Buecking 
came  to  Chicago,  where  he  entered  Bennett  Medical 
College,  and  from  which  two  years  later  he  graduated. 
He  then  went  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  took  a  course  at 
the  medical  college  there,  graduating  from  the  institu- 
tion in  1877.  Eeturning  to  Chicago  the  same  year,  he 
became  a  regular  lecturer  on  anatomy  and  orthopaedic 
surgery  in  Bennett  Medical  College,  with  which  he  has 
since  been  connected,  now  occupying  the  chairs  of 
principles  and  practice  of  surgery  and  of  clinical 
surgery.  He  also  is,  and  for  three  or  four  years  has 
been,  a  surgeon  at  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  surgeon- 
in-chief  at  the  Chicago  Polyclinic  and  Post-Graduate 
Polyclinic  schools,  president  of  the  Illinois  State  Eclectic 
Medical  and  Surgical  Society  and  ex-president  of  the 
Chicago  Eclectic  Medical  and  Surgical  Society  and  of 
the  National  Eclectic  Medical  Association.  Dr.  Bueck- 
ing is  also  surgeon  of  the  Kailway  Brotherhood 
Hospital. 


He  is  known  among  his  colleagues  and  to  the 
observing  public  as  an  original  investigator,  who  desires 
to  look  into  things,  and  has  unquestionably  done 
much  to  advance  a  knowledge  of  medical  science  and 
practice,  and  to  free  it  from  many  of  its  empiricisms. 
He  is  a  hard  worker,  a  clear-headed  thinker,  thor- 
oughly conscientious  in  his  profession,  and  enjoys  the 
confidence  of  the  public  and  the  sincere  esteem  of  his 
professional  brethren.  In  manner  he  is  courteous  and 
affable,  and  popular  with  his  large  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances. This  was  evidenced  by  his  selection  as  president 
of  the  new  West  Side  German  club. 

In  1892,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Buecking  spent  six  months 
traveling  in  Europe,  where  they  visited  most  of  the 
principal  points  of  interest.  In  his  religious  views  the 
doctor  is  liberal,  and  politically  is  an  earnest  Republi- 
can, first,  last  and  all  the  time. 

On  April  13,  1879,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alona 
E.  Watkins,  and  there  have  been  born  to  them  two 
bright  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  aged  seven  and  four- 
years,  respectively.  Mrs.  Buecking  is  a  lady  of  cul- 
ture and  refinement,  who  has  developed  a  fine  artistic 
genius,  as  evidenced  by  many  meritorious  paintings, 
the  work  of  her  hand,  which  adorn  the  walls  of  their 
pleasant  home  on  South  Paulina  street,  where  she 
makes  home  pleasant  for  her  husband  and  children, 
and  extends  a  winning  welcome  to  her  friends. 


DANIEL   G.  MOORE,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DANIEL  GEOVE  MOOEE,  son  of  Oliver  Henry 
Perry  Moore  and  Catherine  (Aggy)  Moore,  was 
born  at  Illinois  City,  Eock  Island  county,  111.,  January 
19,  1844.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Licking  county, 
Ohio,  born  in  1819,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1837.  He 
died  November  10,  1879.  His  mother  was  also  a 
native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Guernsey  county,  in  1820. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter,  and  young 
Daniel's  early  education  was  gained  in  the  public 
schools  and  afterward  at  the  graded  school  at  Aledo, 
111.,  and  still  later  at  Illinois  Soldiers'  College  at 
Fulton,  111.  As  a  young  man  he  was  fond  of  outdoor 
life,  such  as  his  early  surroundings  furnished,  and  he 
thoroughly  enjoyed  such  recreation  as  was  afforded  by 
hunting,  fishing,  ball  playing,  and  the  like.  He  loved 
the  solitude  and  outspread  beauties  of  nature,  and 
gained  healthful  aspirations  of  mind  and  bodily 
strength  by  his  surroundings.  One  of  his  earliest 
recollections  was  the  suffering  which  his  father  endured 
from  inflammatory  rheumatism,  and  as  he  became 
older,  and  his  acute  mind  noted  the  medical  treatment 
received  by  his  father  with  a  good  deal  of  dissatisfac- 


tion, he  determined  upon  the  study  of  medicine  himself, 
partly  as  a  means  of  relieving  the  difficulty  referred  to. 
The  breaking  out  of  the  Southern  rebellion,  how- 
ever, interfered  with  his  plans,  and,  responding  to  the 
call  of  his  country,  young  Moore  enlisted  on  August 
11,  1862,  in  Company  B,  126th  Eegiment  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Clarendon  and  Jacksonville,  Tenn.,  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  and  was  engaged  in  numerous  skirmishes, 
doing  good  service.  During  his  soldier  life  he  also 
assumed  the  dangerous  duty  of  a  scout  for  about  six 
months.  After  three  years  of  service  he  was  mustered 
out  at  Springfield  on  August  12.  1865.  He  then 
engaged  in  teaching  for  .several  years,  or  until  April, 
1874,  when  he  came  to  Chicago  and  entered  the 
Jefferson  Insane  Asylum  as  an  attendant.  After  nine 
months  service  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
superior  of  the  hospital,  remaining  there  until  the 
fall  of  1877.  While  in  the  army  and  during  his 
teaching  experience  Doctor  Moore  studied  medicine, 
as  opportunity  offered,  and  upon  leaving  the  insane 
hospital  in  1877  he  entered  Eush  Medical  College  of  Chi- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


cago,  where  he  took  a  three  years  course,  graduating 
in  February,  1880.  Upon  graduation,  Doctor  Moore 
located  on  Elston  avenue,  enjoying  a  good  practice 
until  his  removal,  in  June,  1893,  to  his  present 
location  at  1242  Milwaukee  avenue,  where  his  practice 
is  a  large  and  remunerative  one,  and  where  lie 
enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  entire  community  He 
is  a  prominent  member  of  several  fraternal  orders 
and  societies.  In  June,  1869,  he  joined  the  Odd 
Fellows  at  Illinois  City,  and  some  ten  years  since 
became  a  member  of  Union  lodge  No.  9,  of  this  city, 
with  which  he  is  still  connected.  He  has  passed 
through  the  chairs  of  secretary,  vice  grand  and  noble 
grand  in  the  lodge.  In  1879  he  assisted  in  the  organi- 
zation of  Court  Friendship,  No.  18,  IndependentOrder 
of  Foresters,  where  he  passed  through  the  chief  official 
chairs.  He  is  now  and  has  been  s;nce  1883  a  member 
of  Court  No.  22.  lie  was  for  four  years  high  medical 
examiner  for  the  order,  and  has  for  the  past  ten  years 
represented  his  court  in  the  meetings  of  the  high  court. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Columbia  Lodge,  No  155,  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  which  he  joined  in 
1884,  and  in  which  he  has  passed  through  all  the 
chairs  and  represented  his  lodge  in  the  grand  lodge 
for  several  years.  The  doctor  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the  Royal  League  and  the  National 
Union,  being  connected  with  the  Richard  Yates  Coun- 
cil of  the  former,  the  Arian  Council  of  the  Royal 
League  and  Wicker  Park  Council  of  the  National 
Union.  About  seven  years  ago  he  took  the  blue  lodge 
degrees  in  Masonry  in  Dewitt  C.  Cregier  Lodge,  and 


679 

later  became  a  member  of  Washington  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M.,  and  Chicago  Commandery,  K.  T.,  the  latter  in 
1891.  In  June,  1893,  Dr.  Moore  became  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  in  Oriental  Consistory,  A.  A.  S. 
R..  of  the  Valley  of  Chicago.  In  January,  1894,  he 
was  appointed  Colonel  in  the  Illinois  National  Guards, 
and  was  made  aid  de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Governor 
Altgeld.  For  some  five  or  six  years  past  he  has  been 
also  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Moore  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist 
church,  but  now  holds  broader  views  on  religious  ques- 
tions and  classes  himself  as  a  liberal  and  in  sympathy 
with  advanced  ideas. 

Politically,  he  is  an  earnest  believer  in  Democracy 
as  expounded  to-day  by  the  Democratic  party,  believing 
in  tariff  sufficient  only  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the 
government,  and  that  laid  mainly  upon  the  luxuries  of 
life,  associated  with  an  income  tax  and  absolute  free 
trade  applied  to  such  articles  as  will  help  to  lighten  the 
burdens  of  the  poorer  classes  of  the  people. 

Dr.  Moore  was  married  on  Oct.  8,  1884,  at  Palmyra, 
Wis.,  to  Mary  Ella  Radell  and  has  three  children,  one 
girl  and  two  boys,  named  respectively  Leah  Catharine, 
Oliver  Frederick  and  Daniel  Grove,  Jr. 

In  personal  appearance  Dr.  Moore  is  a  man  of  com- 
manding presence,  fine  physique  and  exceedingly  genial 
and  pleasant  in  his  manner.  He  is  at  all  times  easily 
approachable  by  all  classes,  liberal  in  his  benefactions 
and  a  friend  to  all  who  are  worthy.  Among  his  more 
immediate  associates  the  doctor  is  companionable  and 
naturally  enjoys  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends 


THOMAS   ASBURY   HARRISON, 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA. 


AMONG  the  noted  men  who  have  contributed 
largely  to  the  development  of  the  great  north- 
west, Thomas  Asbury  Harrison  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1887.  He 
was  born  at  Belleville.  111.,  Dec.  18,  1811.  His  parents 
emigrated  from  the  south  to  Belleville  in  1803,  his 
father  being  a  native  of  Georgia  and  his  mother  of 
North  Carolina.  The  father,  Thomas  Harrison,  was  a 
pioneer  Methodist  preacher,  noted  for  devotion  to  his 
work  and  for  his  strength  of  character.  Tha  mother, 
though  born  amid  the  surroundings  of  the  old  slave- 
holding  days,  early  became  opposed  to  the  institution 
and  willingly  embraced  the  opportunity  to  settle  in 
the  free  north. 

Being  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  and  among 
the  eldest,  the  early  life  of  young  Thomas  in  those 
pioneer  days  was  one  filled  with  plenty  of  hard  work 
and  litlle  play,  while  the  opportunities  for  education 
were  of  the  most  meagre  kind.  Such  as  the 
vicinity  afforded  were,  however,  eagerly  embraced 
and  diligently  used  and  the  boy  managed  to 


acquire  a  pretty  good  common  school  education 
His  first  business  experience  was  as  clerk  in  a  store 
where,  though  acquitting  himself  creditably,  he  was 
not  in  his  element,  for  his  aspirations  and  natural  force 
of  character  led  him  to  desire  the  larger  freedom  and 
stimulus  of  engaging  in  business  on  his  own  account. 
'This  he  did  when  grown  to  maturity,  by  building, 
mostly  with  borrowed  money,  the  first  of  the  celebrated 
Harrison  flouring  mills  of  Belleville.  The  burning  of 
this  mill  a  short  time  after  its  completion  was  a  hard 
blow  to  the  young  man.  AVith  characteristic  pluck  he 
refused  to  accept  defeat,  however,  and  by  great  exertion 
soon  replaced  the  burned  mill  by  a  new  one.  Here  for 
several  years  Mr.  Harrison,  associated  with  his  brothers, 
worked  hard,  but  with  little  profit  in  the  business. 
Persevering,  against  the  advice  of  the  rest  of  the 
family,  he  kept  on,  however,  and  on  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Crimean  War,  his  brand  of  flour  in  the  meantime 
having  become  well  known,  he  began  to  reap  the 
reward  of  his  perseverance.  The  price  of  flour 
went  up  rapidly  and  the  "Harrison  Mills"  had 


68o 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


all  they  could  do  to  supply  the  demand.  By  work- 
ing hard  early  and  late,  Mr.  Harrison  became 
what,  in  the  common  vernacular,  might  be  called  "well 
off."  and  when  his  business  had  reached  what  his  fore- 
sight deemed  the  highest  point  to  which  it  could  be 
pushed  he  sold  out  at  a  good  price. 

A  short  time  before  this  his  brother  Hugh  and  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Goheen,  had  gone  on  a  prospecting  tour  to 
the  Northwest,  and  became  greatly  interested  in  the 
region  of  the  upper  Mississippi,  and  especially  with  the 
siteof  the  infant  Minneapolis,and  decided  to  settlethers. 
Their  description  of  the  region  and  its  prospects  induced 
Thomas  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  new^country,  and 
accordingly,  in  the  spring  of  1860  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Minneapolis,  occupying  a  house  secured  and 
fitted  up  for  him  by  his  brother  and  sister  on  the  corner 
of  Fourth  avenue,  south,  and  Seventh  street,  which  in 
those  times  was  considered  of  the  palatial  kind.  Unused 
to  the  rigors  of  such  a  cold  northern  climate,  the 
family  suffered  much  the  following  winter,  and  for  two 
or  three  years  held  to  the  half-formed  purpose  of 
returning  to  their  former  home,  but,  later,  became  in- 
ured to  the  climate  and  contented  in  their  new  home. 
In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Harrison  had  made  the  fortu- 
nate purchase  of  the  Mattison  tract  of  land  adjoining, 
the  rise  in  the  value  of  which  afterward  amounted 
to  a  fortune. 

Soon  after  he  invested  largely  in  the  .First  National 
Bank  of  St.  Paul,  and  later  became  a  heavy  stockholder 
and  director  in  both  the  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  and 
the  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  and  Omaha  railroads.  In 
1862  the  new  era  of  substantial  buildings  in  Minneapo- 
lis was  inaugurated  by  the  erection  of  "  Harrison  Hall." 
In  1863  the  lumber  manufacturing  and  pine-land  pur- 
chasing firm  of  J.  Dean  &  Co.  was  formed,  and  under 
its  management  both  the  "  Atlantic  "  and  the  "  Pacific  " 
mills  were  built.  In  this  company  Mr.  Harrison  was 
the  controlling  spirit  and  principal  owner.  In  conse- 


quence of  lending  money   to  a  friend  on  bank  stock 
security,  Mr.   Harrison,   who  was  forced  to  take   the 
stock,   became  interested   in   the  State  National  Bank 
and  afterwards  became  its  president.     Soon  after  his. 
first  connection   with   the  bank  he  found,  to  his  sur- 
prise, that  it  was  in  a  weak  condition,  and,  with  char- 
acteristic energy,  at  once  put  his  ability  and  money 
into  the  gap  and  succeeded,  after  a  hard   struggle,  in 
placing  it  on  a  solid  foundation,  paying  depositors  to 
whom  money  was  due  out  of  his  own  funds.  His  bank- 
ing experience  decided  him  to  start  a  bank  of  his  own, 
and  in  1878  the  Security  Bank  was  organized,  with  Mr. 
Harrison  as  president,  and  in  this  position  he  remained 
until  his  death.     He  lived  to  see  this  one  of  the  largest 
and  strongest  banking  institutions  in  the  State,  due 
largely  to  his  able  and  conscientious  management.     In 
1885,  while  traveling  in  the  South,  he  contracted  fever 
of  the  typhoid-malarial  type,  from  which  he  never  fully 
recovered,  and  though  consulting  eminent  physicians  in 
New  York  he  gradually   failed,  and   on    October   27, 
1887.  passed  peacefully  away  amid  the  quiet  surround- 
ings  of   the    home    he     had     reared,   and     sincerely 
mourned   by  his  loving  family  and  the  entire  commu- 
nity of  the  city  for  which  he  had  done  so  much. 

As  a  private  citizen  Mr.  Harrison  was  foremost  in 
all  plans  looking  to  the  moral  and  material  interests  of 
Minneapolis,  and  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  its 
charitable  and  religious  enterprises.  He  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  contributed 
largely  to  the  building  of  the  Centenary  and  Hennepin 
avenue  churches  of  Minneapolis,  and  was  also  deeply 
interested  in  the  building  up  of  Hamline  University. 

In  1839  Mr.  Harrison  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Rebecca  M.  Green,  at  Belleville,  111.,  who  was  an 
affectionate  wife  and  devoted  mother,  preceding  her 
husband  to  the  .better  land  in  1884.  Three  children 
survive  of  the  five  born  to  them,  viz.,  W.  W.  Harrison, 
Mrs.  S.  II.  Knight  and  Mrs.  E.  B.  Zier. 


FREDERICK   C.    PORTER, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  biography  enjoys  the  distinction 
of  having  been  the  pioneer  in  an  enterprise  of 
great  and  growing  importance  to  Chicago  and  its 
tributary  territory,  the  transportation  on  a  large  scale 
of  California  fruits,  which,  since  the  initial  shipment 
twenty-five  years  ago,  has  grown  to  mammoth  pro- 
portions. 

Frederick  C.  Porter  was  born -at  Garden  Prairie, 
Boone  county,  111.,  February  13,  1846,  being  the 
youngest  child  of  Thomas  W.  and  Charlotte  (Lane) 
Porter.  The  parents  came  to  this  countr}'  from 
England  in  1833,  first  locating  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  In 
1838  they  removed  to  Boone  county,  111.,  where  they 
lived  on  their  farm  at  Garden  Prairie  until  1866,  at 


which  time  Mr.  Porter  turned  the  management  of  his 
farm  over  to  two  of  his  sons  and  took  up  his  residence 
at  Belvidere  in  the  same  county.  Here  he  remained 
until  his  death  in  1882,  his  wife  having  died  in  1873. 
She  was  a  woman  of  fine  literary  tastes,  and  noted  as  a 
woman  of  exceptional  amiability  of  character  and  a 
model  wife  and  mother.  The  father  was  noted  for  his 
indomitable  energy  and  liigh  standard  of  integrity, 
characteristics  which  his  son  Frederick  inherited  in  a 
liberal  degree.  Mr.  Porter  acquired  a  fair  education 
in'  the  schools  of  Boone  county,  which  was  supple- 
mented in  1866  by  a  course  of  training  in  book- 
keeping and  commercial  law  in  a  Chicago  institution. 
Soon  after  leaving  school  his  spirit  of  enterprise  led 


VN>^ 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


683 


him  to  go  to  California  by  way  of  the  isthmus,  and 
from  there  to  White  Pine,  Nev.,  where  he  engaged  in 
a  mining  venture.  This  proving  to  be  unprofitable, 
the  young  adventurer  returned  to  California,  where  he 
found  employment  on  a  fruit  ranch  at  or  near  Santa 
Clara.  While  there  the  idea  occurred  to  him  that  the 
shipment  of  fruit  eastward  was  feasible,  and  he  made 
an  arrangement  with  Mr.  L.  II.  Gould,  the  owner  of 
the  ranch,  to  pack  a  full  car  for  shipment  to  Chicago, 
Mr.  Porter  to  come  with  it  and  attend  to  ils  disposal. 
Although  he  paid  the  large  amount  of  si, 200  for 
freight,  he  found  the  venture  a  success,  the  sales  being 
quickly  made  at  such  profit  that  he  was  convinced  that 
there  was  a  great  future  for  the  business.  Mr.  Porter 
gave  his  whole  time  and  energies  to  the  development 
of  the  enterprise  the  foundations  of  which  he  laid 
wisely,  and  which  soon  assumed  large  proportions. 
Meantime  he  had  acquired  a  reputation  in  business 
circles  for  business  ability  and  integrity  of  a  high 
order. 

When  the  great  fire  of  1871  devastated  Chicago, 
his  place  of  business,  at  123  South  Water  street,  was 
utterly,  destroyed  and  he  lost  all  he  had.  He,  how- 
ever, immediately  started  again,  with  his  characteristic 
energy  and  courage,  being  alone  in  the  business,  until 
the  following  year,  1872,  when  his  brother,  Washing- 
ton Porter,  became  associated  with  him,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Porter  Bros.,  the  business  increasing  hand- 
somely each  year  until  few  lines  of  wholesale  trade 
could  compare  with  this  noted  California  fruit  house. 


In  1881  Mr.  Porter's  failing  health  compelled  him  to 
retire  from  active  participation  in  the  business,  and  ac- 
cordingly the  Porter  Brothers  Company  was  incor- 
porated, to  take  the  place  of  the  old  firm.  The  new 
company  consisted  of  Frederick  C.  Porter.  Washing- 
ton Porter,  Nathan  R.  Salisbury  and  James  E.  Watson. 
The  two  latter  had  for  sometime  been  personal  friends 
of  and  were  regarded  by  the  Porter  Brothers  as  men 
of  fine  business  ability.  That  their  judgment  was 
correct,  the  standing  of  the  firm  shows,  the  business 
having  been  so  extended  that  branch  houses  in  many 
of  the  large  cities  have  been  established. 

The  founder  of  this  successful  house,  however,  did 
not  live  to  see  this  branching  out  and  full  growth  of 
the  business,  though  before  his  retirement  he  was  per- 
mitted to  see  most  gratifying  results  from  his  efforts, 
which  were  to  him  a  source  of  great  pride.  Upon  his 
retirement,  in  1884,  Mr.  Porter  failed  rapidly,  and  on 
July  15th  of  the  following  year  he  died  of  consump- 
tion. In  his  death,  the  large  circle  of  business  ac- 
quaintances and  personal  friends  recognized  the  loss  to 
the  communitv,  and  to  themselves  more  especially,  of 
a  man  of  so  exalted  a  character,  of  exceptional  ability, 
and  of  unswerving  integrity  of  purpose.  Socially  he 
was  most  companionable,  a  firm  friend  where  friend- 
ship was  deserved,  beloved  in  the  family  circle,  and 
esteemed  b}r  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

He  married  Kate  Hamilton  Evans,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  who  survives  him.  One  son  was  born  to  them, 
who  died  in  infancy. 


JONATHAN   ABEL, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  life  of  Jonathan  Abel  has  been  one  of  unusual 
activity,  and  now,  while  in  the  strength  of  vigor- 
ous manhood,  his  work  is  crowned  with  most  gratify- 
ing success.  He  is  a  native  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y., 
and  was  born  on  December  4,  1832.  His  father,  John 
Abel,  was  of  German  descent,  and  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion; his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Miranda 
Sampson,  was  of  English  ancestry. 

Jonathan  had  the  benefit  of  a  good  English  educa- 
tion. He  attended  the  district  school  of  his  native 
place,  and  later  completed  his  studies  at  a  Quaker 
school  at  Oswego  village,  Duchess  county,  N.  Y., 
under  the  preceptors!) ip  of  Mr.  Rufus  Potter.  He  spent 
his  boyhood  on  the  farm  of  his  father,  and  continued 
with  him  until  he  had  attained  his  twenty-fourth  vear, 
when  he  started  in  life  for  himself.  In  1857  he  turned 
his  steps  westward  and  settled  at  Sandwich,  in  De  Kalb 
county,  111 ,  where  he  spent  the  following  three  years 
in  the  lumber  trade.  The  next  seven  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  drug  business,  and  for  the  same  length 
of  time  he  served  as  post  master  and  deputy  post 
master  at  Sandwich.  He  removed  to  Chicago  in  Feb- 


ruary, 1868,  and  in  the  following  year  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  business  of  Messrs.  Dickinson,  Leach  & 
Company,  distillers,  succeeding  Colonel  Wheeler,  who 
had  lately  died.  In  1874,  Mr.  Leach  sold  his  interest 
in  the  business  to  Mr.  Ames,  and  the  firm  name  be- 
came Dickinson,  Abel  &  Company,  and  so  remained 
until  the  two  years  prior  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Dickin- 
son, in  1878,  when  it  was  incorporated  as  The  Phoenix 
Distilling  Company,  with  Mr.  Abel  as  president. 

During  the  great  fire  of  October  Sth  and  9th,  1871, 
the  business  was  swept  away  in  the  general  conflagration, 
entailing  an  irreparable  loss,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  firm's  insurance  was  rendered  valueless  by  reason 
of  the  failure  of  the  insurance  companies  through  their 
heavy  losses;  but  such  was  the  standing  of  the  com- 
pany and  the  men  at  its  head,  that  credit  was  readily 
obtained.  In  their  extremity  they  applied  to  the 
Northwestern  National  Bank,  of  Chicago,  whose  presi- 
dent, Mr.  George  Sturges,  informed  them  that  they 
could  have  all  the  money  they  wanted.  With  the 
timely  aid  thus  generously  proffered,  they  bought 
another  and  larger  plant,  which  was  greatly  enlarged  and 


684 

improved  with  modern  machinery, resumed  business  on  a 
largely  increased  scale.  This  firm  made  the  firstalcohol 
and  spirits  bearing  two  stamps  ;  business  amounted  to 
$3,000,000  annually.  When  the  Distilling  and  Cattle 
Feeding  Company  was  organized  in  1887  the  Phosnix 
Distilling  Company  sold  their  business  to  that  organi- 
zation. Since  that  time  Messrs.  Able,  Ames  &  Com- 
pany—Wilton  Ames,  B.  W.  Kendall  and  G.  T.  Bur- 
rough — have  conducted  a  general  distributing  business, 
which  amounts  to  one  million  dollars  annually.  These 
gentlemen  (with  whom  was  associated  Mr.  O.  B.  Dick- 
inson until  his  decease)  have  been  together  since  the 
time  of  the  great  Chicago  fire  in  1871;  and  so  strong 
is  their  confidence  each  in  the  other  that  there  has 
never  been  a  written  contract  between  them  defining 
their  relations  and  never  any  misunderstanding  or 
trouble. 

Mr.  Abel  is  financially  interested  in  the  Metropoli- 
tan National  Bank  and  Union  National  Bank  of  Chi- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


cago,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Masonic  Temple 
Association.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  social  qualities,  fond 
of  good  fellowship  and  is  strongly  attached  to  his 
friends.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Washington  Park  and 
Oakland  Clubs  and  is  identified  with  the  People's 
church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Dr.  H.  W.  Thomas. 
He  has  always  been  a  liberal  giver  to  all  worthy 
causes.  During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he  gave 
generously  of  his  time  and  money  to  organize  and 
equip  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Regiment 
under  General  Duston,  who  tendered  the  position  of 
quartermaster,  but  owing  to  other  parties  nearer  Ad- 
jutant General  Fuller,  he  assumed  the  appointment  of 
another.  Mr.  Abel  has  never  aspired  to  political 
honors,  having  found  in  his  business  ample  scope  for 
the  gratifications  of  his  ambitions.  In  all  his  relations 
he  has  maintained  a  high  character  for  upright  and 
honorable  dealings;  and  wherever  known,  he  is  re- 
spected and  esteemed  for  his  manly  virtues. 


JAMES   C.  ANDERSON, 


CHICAGO.  ILLINOIS. 


IT  would  be  impossible  within  the  scope  of  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  this  character,  to  more  than  outline 
the  life-work  of  the  prolific  inventor  and  manufac- 
turer, James  Caldwell  Anderson. 

The  public  records  of  the  patent  office  of  the  United 
Statesgive  abundant  evidence  of  his  genius,  and  a  full 
description  of  his  inventions  alone  would  take  volumes 
if  recorded  separate!}'.  As  a  manufacturer,  he  stands, 
to-day,  pre-eminently  the  leader  in  his  chosen  fields  of 
industry. 

Born  in  the  Monongahela  Valley,  Pa.,  August 
13,  1838,  of  American  parentage,  although  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  he  developed  from  early  childhood  a 
passionate  love  of  mechanics,  and  the  play-house  of 
the  boy  was  a  miniature  workshop,  never  abandoned, 
but  growing  in  novel  mechanical  appliances  with  the 
man.  The  playwheels  set  in  motion  by  the  child 
developed  into  some  of  the  most  intricate  and  power- 
ful machinery  of  the  present  time. 

Owing  to  the  protracted  illness  and  death  of  his 
father,  lie  was,  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen,  compelled 
to  take  a  man's  place  and  begin  the  struggle  of  life  in 
earnest,  which  led  up  in  a  few  years  to  his  engaging  in 
large  manufacturing  enterprises,  requiring  much  of 
construction  and  invention  of  versatile  scope,  among 
which  was  the  metallurgy  of  steel  and  other  metals. 

Added  to  this  experience  was  an  ardent  love  for 
his  native  Pennsylvania  hills,  with  their  upturned  and 
tilted  strata  exposing  to  view,  with  the  other  ores  of 
the  metals,  abundant  clay  and  clay  shale  deposits,  rich 
in  aluminum  metal,  appealing  to  the  inventor  to  solve 
the  problem  of  its  extraction,  and  giving  it  such  an 
irresistible  charm  that  he  pursued  this  line  of  investi- 


gation until  it  led  to  another  invention  of  what  is 
known  as  the  dry  clay  process,  by  which  brick  and 
other  like  clay  articles  are  manufactured  with  a  beauty 
of  finish  and  solidity  of  texture  never  before  attained. 
This  invention  involved  numerous  other  inventions  of 
powerful  machinery,  apparatus  and  processes,  for 
which  he  has  been  granted  more  than  one  hundred 
patents,  and  which  has  largely  revolutionized  the  art  of 
brickmaking  in  this  country  and  Europe. 

By  the  state  of  the  art  no  bricks  were  made,  prior 
to  Mr.  Anderson's  invention,  with  a  color  other  than 
that  produced  by  the  natural  clay.  The  clays  of 
Chicago  burned  only  a  white  or  buff  color,  while  the 
clays  of  Philadelphia  and  vicinity  burned  a  beautiful 
red,  a  color  then  much  sought  after,  and  they  were 
shipped  to  this  market  ac  great  cost. 

These  circumstances  induced  Mr.  Anderson  to 
establish  his  first  plant  at  Chicago,  in  1879,  at  which 
time  he,  with  his  family,  became  a  resident  of  High- 
land Park,  selecting  this  lovely  suburb  in  Lake  county 
on  account  of  its  high  elevation  and  picturesque 
ravines,  reminding  him  of  the  hills  and  valleys  of  his 
old  Pennsylvania  home. 

At  the  Centennial  exhibition  in  1876  he  received 
the  highest  awards  on  several  of  his  inventions.  At 
that  time  he  was  president  of  the  Inventors'  Protec- 
tive Association.  In  1893  he  was  elected  a  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  American  Association  of  Inventors  and 
Manufacturers,  and  was  chairman  of  their  committee 
on  World's  Fair. 

His  high  standing  as  an  inventor  was  recognized 
by  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Patents  in 
selecting  models  of  his  machinery  and  brick  for  the 


tff 


rtX*1 


PROMINENT  MEN  Of   THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


exhibit  in  the  Patent  Office  department  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  as  the  highest  exemplification 
of  the  art  in  pressed  brick  manufacture,  and  products 
thereof.  It  was  further  recognized  by  the  judges  of 
the  Exposition  in  awarding  him  the  prize  for  his 
method  of  manufacture  and  his  tunnel  kiln,  in  which 
brick  and  other  material  are  burned  on  cars  while  they 
are  passing  through  the  tunnel,  a  feat  that  had  been 
pronounced  impossible  without  destroying  the  cars. 

He  has  recently  brought  out  an  important  invention 
for  the  coking  of  coal  and  recovering  the  by-products 
of  gas,  coal  tar  and  ammonia,  which  is  a  revolution  in 
that  art,  and  will  have  a  wide  influence  in  the  product- 
ion of  iron,  steel  and  other  metals. 

Also  a  method  for  the  cremation  of  garbage,  street 
sweepings  and  refuse  of  cities,  which,  by  its  rapidit\' 
of  action  and  economy  of  operating,  will  have  a  most 
important  influence  upon  the  sanitary  conditions  of 
urban  life  in  this  country  and  Europe.  It  has  received 
wide  notice  from  the  press,  boards  of  health,  and  mun- 
icipal authorities.  Its  general  adoption  will  do  much 
toward  securing  immunity  from  those  diseases  which 
are  the  result  of  microbes  generated  in  the  decaying 
filth  and  offal  of  cities  and  towns.  For  this  service  to 
humanity  his  name  will  be  held  in  remembrance  among 
other  benefactors  of  our  race. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  that  rare  combination  of  talents 


687 

which  denotes  not  only  the  eminent  inventor,  but  also 
excellent  business  qualities.  He  is  an  indefatigable 
and  ceaseless  worker,  never  more  happy  than  when 
busily  employed  in  solving  some  problem  in  mechanics, 
or  making  improvements  in  the  various  devices  in 
which  he  is  interested.  Having  indomitable  will  power 
and  a  keen  insight  into  character,  he  is  a  leader  among 
men.  The  soul  of  honor,  he  is  thoroughly  scrupulous 
in  all  his  transactions.  An  artist  by  nature,  the  bent 
of  his  mind  is  decidedly  artistic,  and  yet  intensely 
practical.  A  genial,  modest  and  refined  gentleman,  he 
possesses  many  warm  friends  and  admirers.  His  hos- 
pitality is  proverbial,  and  his  interest  on  behalf  of  those 
who  need  it  is  both  practical  and  sincere.  Eminent 
and  versatile  as  an  inventor,  James  Caldwell  Anderson 
has  carved  for  himself  a  prominent  place  in  the  temple 
of  fame.  The  architect  of  his  own  fortune,  he  has 
given  to  the  world,  in  his  inventions,  a  legacy  that  will 
perpetuate  his  name  among  many  generations  yet  to 
come. 

He  was  married,  July  26,  1860,  to  Amanda  S.  Bir- 
mingham, of  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Samuel  Birmingham.  Turo  children,  a  daughter 
and  a  son,  were  born  unto  them.  Lillie  Eva  married 
Dr.  Charles  F.  McGahan,  now  of  Aiken,  S.  C.,  James 
Franklin  married  Jeannette  L.  Lewis,  of  Racine,  Wis., 
and  resides  at  Highland  Park,  111. 


ALBERT   ANTISDEL, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  study  of  the  character  of  the  representative 
American  never  fails  to  offer  much  of  pleasing 
interest  and  valuable  instruction.  It  develops  an  orig- 
inality of  thought,  a  peculiar  mastering  of  expedients, 
which  has  given  a  most  wonderful  result.  Deeds  are 
not  crystallized  ;  hence  that  it  is  that  in  estimating  the 
worth  of  a  man  we  instinctively  ask,  "  What  has  he 
done?"  for -in  his  work  we  do  expect  to  find  a  true 
index  of  his  own  character.  The  life  work  of  him 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  fraught  with  good 
results,  is  most  worthy  of  record.  A  success  which  is 
so  rare  is  not  likely  to  be  the  result  of  mere  chance  of 
good  fortune  ;  it  is  something  that  must  be  labored  and 
sought  for  ;  rare  and  exceptional  in  its  character,  those 
who  attain  it  are  necessarily  more  or  less  of  the  same 
nature.  The  man  who,  by  patient  perseverance,  ardu- 
ous effort,  and  well  conceived  and  properly  executed 
plans,  succeeds  in  any  department,  may  be  found  upon 
analysis  to  possess  a  character  unlike  that  of  the  mass 
of  ordinary  men.  The  exigencies  of  success  require 
peculiar  instruments,  as  the  rarer  and  most  difficult 
results  in  mechanism  demand  different  tools  from  those 
used  in  ordinary  operations.  A  man  may  be  benevo 
lent,  kindly  natured,  fond  of  social  intercourse,  and  in 
a  thousand  particular  ways  may  not  be  unlike  other 


men ;  nevertheless,  there  may  be  found  traits  or  com- 
binations, or  something  that  bears  little  or  no  resem- 
blance to  the  more  usual  composition  of  human  nature. 
Albert  Antisdel  was  born  May  7,  1842,  at  Lodi, 
Otsego  count}',  N.  Y.,and  is  the  son  of  Daniel  A.  and 
Mary  (North)  Antisdel.  He  received  his  education 
at  the  high  school  of  Clarksville,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  years  entered  a  mercantile  establishment,  where 
he  remained  three  years.  About  this  time  he  came 
West  and  entered  the  service  of  the  American  Express 
Company  as  an  agent  at  Jackson,  Mich.,  in  the  month 
of  April,  1863.  So  well  were  the  affairs  of  the  office 
managed  that  at  the  end  of  one  year  he  was  promoted 
to  route  agent  on  the  Michigan  division,  and  the  super- 
vision of  all  the  offices  on  the  Michigan  Central  rail- 
road and  its  branches  placed  in  his  care.  Remaining 
in  this  position  one  year,  the  company  called  him  to 
Detroit  and  gave  him  charge  of  the  important  agency 
at  that  point.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  assistant 
superintendent  of  the  Illinois  division,  with  headquar- 
ters at  Chicago.  He  had  now  a  field  more  commen- 
surate with  his  marked  and  peculiar  abilities,  and  was 
given  the  opportunity  to  extend  his  acquaintance  and 
to  prove  his  peculiar  aptitude  for  the  business  to  which 
he  was  devoted.  In  October,  1869,  when  but  twenty- 


6S8 


PROMINENT  MKN  OF  THE  GREAT  WESl . 


seven  years  of  age,  lie  was  given  the  superinten- 
clency  of  the  Wisconsin  division  with  headquarters 
at  Milwaukee.  Here  he  remained  some  sixteen  years. 
His  rare  business  and  social  qualifications  gave  him  a 
place  among  the  leading  business  men  of  that  city. 
Becoming  identified  with  many  of  the  important  local 
enterprises,  he  won  for  himself  and  held  a  high  social 
and  business  standing.  In  1881,  when  the  Minnesota 
division,  comprising  the  States  of  Minnesota,  Dakota 
and  Manitoba,  was  consolidated  with  the  Wisconsin 
division,  Mr.  Antisdel's  superintendency  was  extended 
over  a  country  larger  than  Europe,  while  he  had  under 
his  control  8,600  miles  of  road  and  915  offices- 
Again,  in  1884,  Mr.  Antisdel  was  promoted,  this  time 
to  the  post  of  general  superintendent  of  the  North- 
western division,  and  in  1886  to  assistant-general 
manager,  with  headquarters  at  Chicago.  His  career  is 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  examples  of  what  may  be  ac- 
complished by  American  pluck,  united  with  honesty  of 
purpose  and  an  uncomprom  sing  integrity  of  word  and 
deed.  His  uniform  kindness  and  courtesy  in  governing 
the  affairs  of  the  company,  have  won  for  him  the 
personal  friendship  of  ail  who  have  come  in  contact 


with  him,  and  the  greatest  compliment  that  can  be  paid 
him  is  found  in  the  universal  respect  and  obedience 
entertained  toward  him  by  the  employes  of  the  company 
under  his  charge.  On  February  1,  1893,  Mr.  Charles 
Fargo  resigned  the  position  of  manager  of  the  Ameri- 
can Express  Company,  and  Mr.  Antisdel  was  chosen  as 
his  successor. 

Politically,  Mr.  Antisdel  is  a  Democrat,  but  without 
desire  for  political  preferment.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Chicago  Club,  the  Washington  Park 
Club,  the  Chicago  Athletic  Association,  and  the  Sunset 
Club. 

Mr.  Antisdel  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  Sophia 
M.  Bradford,  of  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  a  lady  of  refine- 
ment and  culture,  by  whom  he  has  three  children: 
Misses  Ophelia  Martha,  who  was  married  to  Mr.  Chas. 
Edward  Blake  way,  April  19, 1894,  and  resides  at  Much 
Wenlock,  Shropshire,  England;  Mary  Fargo  and  Llovd 
Sterling  Antisdel. 

Personally,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Antisdel  have  won  hosts 
of  friends  by  their  unfailing  courtesy  and  geniality, 
and  their  charming  home  on  Bellevue  place  bespeaks 
the  cultivated  tastes  of  the  family. 


JOHN   J.  HERRICK, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  J.  HERRICK  is  a  native  of-  Illinois,  having 
been  born  on  May  25,  1845,  at  Hillsboro.  His 
father  was  Dr.  Wm.  B.  Herrick,  a  noted  physician, 
who,  besides  engaging1  in  practice  in  Chicago  for  a 
number  of  years,  was  professor  in  Rush  Medical  Col 
lege  from  1844  to  1857.  Dr.  Herrick  was  also  the  first 
president  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society.  His 
health  failing,  he  returned  with  his  family  in  1857  to 
Maine,  his  native  State,  where  he  died  in  1865.  The 
mother  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was  Martha  J. 
Seward,  daughter  of  John  B.  Seward,  of  Montgomery 
county,  111.  Young  Herrick's  early  education  was 
acquired  in  the  Chicago  public  and  private  schools. 
Going  with  his  father  to  Maine,  he  prepared  for  college 
atLewiston  Falls  Academy,  and  then  entered  Bowdoin 
College  in  that  State,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1866, 
having  taken  the  regular  classical  course.  Following  his 
graduation  young  Herrick  came  to  Chicago,  and  after 
teaching  school  for  a  year  in  the  suburb  of  Hyde  Park 
he  entered  the  Chicago  Law  School,  graduating  there- 
from in  1868.  During  his  studies  in  the  law. school  in 
1867,  he  became  a  student  in  the  law  office  of  Iliggins, 
Swett,  &  Quigg,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1871,  when  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Chicago. 

He  soon  grew  into  a  good  practice  and  attracted 
favorable  notice  by  his  connection  with  several  noted 
cases,  among  which  may  be  thus  early  named  the  suits 
growing  out  of  the  alleged  "fraudulent  election"  of 


Michael  Evans  and  other  South  Town  officers,  who 
were  ousted  from  office  in  1876,  and  the  suits  arising 
from  the  failure  of  the  large  firm  of  John  B.  Lyon  & 
Co.  in  1872,  and  their  suspension  from  the  Board  of 
Trade.  In  1878  Mr.  Herrick  became  associated  with 
the  late  Wert  Dexter,  then  exceptionally  high  in  posi- 
tion at  the  Chicago  bar,  and  two  years  later,  in  1880, 
the  firm  became  Dexter,  Herrick  &  Allen  by  the 
admission  of  Charles  L.  Allen  to  the  firm.  The  firm 
thus  constituted  continued  up  to  the  time  of  Mr.  Dex- 
ter's  death,  in  May,  1890.  The  firm  then  became 
Herrick  &  Allen,  and  so  continued  until  May,  1893, 
when,  by  the  admission  thereto  of  J.  K.  Boyesen,  the 
firm  was  changed  to  Herrick,  Allen  &  Boyesen,  and 
has  been  so  known  ever  since.  All  along  since  the 
advent  of  the  firm  of  Dexter,  Herrick  &  Allen,  through 
the  changes  to  the  existence  of  the  present  firm,  it  has 
been  among  the  most  prominent  of  the  great  law  firms 
of  Chicago,  and  has  conducted  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant cases  in  the  history  of  litigation  in  the  State 
and  elsewhere.  In  all  these  cases  the  well-trained, 
logical  mind,  keen  perception  and  knowledge  of  the 
law  possessed  by  Mr.  Herrick,  have  contributed  largely 
to  the  successful  results  attained. 

The  briefs  prepared  by  him  have  long  been  re- 
garded both  03'  bench  and  bar  as  models  of  clearness 
and  force,  and  revealing  a  comprehensive  grasp  of  his 
cases  in  all  their  phases  not  often  to  be  found.  One  of 
his  colleagues  of  the  Chicago  bar,  after  speaking  in 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


high  terms  of  Mr.  Ilerrick's  unwearied   irtdustry,  and 
his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law,  says: 

."  When  he  comes  to  the  practical  use  of  authorities 
in  court,  one  of  his  greatest  merits  appears.  He  never 
cites  a  case  which  can  be  turned  against  him  by  his 
opponents.  lie  never  cites  cases  that  rest  on  distinc- 
tions that  his  adversaries  can  avail  themselves  of,  nor 
does  he  burden  the  courts  with  the  labor  of  examining 
a  large  number  of  authorities  which  have  no  real  ap- 
plication to  the  controversy  before  them.  His  authori- 
ties are  carefully  selected  and  they  are  to  the  point. 
But  his  reasoning  as  to  the  law,  independent  of  authori- 
ties, and  on  the  facts  of  his  case,  is  perhaps  his  pre- 
eminent merit  as  a  lawyer.  He  is  bioad  minded,  free 
from  the  faults  of  laying  too  much  stress  on  technical 
points  and  of  wasting  his  energies  on  minor  questions 
of  fact  or  of  law,  and  positions  follow  one  another  with 
convincing  force.  Much  the  same  may  be  said  of  his 
briefs  and  arguments  before  courts  of  review.  As  a 
brief  writer,  he  has  no  superior  and  perhaps  no  equal 
at  the  Chicago  bar. 

The  order  and  arrangement  of  his  briefs  is  thorough, 
and  planned  as  a  general  plans  a  battle.  He  sees 
what  the  real  and  fundamental  questions  are  in  the 
record,  and  he  devotes  his  strength  of  argument  to 
those  questions,  while  not  failing  to  press,  with  all 
their  proper  force,  the  other  points  in  his  case." 

To  here  refer  to  the  numerous  important  cases  in 
which  Mr.  Herrick  has  been  engaged  would  be  im- 
practicable, but  a  few  of  them  may,  with  propriety,  be 
cited.  Notable  are:  The  Stock  Yards  litigation,  in 
which  the  conflicting  interests  of  Eastern,  Chicago  and 
English  capitalists  were  involved,  calling  for  an  array 
of  the  best  legal  talent  of  the  entire  country;  Divine  vs. 
The  People,  involving  the  constitutionality  of  the  law 


691 

bonds  without  a  vote  of  the  people;  of  Gross  vs.  the 
United  States  Mortgage  Company  and  the  United 
States  Mortgage  Company  vs.  Kingsbury  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  -involving  the 
right  of  foreign  corporations  in  the  State  of  Illinois; 
the  State  vs.  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  rail- 
road before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Nebraska,  involv- 
ingquestions  of  constitutional  law  and  the  rights  of 
railroad  corporations;  Spaulding  vs.  Preston,  involving 
some  new  and  important  questions  as  to  the  construc- 
tion of  the  assignment  law  of  Illinois;  The  Taylor  & 
Storey  will  cases,  and  many  others  of  equal  importance 
with  the  above. 

Mr.  Herrick's  merits  have  several  times  been  recog- 
nized by  his  election  to  important  offices  in  the  Chicago 
Law  Institute,  the  Chicago  Bar  Association  and  the 
Citizens'  Association. 

He  is  also  a  member  of  several  of  the  city  clubs, 
notably,  the  Chicago  and  University  Clubs  and  the 
Chicago  Literary  Society.  Socially  he  is  genial,  court- 
eous, carriesan  air  of  refinement,  and  enjoys  the  esteem 
of  a  large  circle  of  devoted  friends.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Herrick,  previous  to  1884,  was  a  Republican,  but  at 
that  time  voting  for  Grover  Cleveland  for  the  presi- 
dency he  has  affiliated,  in  National  politics,  with  the 
Democratic  party,  though  on  local  issues  he  is  discrim- 
inating and  independent. 

In  matters  of  religion,  he  is  liberal,  and  with  his 
family  attends  the  services  of  the  Central  church  min- 
istered to  by  Prof.  Swing.  In  1883,  Mr.  Ilerrick  was 
married  to  Miss  Julie  A.  Dulon  of  Chicago,  who  is  a 
lady  of  taste  and  refinement.  Three  children,  daugh- 
ters, have  been  born  to  them,  and  Mr.  Herrick  is  never 
happier  than  when,  amid  books  and  surrounded  with 
the  evidences  of  a  cultured  mind  in  his  home,  he  is  en- 


authorizing  the  Cook  Count}1-  Commissioners   to   issue     abled  to  enjoy  the  society  of  his  wife  and  children. 


EDWARD   JAMES   FARNUM,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EDWARD  JAMES  FARNUM  is  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin and  was  born  in  1861.  His  father,  Henry 
James  Farnum,  was  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  his 
mother,  Elizabeth  (Shell)  Farnum,  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  early  Dutch  families  of  New  York  State.  At 
an  early  da}7  (in  1838)  young  Farnum's  parents  removed 
from  New  York  to  Wisconsin,  where  they  lived 
the  sturdy  life  of  pioneers  of  that  day  on  a  farm  and 
carefully  reared  a  family  of  three  children,  two  sons 
and  one  daughter. 

Following  the  experience  of  those  early  days,  young 
Edward  acquired  habits  of  industiy,  and  at  the  same 
time  his  elementary  education,  by  attending  the  dis- 
trict school  in  winter  and  working  on  the  farm 
in  summer.  Under  these  conditions  he  reached 
his  fifteenth  year.  Soon  after  this  he  commenced 


to  attend  the  high  school  at  Baraboo,  the  countv 
seat,  graduating  therefrom  in  1879.  During  his 
studies  at  the  high  school,  young  Farnum  contin- 
ued to  work  on  the  farm  at  home  as  before.  In  the 
summer  following  his  graduation  he  made  an  extended 
western  trip  through  Dakota,  Montana,  Colorado  and 
Nebraska,  returning  home  in  the  fall  to  engage  in 
teaching  in  one  of  the  schools,  in  which  vocation  he 
continued  for  three  years.  While  at  school  the  young 
student's  mind  turned  to  natural  and  scientific  branches 
of  study,  and  he  spent  much  time  and  research  in  bot- 
any, zoology,  and  neology  in  connection  with  which 
branches  he  made  not  only  extensive  collections,  but 
made  some  interesting  discoveries. 

After  his  teaching  experience,  as  above  stated,  he 
married,  in  18S2,  Miss  Anna  S.  Lanich,  and  lived  for 


692 

two  years  upon  the  old  homestead,  meanwhile  keeping 
up  to  some  extent  his  scientific  studies.  In  1884  he 
moved  to  Madison,  Wis.,  and  entered  the  scientific 
course  in  the  State  University,  but  in  1885,  upon  the 
death  of  his  wife,  he  gave  up  his  studies  in  the  univer- 
sity and  at  once  took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  and  in 
a  comparatively  brief  period  became  a  well-equipped 
practitioner.  He  graduated  from  Bennett  Eclectic 
Medical  College  in  1889.  How  well  Dr.  Farnum  has 
developed  the  qualities  of  the  successful  physigjan  may 
be  seen  when  it  is  stated,  that  he  is  now  Professor  of 
Orthopaedic  and  Clinical  Surgery  in  the  Bennett  Medical 
College  of  Chicago;  that  he  is  now  attending  surgeon 
at  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  surgeon  at  the  Bennett 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Hospital,  secretary  and  surgeon-in-chief  of  the  Post- 
graduate Polyclinic  of  Eclectic  Medicine  and  Surgery, 
and  grand  medical  examiner  of  the  Switchmen's  Mut- 
ual Accident  Association  of  North  America. 

Dr.  Farnum  is  also  a  member  of  the  National 
Eclectic  Association,  Illinois  State  Medical  Society, 
Chicago  Medical  and  Surgical  Society  and  of  the  Ben- 
nett Literary  Society.  He  is  also  a  prominent  Mason, 
being  master  of  Ashlar  lodge  and  a  member  of  Oriental 
Consistory  32d  degree,  A.  A.  S.  R.,  and  an  official  of 
the  latter  body.  In  politics  Dr.  Farnum  is  a  sound 
Republican.  In  social  life  he  is  a  pleasant  companion, 
and  in  all  his  relations  with  his  fellow  men  a  courteous 
and  refined  gentleman. 


HARVEY   J.  HOLLISTER, 


GRAND  RAPIDS,  MICHIGAN. 


HARVEY  J.  HOLLISTER,  cashier  of  the  old  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Grand  Rapids,  is  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Connecticut.  What  a 
precious,  a  priceless  heritage  have  the  lineal  posterity 
of  the  early  colonists  of  New  England  !  What  cour- 
age, patience,  enthusiasm  and  energy  !  What  faith  and 
continuity  in  what  they  deemed  well-doing,  was  theirs! 
What  quick  and  tender  consciences,  what  sublime 
ideals,  what  lofty  aspirations  inspired  them  !  And  of 
all  those  pioneers,  none  were  more  broad,  more  toler- 
ant of  other's  faith  and  action,  while  tenacious  of  what 
they  perceived  to  be  righteousness  for  themselves,  than 
the  men  and  women  who  founded  the  colonies  in  what 
is  now  Connecticut.  In  all  the  world,  in  the  first  half 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  there  was  no  braver,  more 
courageous,  liberal  people  than  were  they,  and  what  they 
did,  and  what  they  believed,  as  to  themselves  and  their 
relations  with  mankind,  is  a  heritage  of  incalculable 
value  for  their  prosperity — has  induced  a  heredity  that 
vet  blesses  our  country  in  a  marked  degree.  As  has  been 
stated,  Harvey  J.  Hollister,  the  veteran  banker  of 
Grand  Rapids,  the  soul  survivor  of  the  first  banking  in- 
stitutions, the  first  bankers  of  the  Valley  City,  is  of 
this  New  England  stock.  The  first  of  his  family  in 
this  country  was  Lieutenant  John  Hollister,  who,  at 
the  age  of  about  thirty  years  came  from  Eng- 
land and  settled,  in  1642,  in  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
where  he  soon  became  a  leading  and  influential  citizen. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  representative  of  the 
eighth  generation  from  Lieut.  Hollister,  and  was  the 
fifth  child  and  third  son  of  Col.  John  Bently  Hollister, 
who  was  one  of  the  very  early  pioneers  in  Michigan, 
coming  to  the  then  territory  in  1825,  after  honorable 
and  distinguished  service  in  which  he  won  his  title,  as 
an  officer  with  Gen.  Scott  in  the  army  of  1812-15. 
Col.  Hollister  was  born  in  New  York,  in  1795,  and  his 
wife  was  Mary  Chamberlin,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Gad 
Chamberlin,  a  prominent  farmer  and  manufacturer,  a 


native  of  New  York,  and  at  one  time  a  resident  of 
Berkshire,  Massachusetts.  From  this  time  it  is  appar- 
ent that  Mr.  Hollister,  through  both  father  and  mother, 
is  a  "Yankee  of  the  Yankees."  Mrs.  Hollister,  his 
mother,  for  man}7  years  was  the  sole  survivor  of  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  and  died  in  June,  1890,  at 
the  age  of  ninety-two—having  retained  in  a  wonderful 
degree  her  physical  strength  and  mental  faculties.  Col. 
Hollister  is  a  man  of  great  energy  and  strength  of 
character,  assisted  in  the  territorial  organization  of 
Michigan,  and  in  conjunction  with  Judge  Burt,  the 
famed  inventor  of  the  solar  compass,  served  the  general 
government  with  distinction  as  a  civil  engineer  in  sur- 
veys in  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Illinois  and  Arkansas. 
He  died  in  the  prime  of  early  manhood,  at  Mt. 
Clemens,  Michigan,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  not 
long  before  the  birth  of  his  son,  Harvey  J.,  who 
was  born  at  Romeo,  Macomb  county,  Michigan, 
August  29,  1830.  It  requires  but  a  moment  of  thought 
to  realize  that  his  advent  in  life  was  not  with  the  tra- 
ditional silver  spoon.  Michigan  was  then  a  frontier 
Territory — not  yet  a  State  for  several  years— its  people 
had  little  save  courage,  energy  and  hope — the}7  had 
come  to  struggle  for  a  home  and  the  comforts  of  life; 
to  found  churches,  schools,  good  government  and  a 
•  State.  They  were  in  the  "wilds  of  the  Far  West" 
then,  and  opportunities  for  education  and  in  business 
were  hardly  to  be  termed  "advantageous."'  But  Mr. 
Hollister  made  the  most  of  what  offered,  studied  faith- 
fully while  at  school,  worked  hard  as  a  lad  on  his  wid- 
owed mother's  farm,  or  for  an  uncle,  and  when  but 
seventeen  and  eighteen  years  old  taught  two  winter 
terms  of  school,  near  Romeo.  He  had  the  help  of  a 
wise,  faithful  teacher,  the  late  Adonijah  S.  Welch, 
whose  abilities  gave  him  prominence  as  an  educator, 
later,  at  the  head  of  Michigan's  State  Normal  School, 
in  Iowa,  and  in  California.  His  select  school  at  Romeo 
became  an  academy  and  one  of  the  streams  which  af- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


terward  grew  into  the  State  University.  Mr.  Hollister 
then  entered  the  employ  of  a  drug  firm  in  Pontiac, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  and  had  applied  himself 
so  diligently  he  was  urged  to  remain  at  quite  an  advance 
in  wages.  But  his  brother,  John  II.,  who  had  become  a 
successful  physician,  and  his  mother  and  sister  were 
then  living  in  Grand  Rapids,  desired  that  he  join  them. 
So  to  this  city  he  came,  in  May,  1850,  to  find  a  perma- 
nent home,  to  become  a  most  honored  and  useful 
member  and  important  factor  of  this  active,  energetic 
population,  which  since  that  time  has  transformed  the 
city,  then  just  organized  with  less  than  2,700  inhabi- 
tants, into  a  great  manufacturing  and  business  center 
of  more  than  60,000  citizens.  His  first  year  here  was 
spent  as  a  clerk  in  William  H.  McConnell's  store — a 
position  his  brother,  the  Doctor,  had  secured  for  him. 
The  second  year  found  him  in  charge  of  W.  G.  Henry's 
drug  store  in  what  was  then  known  as  Irving  Hall,  at 
an  increased  salary,  a  place  his  attention  to  duty  and 
ability  had  won.  The  third  year  he  was  a  bookkeeper 
and  clerk  in  John  Kendall's  dry  goods  store,  where  he 
evidently  continued  to  grow,  for  in  1853,  Daniel  Ball, 
who  had  established  a  private  banking  business  the 
previous  year,  secured  his  services  to  take  charge  of 
that  branch  of  his  very  large  business  interests  in  this 
city  and  the  Grand  River  Valley,  at  a  salary  of  $600 
a  year — then  the  largest  salary  paid  any  employe  in 
this  city.  This  relation  continued  for  five  years,  and 
most  evidently  was  highly  creditable  to  Mr.  Ilolliste^ 
for,  beginning  at  $600  per  year,  his  salary  had 
grown  to  $1,500  per  annum,  and  then  in  1858  he 
was  urged  by  his  employer  to  take  a  partner's 
interest  in  the  business,  and  the  firm  was  Daniel  Ball  & 
Co.  The  troublous  times  of  1861,  following  the  panic 
of  1857-58,which  were  so  disastrous  to  so  many  business 
enterprises  all  through  the  West,  compelled  Daniel 
Ball  &  Co.,  the  last  of  three  of  such  banking  houses 
then  in  the  city,  to  close  their  business  at  a  loss  of  all 
their  property  to  themselves— even  to  the  extent  of 
trenching  upon  future  earnings  for  at  least  one  of  the 
firm — but  those  obligations  were  all  met  in  full,  with 
interest,  later.  His  special  adaptability  to  the  banking 
business,  and  his  usefulness  to  the  community  in  that 
delicate,  but  essential  relation  to  its  commercial  and 
manufacturing  interests,  led  the  lion.  M.  L.  Sweet  to 
begin,  almost  at  once,  another  private  bank,  at  the  old 
place  of  business  of  Daniel  Ball  &  Co.,  with  Mr.  Hollis- 
ter as  the  manager  and  a  partner  in  the  profits.  This 
continued  until  1864,  when  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Grand  Rapids  was  organized,  the  Sweet  bank  was 
merged  in  it,  and  its  successful  manager  was  made 
cashier  of  the  new  bank,  which  had  then  but  $50,000 
of  capital  stock.  That  bank  lived  out  almost  the  whole 
of  its  chartered  life,  for  nineteen  years,  grew  to  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $iOO,000,  paid  an  average  of  twelve  per 
cent  dividends,  and  when  it  went  out  of  business  under 
the  limitations  of  its  charter,  its  owners  divided 
71  per  cent,  of  surplus — facts  which  tell  very  plainly 
and  clearly  how  admirably  the  bank  had  been  con- 


695 

ducted,  the  more  especially  as  it  was  the  pioneer  and 
leader  in  the  reduction  of  interest  rates  to  its  patrons, 
when  sound  business  policy  suggested  the  wisdom  of 
such  action.  That  First  National  Bank  was  succeeded 
by  the  present  Old  National  Bank,with  $800,000  of  capi- 
tal stock,  and  Mr.  Hollister  continues  as  a  director  and 
cashier  of  this  great  institution,  one  of  the  largest  in 
its  transactions  and  involved  interests,  in  the  entire 
State  of  Michigan.  So  he  is,  in  fact,  the  pioneer  banker 
of  the  city,  with  reference  to  its  present  population, 
and  has  served  for  some  thirty  seven  years  continuously 
in  those  relations  ;  few  in  Michigan  have  had  so  long  a 
career  in  banking;  none  a  more  honorable.  He  has 
shown  a  grasp  of  affairs,  a  breadth  of  comprehension 
of  business  needs,  a  justice  and  a  courtesy  as  between 
capital  and  those  desiring  to  buy  its  use,  that  have  con- 
tributed in  no  small  degree  to  the  building  of  the  city 
in  which  he  lives,  and  in  conserving  its  great  and  varied 
interests.  He  has  found  time,  too — for  he  has  ever 
been  a  methodical  and  busy  man — to  assist  greatly  in 
any  other  considerable  interests,  and  his  counsels  have 
been  desired,  so  that  he  has  been  a  director  or  other 
officer  of  them,  and  yet  retains  those  relations 
He  has  been  a  director  since  1872  of  the 
Northern  National  Bank  of  Big  Rapids,  Mich.,  which  was 
then  organized;  he  is  a  director  and  vice-president  of 
the  Michigan  Barrel  Co.  of  this  city;  was  for  several 
years  a  director  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Chair  Co.;  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  continuously  an  officer  of  the 
Cummer  Lumber  Co.,  of  Cadillac,  Mich.,  which  starting 
with  capital  of  $50,000,  in  1880,  now  has  an  investment 
of  $600,000  in  its  business;  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Grand  Rapids  and  Indiana  Railroad  Co.  since  1878;  is 
a  prominent  stockholder  of  the  Antrim  Iron  Co.  of 
Mancelona,  Mich.;  is  a  director  in  the  Michigan  Trust 
Co.,  and  has  other  interests  in  and  out  of  the  State. 
Mr.  Hollister  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Gen. 
John  C.  Fremont,  the  first  national  candidate  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  since  that  time  has  acted  with  and 
through  that  party — has  been  an  earnest  and  generous 
supporter  of  its  policies  and  efforts,  a  wise  counselor  of 
its  leaders  in  his  community  and  State;  yet  too  busy 
to  serve  the  people  in  official  capacity  save  in  honor- 
able positions.  He  is  one  of  the  board  of  control  of 
the  State  public  school  at  Cold  water,  an  institution  in 
which  he  has  had  great  interest  since  its  foundation  in 
1873 — the  first  of  its  character  in  this  country.  It  is  a 
school,  and  a  home — until  permanent  homes  in  good 
families  can  be  secured  for  them — for  pauper  or  de- 
pendent, or  neglected  children,  and  during  its  existence 
thus  far,  has  aided  nearly  3,000  such  children  to  better 
education  and  principles,  to  better  homes  and  to  lives 
of  usefulness.  In  such  a  labor  Mr.  Hollister  gladly 
serves  his  State.  Mr.  Hollister  has  been  a  member  of 
the  First  Congregational  church  of  Grand  Rapids  for 
forty  years,  is  one  of  its  deacons,  has  been  its  treasurer 
for  twenty  years,  and  has  served  for  years  in  its  Sun- 
day School  work,  as  superintendent  for  several  years. 
He  has  also  been  prominently  identified  with  the  Y. 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


696 

M.  C.  A.  of  Grand  Rapids  since jts  organization;  has 
been  its  president  for  years,  and  has  lived  to  see  his  old- 
est son  follow  in  his  footsteps  in  that  office — a  living 
proof  of  the  practical  work  of  his  efforts  and  teach- 
ings. He  is  an  earnest  and  consistent  advocate  of 
temperance. 

June  6, 1855,  Mr.  Hollister  married  Martha,  daughter 
of  the  late  Col.  George  Clay,  of  Deerfield,  Mass.,  who 
has  ever  since  proved  indeed  "a  helpmate  to  him." 
They  have  four  children:  Mary  Goodhue,  born  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1860,  now  the  wife  of  McGeorge  Bundy,  Esq., 
of  Grand  Rapids,  and  a  resident  in  the  same  block 
where  her  parents  home  is;  Clay  Harvey,  born  October 
7,  1863,  an  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  Old  National 
Bank,  married  one  of  the  daughters  of  his  father's  near- 
est neighbors;  George  Clay,  born  September  8,  1871; 
John  Chamberlain,  born  March  27, 1873.  Thus  a  friend, 
asked  for  a  pen  portrait,  describes  the  subject  of  this 
sketch: 

The  salient  fact  in  .Mr.  Hollister's  life  and  career  is 
this  :  The  teachings  of  the  Christian  religion  are  to  him 
living,  vital  truth.  With  him  to  believe  is  to  act,  and 
his  faith  has  become  his  rule  of  life  in  every  relation. 
His  friends  and  neighbors,  those  who  know  him  most 


and  best,  see  and  know  that  with  added  years  have 
come  brighter  and  brighter  faith,  broader  and  deeper 
and  stronger  convictions  and  powers  for  usefulness, 
with  wider  culture,  and  when  this  is  said,  what  more 
could  well  be  added  descriptive  of  the  man,  save  in  - 
detail  and  illustration.  He  must  read  and  keep  pace 
with  the  growth  of  knowledge  in  the  world,  for 
buried  talents  are  not  acceptable  to  his  master,  and 
otherwise  lie  could  not  make  his  life  as  useful  as  he 
ought.  He  must  work  in  the  church,  and  be  liberal  in 
all  its  efforts,  for  what  is  to  be  as  well  as  to  believe. 
He  must  be  a,n  able  and  busy  banker,  just  to  those 
whom  he  serves,  otherwise  his  faith  were  not  shown  in 
his  works.  He  knows  that  lie  has  labored,  that 
success  has  attended  his  labors;  that  his  family,  the 
church  of  which  he  is  a  member,  his  business  associates, 
the  people  of  the  city  in  which  he  has  lived  for  forty 
years,  and  many,  throughout  his  State  and  in  other 
States,  value  him  and  feel  the  impulse  of  his  example 
and  the  worth  of  his  daily  life,  but  he  ascribes  these 
blessings,  of  family,  love,  honor,  troops  of  friends,  and 
a  competence,  not  to  his  own  deservings  or  efforts,  save 
under  the  power  and  control  of  the  Master  he  believes 
it  to  be  his  highest  duty  to  serve. 


ISAAC   NEWTON    PERRY, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ISAAC  NEWTON  PERRY  was  born  at  Lee,  Oneida 
1  county,  N.  Y.,  on  February  10,  1847.  He  inherits 
from  his  father  the  best  qualities  of  the  blood  of  the 
English  yeomanry,  and  from  his  mother  the  charac- 
teristics which  have  entered  into  our  noblest  American 
life.  His  father,  Henry  Lee  Perry,  belonged  to  an 
English  family  which  traces  its  relation  to  the  main 
family  from  which  came  the  Lees  of  the  Revolution 
and  Virginia.  His  mother's  maiden  name,  Charlotte 
Hall,  was  given  her  in  memory  of  an  ancestor  from 
whom  sprang  many  of  the  strong  men  and  women  of 
central  New  York  bearing  this  name. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Perry  joined  the  general 
advance  westward  at  an  early  day,  and  brought  with 
them  into  Kane  county,  111.,  the  principles  which  have 
grown  up  with  the  life  and  ripened  into  the  opinions 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  boy,  Isaac  Newton 
Perry,  attended  the  common  school  at  Kaneville,  and 
afterwards  had  the  privilege  ot  one  term's  education  at 
Jennings  Seminary  at  Aurora.  His  education  outside 
of  the  schoolroom  was  not  neglected  ;  and  he  grew  up 
in  the  midst  of  nature  and  with  the  society  of  a  few 
books,  bringing  into  his  manly  life  a  sound  mind  in  a 
sound  body.  He  early  found  himself  attracted  from 
the  farm  to  mercantile  pursuits.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  was  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store  in  Aurora.  When 
he  had  reached  his  majority,  his  plans  as  a  business 
man  already  matured  led  him  to  the  First  National 


Bank.  A  position  such  as  this  was  the  realization  of 
tlie  boy's  dream.  For  two  years  he  remained  in  this 
bank,  when  he  relinquished  it  to  engage  in  the  dry 
goods  business  with  Perry  Brothers,  at  Rochelle,  111. 

Mr.  Perry  is  a  born  banker,  and  every  instinct  of 
his  nature  leads  him  to  deal  with  the  problems  and 
tasks  of  finance.  He  therefore,  in  July,  1873,  returned 
to  the  banking  business,  being  elected  cashier  of  the 
Rochelle  National  Bank,  and  serving  in  this  capacity 
for  twelve  years.  Larger  opportunities,  and  the  desire 
to  identify  himself  with  the  greater  possibilities  of  the 
Aorthwest  led  him  to  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  where  he  organ- 
ized the  Union  National  bank.  His  business  rela- 
tions with  Chicago  brought  him  constantly  into  con- 
tact with  the  leading  financiers,  and  on  January  10, 
1891,  he  was  invited  to  accept  the  position  of  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  Continental  National  Bank  of  Chicago,  a 
position  in  which  he  has  continued  up  to  the  present 
time.  The  interests  of  the  Star  Coal  Company  of 
Streator,  111.,  also  invited  him  to  its  vice-presidency, 
which  he  accepted. 

An  important  event  in  the  intellectual  and  spiritual 
life  of  Mr.  Perry  was  his  marriage,  on  December  29, 
1881,  to  Miss  Jennie  Little,  daughter  of  Josiah  Little, 
a  well-known  banker  of  Ambo}',  111.,  and  her  death  at 
La  Crosse,  Wis.,  in  February,  1887,  was  a  great  loss  to 
her  husband  and  family,  and  to  all  the  community  in 
which  she  lived.  Two  children  were  born  to  them, 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


Ruth  Little  and  Isaac  Newton  Perry,  Jr.,  the  former 
being  ten  and  tbe  latter  eight  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Perry  is  far  from  being  a  slave,  even  to  his  im- 
portant duties  and  large  financial  interests.  His  pecul- 
iarly winning  social  qualities  attach  to  him  a  large 
circle  of  friends,  and  unite  him  in  delightful  relation- 
ships with  many  prominent  organizations  of  the  city. 
lie  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  and  the 
Bankers'  Club  in  Chicago.  He  is  a  valuable  and  pro- 
minent member  of  the  Plymouth  Congregational 
church,  and  is  active  in  all  the  large  enterprises  of  that 
society.  The  charities  inside  of  the  church  and  outside 
of  it,  which  constantly  appeal  to  him,  command  his 
gifts  and  advice,  which  arc  always  freely  bestowed. 

Mr.  Perry  is  a  Republican  of  the  most  decided  type, 


699 

with  a  large  horizon  of  hope  for  the  future  of  the 
country.  He  is  very  liberal  in  his  opinions,  and  exceed- 
ingly strong  in  his  convictions,  allowing  a  large  lati- 
tude for  all,  and  yet  constantly  devoted  to  great 
principles.  As  a  business  man,  Mr.  Perry's  success  has 
been  largely  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  has  been  some- 
thing more  than  a  banker  or  a  merchant.  He  has  kept 
his  mind  constantly  informed  with  reference  to  the 
world  and  its  progress,  and  the  development  of  political 
and  social  ideals,  and  to  the  growth  of  the  kingdom  of 
truth.  His  rare  good  judgment  and  promptitude  in 
times  of  crisis,  his  unswerving  integrity  and  true  con- 
ception of  the  highest  aims  of  business  have  made  him 
a  valuable  friend,  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and  a  gentle- 
man of  constantly  increasing  influence. 


WILLIAM    MARION    STEARNS,  M.  D., 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  younger  specialists  practicing  medicine 
and  surgery  in  Chicago,  but  few  have  risen  to 
the  position  occupied  by  him  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch.  Dr.  William  M.  Stearns,  son  of  George  W. 
and  Harriet  N.  (Chaffee)  Stearns,  was  born  at  Dale, 
N.  Y.,  June  20,  1856.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
New  York,  though  his  earlier  ancestors  were  from 
Vermont,  and  directly  traceable  to  a  family  of  the 
same  name  who  came  to  this  country  in  the  ship 
Arabella,  with  George  Winthrop  in  1630.  The  mother 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  her  parents  coming  from 
Boston  early  in  this  century,  and  settled  in  western 
New  York.  His  paternal  grandfather  and  great- 
grandfather were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  his 
grandmother  now  receives  a  pension  from  the  United 
States,  in  recognition  of  the  services  rendered  the 
government  by  her  late  husband. 

Our  subject,  William,  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  and  high  schools  at  Will  county,  111. 
where  his  parents  settled  soon  after  his  birth.  He  had 
a  natural  taste  for  scientific  study  from  early  youth. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  teaching  school,  and 
followed  this  work  three  years.  His  last  two  years  as 
teacher  of  geometry,  Latin  and  physiology,  proved  to 
be  very  successful,  as  well  as  to  him  enjoyable  ones. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  the  regular  study 
of  medicine  and  graduated  from  the  Chicago  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  College  in  1880.  After  leaving  college 
he  served  nearly  three  years  as  house  physician  and 
surgeon  to  the  Illinois  State  Penitentiary  at  Joliet. 

Early  in  1883  he  went  to  Europe  and  spent  two 
years  in  the  best  clinics  and  hospitals  at  Germany  and 
Austria,  principally,  studying  his  chosen  specialties, 
where  his  knowledge  of  German  and  French  enabled 
him  to  make  rapid  progress  in  his  studies,  and  merit 
the  many  personal  certificates  of  proficiency  given  him 
by  the  leading  medical  professions  of  Europe. 


Late  in  1885,  on  returning  to  Chicago  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  to  the  chair  of  Otology  and  Ophthal- 
mology in  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Medical  College, 
and  in  1890  was  elected  to  fill  the  chair  of  Rhinology 
and  Laryngology  in  the  same  college,  which  position  he 
still  holds. 

lie  is  also  Professor  of  Rhinology  and  Laryngology 
and  member  of  the  board  of  directors  in  the  Homeo- 
pathic Post-graduate  Medical  College  of  Chicago. 

Dr.Stearns  being  of  a  practical  turn  and  thoroughly 
conversant  with  his  work  has  proven  to  be  a  very 
successful  clinical  operator  and  teacher.  He  is  not 
only  popular  with  the  homoeopathic  physicians  at  Chi- 
cago, but  owing  to  his  liberality  he  is  highly  spoken  of 
by  those  who  differ  from  him  on  principles  of  theory 
and  practice.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Acad- 
emy of  Medicine,  the  State  Homoeopathic  Medical  So- 
ciety and  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  and 
has  been  secretary  of  the  College  Alumni  Association 
ever  since  its  organization. 

Although  but  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  he  has  had 
all  the  higher  degrees  of  Masonry  conferred  upon  him, 
except  the  thirty-third,  a  distinction  which  few  of  the 
craft  achieve.  He  was  made  a  Master  Mason  in  Mt. 
Joliet  Lodge,  at  Joliet.  111.,  in  1881,  was  exalted  to  the 
Royal  Arch  degree  in  Joliet  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  in 
1882,  and  in  the  same  year  was  created  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar in  Joliet  Commandery.  In  1885  he  transferred 
his  membership  from  the  latter  to  Apollo  Commandery, 
No.  1,  of  Chicago.  In  1887  the  thirty -second  degree  of 
the  Scottish  Rite  was  conferred  upon  him  in  Oriental 
consistory  as  well  as  the  Order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  in 
Medinah  Temple.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  and  some  of  the  social  clubs  of  the  South 
Side. 

During  the  earlier  years  of  his  Masonic  career,  he 
held  important  offices  in  the  various  bodies,  but  the 


7OO 


PROMINENT  AfEff  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


past  two  years  he  has  been  thoroughly  devoted  to  his 
professional  duties,  and  'as  a  consequence  his  practice 
has  grown  to  large  proportions.  He  is  also  much  de- 
voted to  his  family,  spending  much  of  his  spare  time  in 
its  company. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  does  not  conform 
closely  to  party  lines. 

He  is,  likewise,  liberal  in  his  religious  belief,  and 
gives  his  influence  and  support  to  those  religious  soci- 
eties not  governed  by  denominational  rules. 

He  enjoys  travel,  making  a  close  study  of  the  dif- 
ferent countries  and  characteristics  of  their  habita- 
tions. He  has  spent  much,  time  in  nearly  every  coun- 
try of  Europe,  and  is  especially  interested  in  the  art, 
architecture  and  natural  scenery  of  the  same. 

He  has  been  an  enthusiastic  mountain  climber 
spending  several  months  in  the  higher  Alps.  He  is  also 
well  acquainted  with  his  own  countr\r,  preferring  to 


spend  his   vacations  with  his   wife  traveling  than  to 
confine  himself  to  localities. 

In  1887  Dr.  Stearns  married  Miss  Fannie  Foote, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Wm.  S.  Foote,  a  prominent  dentist  at 
Belvidere,  111.  They  have  one  little  girl,  Helen,  a  very 
bright  and  attractive  child  of  three  years.  Mrs. 
Stearns  is  devoted  to  her  domestic  life,  but  finds  time 
as  well  for  literary  pursuits  and  art.  She  is  very  fond 
of  painting  both  in  oil  and  water  colors,  and  excels  as 
an  amateur.  Her  father,  Dr.  Foote,  is  the  eighth  son 
in  lineal  descent  from  "Nathaniel  Foote,  the  settler," 
who  was  born  in  England  in  1593,  and  married  the 
sister  of  John  Denning,  who  was  one  of  the  patentees 
named  in  the  old  charter  of  the  colony  at  Connecticut. 
In  1633,  Mr.  Nathaniel  Foote  took  the  oath  of  free- 
man in  the  New  Colonies,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
great  New  England  family  of  Footes  from  which  many 
prominent  men  have  sprung. 


FRANKLIN    S.  ANDERSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


BORN  in  Chicago,  August  18.  1860,  son  of  John 
and  Maria  Christine  (Frank)  Anderson.  His 
father  is  a  Norwegian  by  birth,  and  his  mother  is  an 
American,  but  of  Norwegian  and  German  descent.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the 
Chicago  public  schools  and  at  the  State  University  of 
Wisconsin.  He  is  a  printer  by  trade,and  is  now  the  vice- 
president  and  secretary  of  tho  John  Anderson  Publish- 
ing Company.  He  was  for  five  years  treasurer  of  the 
Lake  View  Building  and  Loan  Association;  he  is  treas- 


urer of  the  Frankfort  Land  Company,  and  of  the  La 
Grange  Land  Association,  and  was  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Columbian  Guide  Company.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Hussars,  and  was  for  five 
years  a  member  of  Company  F,  First  Regiment  I.  N. 
G.  In  religion,  he  is  a  member  of  the  English  Luth- 
eran Church,  and  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  a  man  of  medium  height  and 
build,  of  pleasing  address,  and  one  who  makes  friends 
of  nearly  all  he  comes  in  contact  with. 


ABNER   GILE, 


LA  CROSSE.  WISCONSIN. 


ABNER  GILE,  a  well  known  and  highly  respected 
pioneer  of  La  Crosse  count}',  was  born  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  January  3,  1820,  and  is  a  son  of 
Nathan  and  Lydia  (Yates)  Gile,  natives  of  Vermont. 
The  father  followed  agricultural  pursuits  all  his  life  ; 
his  death  occurred  in  New  York,  to  which  State  he 
had  removed  in  1871,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years; 
his  wife  died  two  years  later,  aged  eighty-two  years. 
They  were  for  many  years  consistent  members  of  the 
Baptist  church.  They  reared  a  family  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  Abner  Gile  was  the  fourth-born.  He  resided 
in  New  York  until  1842,  and  during  the  latter  years 
of  his  residence  there  was  engaged  in  farming.  He 
then  removed  to  Waukegan,  Lake  county,  111.,  where 
he  operated  a  sawmill,  built  piers  and  clocks  in  the  lake, 
and  purchased  land  which  he  cultivated  until  1850.  In 
that  year  he  went  to  California,  but  returned  twelve 


months  later,  resuming  his  agricultural  pursuits  until 
November,  1854,  when  he  came  to  La  Crosse,  and 
embarked  in  the.  lumber  trade,  in  which  he  has  been 
actively  engaged  ever  since.  He  formed  a  partnership 
with  the  late  N.  B.  Holway,  to  carry  on  this  business  and 
this  connection  was  continued  for  over  thirty  years. 

In  1872  he  helped  to  found  the  La  Crosse  Lumber 
Company  which  built  one  of  the  large  saw-mills  of 
this  city,  and  which  is  still  in  active  existence.  Selling 
his  interest  in  this  business  after  a  few  years  he,  in 
1881,  helped  to  organize  the  Island  Mill  Lumber  Com- 
pany and  became  its  president,  in  which  position  he 
continues  at  the  present  time.  In  recent  years  he  has 
turned  his  attention  to  the  lumber  business  in  the 
South  and  West,  and  is  now  largely  interested  in  the 
manufacture  of  Louisiana  red  cypress  and  has  exten^ 
sive  holdings  of  Oregon  timber  lands. 


* 


UNIVERSITY  Ur 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 


703 


He  was  one  of  the  projectors  and  builders  of  the 
Linseed  Oil  Mill  of  La  Crosse,  a  most  serviceable  in- 
dustry to  the  city;  it  gives  employment  to  twenty  per- 
sons, and  consumes  raw  material  from  Wisconsin.  Iowa, 
Minnesota  and  Dakota.  Its  products  are  shipped  to  all 
parts  of  the  civilized  world. 

Mr.  Gile  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Abattoir 
of  La  Crosse,  another  important  industry  and  owns 
stock  in  the  Batavian  Bank,  of  which  he  is  vice-presi- 
dent. He  has  a  farm  of  twelve  hundred  acres  in  Min- 
nesota, and  has  other  investments  in  various  enter- 
prises in  the  city  and  county.  He  is  a  man  of  superior 
business  qualifications,  and  every  enterprise  that  has 
received  his  support  has  not  fallen  short  of  success. 

The  residence  of  Mr.  Gile  deserves  more  than  a 
passing  notice,  as  it  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  ex- 
pensive in  the  city.  The  lot  fronts  on  Main  street  210 
feet,  and  on  West  avenue  280  feet,  and  contains  the 
residence,  barn  and  coachman's  house.  The  house  is 
eighty  feet  in  length  and  forty  in  width,  besides  the 
porch  and  drive.  It  is  two  and  a  half  stories  above 
the  basement.  A  room  in  the  half  story  is  large 


enough  to  accommodate  fifty  or  sixty  couples  in  a 
dance.  The  house  is  of  pressed  brick  and  brown  stone, 
built  on  the  latest  plans,  with  all  the  modern  conveni- 
ences, and  the  other  buildings  are  of  the  same 
materials.  The  name  of  the  residence,  Pasadena,  has 
reference  to  a  fancy  for  the  town  of  that,  name 
in  California,  and  is  said  to  mean  "  Queen  of  the 
Valley." 

In  1842  Mr.  Gile  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary 
E.  Smith,  a  daughter  of  Orange  and  Mary  (Ketchum) 
Smith,  and  to  them  were  born  two  children:  Elsie  D., 
wife  of  Kobert  A.  Scott,  and  Wales  Eugene,  born  De- 
cember 14,  1863,  who  was  killed  when  nine  years  of 
age  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  pistol  in  the  hands 
of  a  boy  friend.  The  mother  died  in  September,  1877, 
aged  fifty-three  years. 

Politically,  Mr.  Gile  is  identified  with  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  has  been  a  strong  adherent  to  the 
principles  of  that  organization.  As  a  pioneer  settler 
and  a  loyal  citizen,  he  receives  the  highest  respect  of 
all  who  know  him,  and  is  in  every  way  worthy  of  the 
regard  in  which  he  is  held. 


JOHN    P.  WILSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


JOHN  P.  WILSON,  a  distinguished  lawyer  of 
Chicago,  widely  recognized  in  his  profession  as 
one  of  the  ablest  living  authorities  on  corporation  and 
real  estate  law,  was  born  in  the  township  of  Garden 
Plains,  Whiteside  county,  111.,  July  3,  1844.  He  is 
the  son  of  Thomas  Wilson,  a  Scotchman  who  came  to 
America  from  his  native  land  in  1833  and  settled  in 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  continuing  in 
this  pursuit  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Evanston, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death  in  1883. 
The  wife  of  Thomas  Wilson  and  mother  of  John  P. 
was  Margeret  (Laugh lin)  Wilson,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  of  Scotch  ancestry.  By  making  the  best  of 
the  limited  opportunities  at  his  command  at  his  native 
place,  and  supplementing  the  instruction  thus  recieved 
by  close  personal  application  to  -his  books  at  night  and 
such  other  times  as  opportunity  afforded,  young  Wilson 
managed  to  fit  himself  for  higher  studies,  and  by  the 
time  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  had  entered  Knox 
College,  at  Galesburg,  111.,  determined  to  secure  a 
classical  education.  In  1865,  a  few  days  before  attain- 
ing his  majority,  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  bachelor  of  arts  at  Knox  College.  After  gradua- 
tion he  taught  at  Galesburg  in  connection  with  the 
college  and  in  the  district  school  at  Garden  Plains 
during  the  years  1865  and  1866,  and  studied  law 
mornings  and  evenings.  Frugal  of  his  time,  he  de- 
voted all  his  spare  moments  during  these  years  to  the 
study  of  law,  looking  in  at  court  occasionally  and  turn- 


ing over  in  his  mind  the  pros  and  cons  of  such  cases  as 
came  under  his  observation.  In  the  spring  of  1867, 
having  passed  the  required  examination  before  the 
proper  board  of  examiners,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Ill- 
inois bar,  and  coming  to  the  city  of  Chicago  entered  the 
law  office  of  Borden,  Spafford  &  McDaid,  and  upon  the 
dissolution  of  the  said  firm,  spent  two  years  in  the  of- 
fice of  John  Borden,  Esq.  In  1870  the  law  firm  of 
Spafford,  McDaid  &  Wilson  was  organized.  After 
passing  through  many  changes  of  partnership,  he  is 
now  the  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Wilson, 
Moore  &  Mcllvaine,  one  of  the  strongest  in  Chicago. 
Mr.  Wilson's  practice  has  been  of  a  general  character. 
He  has  devoted  himself  with  such  earnestness  to  the 
study  of  his  profession  that  there  are  few,  if  any,  of  its 
intricacies  which  he  has  not  mastered.  In  the  depart- 
ments of  corporation  and  real  estate  law  he  is  espec- 
ially skillful,  and  his  widest  fame  rests  upon  those 
specialties,  which  have  of  recent  years  become  the  most 
important,  and  probably  the  most  lucrative  of  any  class 
of  practice  in  Chicago.  Among  his  clients  for  years 
have  been  a  number  of  the  most  distirguished  citizens 
and  many  of  the  largest  corporations  of  Illinois 
and  neighboring  States.  The  law  creating  the  Sani- 
tary District  of  Chicago  was  drawn  by  him,  and  he 
was  also  selected  to  defend  its  constitutionality,  which 
had  been  doubted,  but  which  was  sustained  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois.  In  his  list  of  clients,  Mr. 
Wilson  numbers  several  leading  financial  institutions, 


704 

prominent  among  them  being  the  Merchant's  National 
Bank  of  Chicago,  of  which  he  has  been  the  attorney 
for  several  years.  In  1890  Mr.  Wilson  was  elected 
general  counsel  for  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
and  the  constitutional  amendment  and  legislation  in 
relation  thereto,  passed  at  the  special  session  of  the 
Legislature  held  in  1890.  were  prepared  under  his 
supervision.  Mr.  Wilson  is  one  of  those  men  whose 
sole  ambition  is  to  excel  in  their  vocation.  To  this  end 
he  has  labored  with  ail  energy  at  his  command,  and 
has  allowed  nothing  to  tempt  him  to  abandon  this, 
his  supreme  purpose.  As  a  lawyer  simply  he  stands 
before  the  public,  but  as  such  he  occupies  one  of  the 
very  highest  niches  in  the  profession.  He  has  the  true 
Scotch  grit  in  his  mental  composition,  and  sticks  to 
study  and  work  with  a  pertinacity  which  has  enabled 
him  to  accomplish  wonders  in  the  way  of  acquiring 
legal  knowledge.  His  intellect  is  superlatively  clear,  his 
perceptions  keen,  and  his  powers  of  concentration  and 
application  extraordinary.  He  has  the  faculty'  of  analy- 
sis beyond  most  men,  and  detects  and  avoids  snares 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GKEA  T  WEST. 


and  complications  of  a  legal  character  with  surprising 
facility.  Speaking  of  Mr.  Wilson,  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  lawyers  of  Chicago  said  to  the  writer : 
"  He  is  essentially  a  natural  lawyer."  Content  with 
the  honors  and  emoluments  of  his  profession  and  the 
gratification  of  his  scholarly  tastes,  he  seeks  no  public 
office;  and,  while  giving  freely  and  gratuitously  such 
aid  as  may  be  required  of  him  in  beneficent  and  char- 
itable public  movements,  he  does  so  with  no  other 
motive  than  a  sense  of  duty.  His  nature  is  of  that 
modest,  retiring  kind  that  does  good  by  stealth.  There 
is  no  vanity  whatever  in  his  composition,  unless  it  be 
to  do  his  appointed  work  well ;  and  to  that  end  he  con- 
centrates his  every  power.  A  man  of  irreproachable 
habits  and  pure  character,  as  well  as  honorable  profes- 
sional ambitions,  he  enjoys  the  friendship  and  confi- 
dence of  the  most  eminent  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Mr. 
Wilson  was  married  on  April  25,  1871,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet C.  Mcllvaine,  of  Chicago,  111.,  daughter  of  J.  D. 
Mcllvaine.  They  have  five  children,  Margaret  C., 
Martha,  John  P.  Jr.,  Anna  M.  and  Agnes. 


ALFRED  SANFORD  WHITE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  1851  at 
Liverpool,  England,  his  parents  being  Henry  and 
Mary  (Tricker)  White,  both  natives  of  the  south  of 
England.  During  his  early  life  the  elder  White  was 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  but  retired  before  the 
birth  of  Alfred,  the  subject  of  our  sketch. 

.  The  latter  was  educated  at  the  Liverpool  Institute, 
where  he  took  a  commercial  course  of  training.  After 
leaving  school  he  entered  the  employ  of  Andrew  Cal- 
ender of  Liverpool,  with  whom  he  remained  five  and  a 
half  years.  He  then,  in  1871,  started  out  in  business 
for  himself  in  Liverpool  in  the  commission  importing 
line  under  the  firm  name  of  S.  White  &  Co.,  in  which 
firm  he  still  has  an  interest.  In  1882  Mr.  White  came 
to  Chicago  and  engaged  in  the  export  business,  the  firm 
being  A.  S.  White  &  Co.,  he  being  the  senior  member 


of  the  firm,  which  does  a  thriving  business,  owing  its 
success  largely  to  the  business  sagacity,  experience  and 
ability  of  Mr.  White. 

During  his  busy  life  he  has  found  time  to  travel 
pretty  extensively,  both  in  foreign  lands  and  in  this 
country.  He  is  a  member  of  several  social  clubs, 
notably  the  Chicago,  the  Washington  Park  and  the 
Kennett  clubs  and  is  a  genial,  courteous  and  compan- 
ionable gentleman  in  all  his  social  relations.  In  his 
religious  affiliations  he  is  an  adherent  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  White  was  married  in  November,  1887,  to 
Miss  Florence  Broonhall,  of  Cheshire,  England,  daughter 
of  the  late  Edward  Broonhall,  of  Chicago,  a  lady  of 
excellent  social  qualities  and  domestic  virtues.  They 
have  two  promising  children,  a  son  aged  five  and  a 
daughter  aged  three  years,  to  brighten  the  family  circle. 


HON.   GEORGE    BASS, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


GEORGE  BASS  is  a  native  of  Vermont  and  now 
in  the  prime  of  life,  being  not  far  from  forty-six 
years  old.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  nestled  among  the 
hills  of  the  Green  Mountain  State.  When  he  was  but 
nine  years  of  age  his  father  died,  and  though  the 
family  was  in  comfortable  circumstances  during  the 
life  of  the  head,  yet,  as  often  happens  when  the  estate 
is  subjected  to  the  process  of  enforced  settlement, 
there  was  barely  enough  reaLzed  to  pay  the  debts. 
The  widow  and  children  thus  being  thrown  upon  their 


own  resources,  in  the  main,  young  George  had  to 
"hustle"  for  himself,  which-  he  did,  with  true  New 
England  grit,  by  working  on  a  farm  during  the 
summer  and  attending  the  public  school  in  the 
winter. 

Pluck,  and  a  desire  for  larger  opportunities  led  him, 
at  the  age  of  thirteen,  to  Chicago,  where,  for  five 
years,  he  worked  as  best  he  could  at  what  he  could 
find  to  do,  not  neglecting  to  acquire  such  an  education 
as  was  afforded  by  the  public  schools.  Some  of  the 


•^ 


MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


707 


time  he  was  a  newspaper  carrier,  during  morning 
hours,  and  whatever  he  did,  he  did  well.  In  July, 
J865,  having  saved  a  little  money  from  his  hard 
earnings,  he  went  back  to  New  England,  where  he 
entered  the  Phillips  Academy,  at  Andover,  Mass.. 
determined  to  have  a  good  education.  Here  he 
remained  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
entered  Harvard  University  and  took  a  four  years' 
course,  supplemented  by  one  year  more  in  the  law  school 
of  that  institution.  During  all  these  years  the  young 
man  kept  up  his  studies  and  paid  his  way  entirely  by 
his  own  exertions,  engaging  in  a  variety  of  occupations, 
among  which  were  serving  as  tutor  in  the  university 
classes,  keeping  boarding  house  for  students,  and  for  a 
time  as  reporter  for  a  Boston  daily.  The  latter  work, 
however,  exacted  more  time  than  he  could  afford  from 
his  studies,  and  he  relinquished  it  for  the  more  con- 
genial work  of  tutor. 

After  graduating  from  the  law  school,  in  1872,  Mr. 
Bass  again  came  to  Chicago,  and  entered  the  law  office 
of  Judge  Beckwith,  where  he  continued  his  studies  with 
great  profit  to  himself,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his 
excellent  instructor.  In  1875,  he  opened  an  office,  and 
commenced  to  do  his  share  of  the  necessary  hustling 
for  business;  in  his  case  this  was  attended  with  great 
success,  for  he  has  now  a  good  practice,  affording  about 
all  the  business  he  can  attend  to. 

Until  recently,  Mr.  Bass,  though  active  in  local 
politics,  has  not  cared  to  accept  office,  though  for  one 


year  he  was  induced  to  serve  as  collector  of  the  town 
of  South  Chicago,  and  was  one  of  the  presidential  elec- 
tors on  tRe  Eepublicau  ticket,  in  1880.  True  to  his 
Vermont  training,  he  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
and  in  the  partv  affairs  of  his  ward  has  long  been  an 
important  factor,  holding  the  position  of  a  successful 
leader  among  his  political  associates.  In  the  fall  of 
1892,  Mr.  Bass  accepted  the  hearty  nomination  tendered 
him  as  State  Senator  from  hisdistrict,  and  demonstrated 
his  popularity  by  being  elected  by  a  good  majority. 
His  career  in  the  Illinois  Legislature  was  such  as  was 
to  be  expected  from  a  man  of  his  training  and  ability. 
Ilis  work  as  a  committee  man  was  of  the  practical  and 
business-like  kind  which  brings  results,  and  whenever 
Senator  Bass  took  the  floor  in  behalf  of  an}'  measure 
his  colleagues  were  prepared  to  listen  to  common  sense 
propositions,  and  convincing  arguments,  worth}7  of  their 
individual  attention.  As  a  speaker,  while  not  posing 
as  an  orator,  Senator  Bass  is  powerful  in  presenting  the 
facts,  and  logical,  clear-cut  statements  of  the  points  of 
his  case. 

In  his  personal  appearance,  Senator  Bass  is  a  com- 
pact, well-built  man  of  dark  complexion  and  marked 
features,  his  individuality  being  so  prominent  as  to 
easily  impress  those  who  come  in  contact  with  him.  He 
is  the  happy  possessor  of  an  air  of  genial  comradeship, 
such  as  wins  popularity  among  his  immediate  friends 
and  associates,  all  of  whom  esteem  him  for  his  frank, 
open-hearted  characteristics,  as  well  as  for  his  ability. 


FRANK   GARY,  M.  D., 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


DR.  FRANK  GARY,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  son  of  Amzi  B:  Gary,  M.  D.,  and  Ellen  E- 
Gary,  and  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  October  21,  1857. 
His  father  was  a  prominent  surgeon  in  the  U.  S.  Army 
and  died  while  in  the  service  of  his  country  during  the 
late  civil  war. 

Young  Gary  early  developed  a  fondness  for  his 
father's  profession  and  entered  Cornell  University  at 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  in  the  class  of  1881.  Later  he  entered 
the  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1882.  While  at  Cornell  he  did  special 
work  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Bert  G.  Wilder,  the 
eminent  comparative  anatomist.  Soon  after  completing 
his  studies.  Dr.  Cary  entered  the  Wisconsin  State 
Asylum  as  assistant  to  Dr.  Walter  Kempster,  where  he 
remained  for  about  six  months.  He  then  came  to 
Chicago,  entering  St.  Luke's  Hospital  as  interne,  where 
he  remained  a  year  and  a  half.  From  here  he  went  to 
New  York  city  to  take  up  the  study  of  pathology 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Welch,  now  of  the  John 
Hopkins  University.  Dr.  Cary  returned  from  New  York 
to  accept  the  appointment  of  pathologist  in  the  St. 
Luke's  Hospital  of  this  city  and  later  was  appointed 
lecturer  on  pathology  at  the  Woman's  Medical  College 


and  subsequently  was  assigned  to  that  chair,  later  he 
was  given  the  chair  of  internal  medicine,  which  he  still 
holds.  In  1891  he  was  appointed  obstetrician  to  St. 
Luke's  Hospital.  A  year  later,  in  1892,  he  was 
appointed  physician  to  the  children's  apartment  of  the 
Michael  Reese  Hospital.  Dr.  Cary  was  also  connected 
with  the  Chicago  health  department  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  Dr.  De  Wolf,  and  held  that  position 
until  the  advent  of  Mayor  Washburne,  when  he 
resigned. 

Dr.  Cary  is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  the 
Athletic  Club,  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association,  and  the  Medico  Legal  Society. 
In  his  religious  views  he  is  decidedly  liberal. 

Dr.  Cary  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Harriet 
Hey  I,  August  13,  1885,  a  graduate  of  Cornell  Uni- 
versity and  the  Black  well  Medical  College,  New  York. 
She  served  as  interne  in  the  New  York  Infirmary  for 
Women  and  Children,  and  is  a  lady  of  rare  ability  and 
of  exceptionally  fine  social  qualities.  She  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Chicago  Woman's  Club.  Dr.  Cary  is  a 
gentleman  of  refinement,  uniformly  courteous,  and  is 
deservedly  popular  with  all  his  associates,  standing  high 
in  the  medical  profession. 


7o8 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

CURTIS    M.  BEEBE,  M.  D., 

r    CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


CUETIS  M.  BEEBE,  was  born  in  Chicago,  April 
2,  1862.  With  the  exception  of  five  years  resi- 
dence at  Geneva,  111.,  be  has  always  lived  in  Chi- 
cago. It  was  here  that  he  laid  the  foundation  of  that 
broad  and  thorough  training  which  has  made  his 
medical  career  so  successful.  Starting  in  the  public 
schools,  he  passed  through,  and  graduated  at  the  Chi- 
cago Central  High  School,  and  studied  at  the  Chicago 
University.  He  then  took  a  course  at  the  Chicago 
Homoeopathic  Medical  College,  graduating  with  honors, 
and  receiving  three  prizes;  and  then  a  post-graduate 
course  at  the  Long  Island  Hospital  College.  He 
spent  several  months  at  Vienna  and  London  in  1892, 
operating  in  the  hospitals  and  attending  the  clinics. 
He  has  been  in  active  practice  since  his  graduation 
eleven  years  ago.  He  is  attending  surgeon  to  Cook 
County  Hospital,  and  has  been  professor  of  anatomy 


and  adjunct  professor  of  diseases  of  women  in  his 
alma  mater,  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Medical 
College. 

The  doctor  has  attained  an  eminent  position  in  the 
profession  by  his  special  skill  in  obstetrics  and  in 
general  surgery  and  the  surgery  of  diseases  of  women. 
Being  wide  and  favorably  known  as  a  conscientious 
and  careful  prescriber  and  operator,  he  was  invited  to 
become  the  medical  officer  of  the  Salvation  Army.  In 
this  position  his  many  talents  enable  him  to  accomplish 
much  that  is  useful.  He  is  a  born  leader,  both  pro- 
fessionally and  spiritually ;  an  example  of  generosity 
and  devotion,  donating  his  services,  where  needed,  and 
at  the  same  time  pointing  nis  patients  to  the  Saviour 
as  the  only  safe  refuge  from  the  storms  of  life.  It  can 
be  truly  said  that  Dr.  Beebe  stands  among  the  first 
of  the  homoeopathic  physicians  of  this  country. 


KICKHAM    SCANLAN, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


KICKHAM  SCANLAN,  well  known  as  an  able 
lawyer  and  prominently  connected  with  many 
noted  criminal  cases,  tried  in  Cook  count}7,  is  a  native  of 
Chicago,  where  he  was  born  on  October  23,  1864.  His 
father  is  Michael  Scanlan,  of  Washington,"  D.  C.,  well 
known  as  a  writer  of  both  prose  and  poetr\r  and  acorn- 
poser  of  music.  Young  Scanlan  attended  the  public 
and  high  schools  in  Washington,  afterward  attending 
the  University  of  Notre  Dame  at  South  Bend,  Ind. 
Desiring  to  enter  the  legal  profession  he  also  took  a 
course  at  the  Chicago  College  of  Law. 

His  first  business  training  was  gained  in  the  ser- 
vice of  W.  P.  Rend  &  Co.,  the  prominent  coal  mer- 
chants of  Chicago,  he  having  had  for  some  time  charge 
of  their  Detroit  office.  At  the  beginning  of  his  pro- 
fessional career  as  a  lawyer  he  was  associated  with 
Luther  Laflin  Mills,  George  C.  Ingham,  and  Ernest 
McGaffev  of  this  city,  with  whom  he  remained  for 
seven  or  eight  years.  Here  he  developed  an  aptness 
for  that  branch  of  the  legal  profession  which  has  made 
Mr.  Mills  famous  in  the  handling  of  criminal  cases.  His 
ability  and  industry  soon  made  his  services  valuable, 
and  he  has  for  some  years  been  called  repeatedly  to 
assist  the  State's  Attorney  for  Cook  county  in  the 
prosecution  of  difficult  criminal  cases.  Among  the 
more  notable  of  these  cases  may  be  mentioned  the  cele- 
brated Cronin  case,  at  the  first  trial,  when  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  prosecution  comprising  the  ablest  mem- 
bers of  the  Chicago  bar,  with  what  victorious  result  is 
well  known.  He  was  also  one  of  the  counsel  for  the 
State  in  the  Graham-Hanks  bribery  case  in  Chicago,  in 


the  tally  sheet  fraud  cases  at  Columbus,  O.,  and  in  the 
Millington  poisoning  case  at  Denver,  Col.  He  has  also 
often  been  called  into  criminal  cases  for  the  defense, 
having  assisted  in  the  trial  of  more  than  thirty  homicide 
cases  in  Cook  county,  either  for  the  prosecution  or  the 
de'fense.  One  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  cases  in  which 
Mr.  Scanlan  was  one  of  the  counsel  for  the  defense  was 
the  McGarigle  case,  which  was  handled  with  consum- 
mate skill.  This  was  in  1887  and  McGarigle,  it  will 
be  remembered,  was  charged  with  being  a  party  to  the 
frauds  perpetrated  by  the  county  commissioners  in 
connection  with  the  Cook  county  hospital  of  which 
McGarigle  was  warden.  Mr.  Scanlau  was  also  associ- 
ated with  State's  Attorney  Bottum  in  the  early  part 
of  the  present  year,  in  the  second  trial  of  Dan  Coughlin 
for  complicity  in  the  murder  of  Dr.  Cronin,  which 
lasted  for  four  months,  and  which  was  reported  in  full 
by  the  daily  press.  Mr.  Scanlan  added  materially  to 
his  reputation  in  the  part  he  took  in  this  famous 
case,  making  the  opening  speech  for  the  prosecution, 
lasting  three  days.  His  analysis  and  presentation 
of  the  case  was  acknowledged  on  all  hands  as  one 
of  the  most  masterly  and  convincing  in  the  history  of 
the  Chicago  bar.  That  the  prosecution  won  its  case 
is  the  general  verdict  of  the  intelligent  public,  though, 
as  was  not  unexpected,  the  jury  rendered  a  verdict  of 
acquittal.  Mr.  Scanlan  deservedly  enjoys  a  large 
practice,  much  of  which  is  in  civil  as  well  as  in  criminal 
cases.  As  a  jury  lawyer  he  is  logical,  earnest  and  un- 
affected, but  always  convincing.  Edgar  Lee  Masters, 
well  known  for  his  literary  abilities,  and  one  of  the 


v 


^' 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  W£ST. 


711 


promising  young  members  of  the  Chicago  bar  is  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Scanlan  in  his  present  practice. 

On  January  2,  1890,  Mr.  Scanlan  was  married  to 
Miss  Sadie  Con  way,  daughter  of  Michael  W.  Conway, 
now  fire  inspector  of  Chicago,  and  who  was  for  several 
years  assistant  fire  marshal.  They  have  one  child,  a 
bright  little  girl.  In  politics  he  is  a  loyal  Republican 
of  the  best  type,  but  never  given  to  blind  partisanship. 

Mr.  Scanlan  is  a   gentleman   of  culture,  and  has  a 


marked  taste  for  literature,  music,  and  a  partiality 
for  outdoor  sports.  He  has  fine  social  qualities,  and 
enjoys  the  companionship  of  his  friends  whenever 
release  from  the  cares  of  business  will  permit,  and 
while  the  circle  of  these  friends  is  large,  attracted  by 
his  sterling  worth,  it  is  ever  increasing.  As  aptly 
expressed  by  one  who  knows  him  thoroughly,  Mr. 
Scanlan  "  is  a  man  to  be  depended  on  at  all  times." 
And  this  is  the  highest  praise. 


ANDREW    DUNNING, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


A  NDREW  DUNNING  was  born  in  Chicago,  Au- 
f\  gust  23rd,  1839.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  such  as  they  were  at  the  time,  and  at  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war  he  enlisted  in  the  8th  Illinois 
Cavalry. 

lie  served  four  years  in  the  Arm}7  of  the  Potomac, 
and  was  mustered  out  as  first  lieutenant  in  July,  1865. 
He  returned  at  once  to  Chicago  and  settled  at  the 
village  of  Jefferson,  and  went  into  the  nursery  and  fruit 
business  near  the  present  station  of  Dunning,  which 
when  established,  was  named  after  him.  Although 
for  many  years  Mr.  Dunning  has  speculated  more  or 
less  in  real  estate,  it  has  only  been  during  the  last  four 
years  that  he  has  turned  his  attention  to  it  as  a  busi- 
'  ness.  The  best  years  of  his  life  have  been  devoted  to 
the  nursery  and  florist  business,  as  D.  S.  Dunning  & 
Son.  Mr.  Dunning  still  retains  an  active  interest  in 
this  establishment,  although  conducting  a  general  real 


estate  agency.  His  specialty  is  the  selling  of  acre 
property  on  commission. 

Everything  in  the  line  of  realty  is  bought,  sold  and 
exchanged,  loans  on  bond  and  mortgage  are  negotiated 
promptly,  and  on  the  most  favorable  terms,  estates  are 
managed,  tenants  secured,  taxes  and  premiums  of  insu- 
rance paid,  repairs  attended  to,  etc.  Mr.  Dunning  is 
agent  for  more  than  five  thousand  acres  of  choice  im- 
proved farms  throughout  the  most  fertile  sections  of 
the  State,  which  lie  offers  at  prices  which  cannot 
but  make  an  investment  highly  remunerative.  Mr. 
Dunning  married,  in  1866,  Miss  Mary  H.  Waters,  a 
native  of  Chicago,  she  having  been  born  at  the 
corner  of  Dearborn  and  Adams  streets,  then  out  in 
the  country. 

Three  children  have  been  born  to  them.  Mr.  Dun- 
ning is  a  prominent  Mason,  having  taken  all  the  de- 
grees up  to  Knights  Templar. 


CHARLES   GOSSAGE, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


fMIARLES  GOSSAGE  was  one  of  the  pioneer  dry 
\_^  goods  men  of  Chicago.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  was  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  largest  dry  goods 
establishments  in  this  city.  He  was  born  in  North 
Hamptonshire,  England,  Jan.  21,  1830;  his  father, 
Thomas  Gossage,  dying  when  Charles  was  quite 
young,  he  was  put  under  the  care  of  his  two  uncles, 
who  were  his  guardians. 

His  education  was  finished  at  Brighton,  England, 
where  he  attended  boarding  school.  During  his  school 
days  he  spent  his  vacations  in  Paris.  In  1853,  at  the 
age  of  23,  Charles  and  his  brother,  Brooks  W.  Gossage, 
who  was  21  years  of  age,  came  to  this  country.  The 
two  youths  took  passage  in  a  sailing  vessel,  the  voyage 
lasting  four  weeks,  and  when  the  shores  of  America 


were  sighted  expressed  regret  as  they  had  such  a 
pleasant  trip.  The  brothers  stayed  at  New  York  six 
months,  when  they  separated,  Brooks  going  to  Canada 
and  Charles  to  Charleston,  S.  C.  In  1857,  Mr.  Gossage 
removed  to  Davenport,  la.,  when  the  dry  goods  firm 
of  Gossage  &  Boyles  was  established,  but  not  long 
after  Mr.  Gossage  removed  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
entered  into  partnership  under  the  firm  name  of 
Deland,  Gossage  &  Cuyler,  dry  goods.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  the  firm  dissolved, 
and  Mr.  Gossage  went  back  to  England,  but  Hoon 
after  returned  and  with  Mr.  Boyles,  his  former 
partner,  came  to  Chicago  and  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Mr.  William  M.  Ross,  the  name  of  the 
new  firm  being  Ross  &  Gossage.  In  July,  1871,  the 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 


712 

name  of  the  new  firm  was  changed  to  Chas.  Gossage 
&  Co.  The  great  fire  in  October,  1871,  however, 
consumed  both  building  and  contents.  A  new  start 
was  made,  the  firm  locating  on  West  Madison  street, 
but  moved  two  years  afterwards  to  the  corner  of  State 
and  Washington  streets. 

Nearly  every  old  resident  of  Chicago  remembers  the 
big  iron  lions  which  stood  in  front  of  the  Gossage  store 
for  many  years.  During  the  great  fire  these  lions  were 
either  stolen  or  lost.  At  any  rate  they  disappeared  in 
some  unaccountable  manner.  One  day  soon  after  an 


old  lady  walked  into  their  West  Madison  street  store 
and  said  she  had  hunted  the  city  over  for  the  iron 
lions  in  order  to  find  Gossage  &  Co.  without  success. 
This  amused  Mr.  Gossage  so  that  he  ordered  new  ones 
to  be  purchased  and  set  up  in  front  of  the  store.  In 
June,  1870,  Mr.  Gossage  married  Miss  Margaret  Anna 
Walker,  daughter  of  George  Walker,  Esq.,  of  Ottawa, 
111.  Mrs.  Gossage  died  in  June,  1874.  Mr.  Gossage 
died  January  5.  1883,  leaving  two  children,  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, now  wife  of  George  A.  H.  Scott,  of  Chicago,  and 
Margaret  Gertrude. 


ANDREW   L.  THOMPSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


ANDREW  L.  THOMPSON,  son  of  Andrew  and 
Mary  (Chase)  Thompson,  was  born  in  Waupaca 
county,  Wisconsin,  on  the  7th  da\T  of  June,  1859.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Norway,  who  came  to  America 
and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Chicago,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  paint  and  varnish  business  and  also 
dealt  largely  in  real  estate.  Ho  afterwards  moved  to 
Wisconsin  where  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born. 
Young  Thompson  attended  the  country  district  school 
and  also  for  a  time  attended  a  higher  school  at 
Amhurst,  Wisconsin.  In  fact  the  first  twenty-one 
years  of  his  life  was  spent  as  are  the  lives  of  other  boys 
born  and  reared  on  a  farm;  he  attended  school  in  the 
winter  season  and  aided  his  father  on  the  farm  the 
balance  of  the  year.  When  he  attained  his  majority 
young  Thompson  started  West  to  carve  out  a  fortune 
and  for  three  years  he  was  emplo3'ed  as  agent  for  the 
Singer  Sewing  Machine  Companv  in  Iowa,  Nebraska 
and  the  Dakotas.  In  this  business  he  achieved  a  rare 
degree  of  success  and  saved  money,  and  was  thus 
enabled  when  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1887  to  engage 
in  the  real  estate  business,  in  which  he  has  been 
highly  successful,  and  from  the  beginning  has 
shown  rare  ability  in  buying  and  selling,  and  has 
established  a  reputation  for  the  soundness  of  his 
judgment  in  approximating  future  values  of  both  im- 
proved and  unimproved  city  property.  He  has  at 
times  held  vast  quantities  of  valuable  farm  lands,  hav- 
ing at  one  time  owned  forty-three  farms,  but  most  of 
this  has  since  been  sold  and  the  money  invested  in 
Chicago  city  property,  and  his  holdings  of  farming 
lands  will  not  now  amount  to  more  than  a  dozen 
farms.  He  now  holds,  however,  many  large  and  valua- 
ble tracts  of  fine  timber  lands  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  a  tract  of 
walnut  timber  land  in  southwest  Missouri  and  one  con- 
sisting of  1,000  acres  of  pine  land  in  Georgia.  The 


latter  is  an  especially  valuable  piece  of  property,  being 
situated  on  the  banks  of  a  navigable  river  and  its  tim- 
ber is  all  standing,  having  never  as  yet  known  the  bite 
of  the  woodman's  axe.  Mr.  Thompson  owns  two  valu- 
able coal  mines  in  Illinois,  both  of  which  are  in  opera- 
tion, besides  his  valuable  iron  mining  properties  in 
Wisconsin  and  Michigan. 

On  the  24th  day  of  September,  1887,  Mr.  Thompson 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Paulina  A.  Peterson, 
daughter  of  J.  P.  Peterson,  of  Waupaca  county,  Wis. 
One  child,  a  son,  has  blessed  this  union  and  is  now  a 
bright,  healthy  boy,  five  years  of  age.  Mr.  Thompson 
has  been  an  extensive  traveler  within  the  boundaries  of 
his  own  country,  and  is  familiar  with  all  of  the  principal 
cities  and  most  of  the  points  of  interest  in  the  United 
States.  In  politics  he  leans  toward  the  Republican 
party,  and  generally  casts  his  ballot  for  that  party's 
candidates,  though  he  always  reserves  for  himself  the 
right  to  follow  the  dictates  of  his  own  judgment  and 
to  vote  for  such  men  as  will,  in  his  opinion,  best  fulfill 
the  duties  of  the  office  for  which  they  are  candidates. 
He  is  an  attendant  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  is 
and  has  been  a  contributor  to  any  project  looking  to 
the  advancement  of  that  church's  work  or  the  amelio- 
ration of  the  condition  of  those  in  distress.  Mr. 
Thompson  owes  his  present  position  in  the  business 
world  to  himself  alone.  He  obtained  a  start  bv  hard 
work,  and  that  one  point  gained,  his  energy,  adapta- 
bility and  inherent  business  sagacity  have  rapidlv 
advanced  him  in  his  lineof  business,  until  he  takes  his 
place  in  the  front  rank  of  Chicago's  real  estate  men, 
and  nine-tenths  of  his  transactions  are  in  his  own 
property.  He  is  quiet  and  genial  in  manner  and 
makes  many  friends,  keeping  them,  once  made, 
without  apparent  effort,  and  among  the  voung  men 
engaged  in  handling  real  estate  in  Chicago  few  are 
more  popular  than  Andrew  L.  Thompson. 


„ 

'" 


PROMINENT  MEN  Ofi   THE  GREAT  WEST. 

CHARLES  CARROLL  BOYLES, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


715 


/"CHARLES  CARROLL  BOYLES,  the  veteran  dry 
\~J  goods  merchant,  was  born  at  Marsh  field,  Yt. 
(twelve  miles  from  Montpelier),  October  y,  1833. 
While  still  quite  young,  his  parents  removed  to  Milford, 
N.  K.,  where  young  Boyles  received  his  early  education. 
He  afterwards  resided  in  Salem,  Mass.,  for  several  years, 
drifting  South  quite  early  in  life,  we  find  him,  later, 
actively  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  at  Charleston, 
S.  C.  In  1857  he  removed  to  Davenport,  la.,  to  engage 
in  the  same  business  forming  a  partnership  with  the 
late  Charles  Gossage.  under  the  firm  name  of  Gossage 
&  Boyles.  Later  again  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  ' 
Mr.  Gossage  removing  to  Cincinnati,  Mr.  Boyles  con- 
tinuing the  business.  Later  Mr.  Boyles  followed  to 
Cincinnati. 

In  1863,  Mr.  Boyles  came  to  Chicago  and  was 
associated  with  the  firm  of  Ross  &  Gossage. 

In  July,  1871,  the  name  of  the  firm  was  changed  to 
Charles  Gossage  &  Co.,  the  partners  being  Charles 
Gossage  and  Charles  C.  Boyles.  This  firm  afterwards 
built  up  an  immense  business,  and  established  a  name 
throughout  the  country  as  the  leading  retail  dry  goods 
house  of  Chicago.  During  the  great  fire  of  October, 
1871,  their  building  and  contents  were  consumed, 
but  with  characteristic  energy  they  immediately 
secured  a  new  stock  of  goods  and  located  for  a  short 
time  on  the  West  Side.  Two  years  after  the  fire  found 


them  located  in  their  new  quarters  on  the  corner  of 
State  and  Washington  streets,  where  they  continued  in 
business  up  to  the  time  of  Mr.  Gossage's  death  and  for 
a  period  after  that  event  or  until  the  estate  was  settled 
up.  After  Mr.  Gossage's  deatli  Mr.  Boyles  was  ap- 
pointed guardian  of  his  two  daughters  and  also  one  of 
the  administrators  of  his  estate. 

Mr.  Boyles  always  took  on  active  interest  in  the 
business,  as  well  known,  and  highly  esteemed  as  one  of 
Chicago's  successful  merchants.  He  lias  now  practically 
retired.  lie  belongs  to  the  church  of  the  Epiphany  of 
this  city. 

Mr.  Boyles  has  been  twice  married,  a  daughter, 
Margaret  Boyles,  survives  the  first  wife.  His  second 
wife  is  the  oldest  daughter  of  the  late  Albert  F.  Dickin- 
son, of  this  city;  they  have  three  children,  Charles  D., 
Katherine  and  Thomas  D.  Boyles.  For  a  number  of 
years  they  have  resided  at  Riverside,  one  of  the  beauti- 
ful suburbs  of  Chicago.  They  also  have  a  large  farm 
and  beautiful  summer  residence  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Geneva,  Wis.,  where  they  now  spend  most  of  their 
time. 

Mr.  Boyles  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  well  pre- 
served, the  very  picture  of  health,  of  commanding 
appearance  and  pleasing  address,  well-known  for  his 
many  charitable  acts,  always  giving  quietly,  but  freely. 
A  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  the  soul  of  honor. 


JUDGE   EUGENE   GARY, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


EUGENE  GARY  comes  from  sturdy  New  England 
stock,  his  ancestors  having  been  prominently 
known  250  years  ago  in  the  history  of  the  old  Ply- 
mouth Colony  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  born  on 
February  20,  1835,  in  Boston,  Erie  county,  N.  Y., where 
his  boyhood  days  were  spent  on  a  farm  and  in  attend- 
ance at  such  schools  as  the  vicinity  afforded.  At  the 
early  age  of  sixteen  he  commenced  life  for  himself, 
teaching  school  several  terms  near  his  home.  In  1854 
he  came  West  and  soon  after  commenced  the  study  of 
law  at  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  in  the  office  of  Judge  David 
Tuvlor,  wiio  afterward  became  one  of  the  Supreme 
Court  judges  of  Wisconsin.  Later  he  continued  his 
legal  studies  with  Judges  James  Sheldon  and  Nathan 
K.  Hall  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1850  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Wisconsin  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Sheboygan.  He  was  soon 
after  elected  city  attorney  of  Sheboygan,  and  a  year 
later,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-two,  became  county 
judge,  which  offices  he  filled  with  satisfaction.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  Judge  Gary 


donned  the  Federal  uniform  and  went  to  the  front  as 
a  captain  in  the  First  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  in 
which  he  did  gallant  service.  He  was  promoted  to  the 
important  position  of  judge-advocate  on  the  staff  of 
Gen.  Rosseau,  the  commander  of  the  First  Division  of 
the  army  of  the  Cumberland  (14th  Army  Corps).  Two 
brothers  also  entered  the  Union  army,  both  as  surgeons, 
one  of  whom  died  in  the  service  during  the  war.  Judge 
Gary  recalls  with  commendable  pride  the  patriotic  re- 
cord of  his  family,  his  grandfather  having  been  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  an  uncle  in  the  war 
of  1812. 

After  the  war  the  Judge  settled  in  Nashville,  Tenn., 
where  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and 
soon  became  a  prominent  member  of  the  Tennessee  bar. 
During  his  residence  in  Nashville  he  was  active  in  the 
promotion  of  its  educational  interests,  and  served  one 
term  as  president  of  the  local  board  of  education.  His 
interest  in  public  affairs  and  his  ability  were  recognized 
in  his  election  to  the  State  Senate,  where  he  served  one 
term  with  honor.  The  prominence  won  at  the  bar 


7i6 

also  marked  Judge  Gary  as  a  fitting  subject  for  judicial 
honors,  and  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court 
for  the  Nashville  district,  and  in  that  position  made  a 
very  creditable  record. 

In  1871,  immediately  after  the  great  Chicago  fire, 
Judge  Gary  removed  from  Nashville  to  this  city,  and 
became  actively  identified  wiih  the  insurance  business, 
with  which  he  had  become  familiar  as  the  Tennessee 
State  agent  for  the  Aetna  fire  of  Hartford.  lie  has 
since  occupied  a  prominent  position  as  an  insurance 
manager,  and  become  known  not  only  widely  but  favor- 
ably. Upon  his  advent  in  Chicago,  Judge  Gary 
organized  the  western  department  of  the  Imperial  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  and  served  as  its  general  manager 
until  1873,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  Western 
manager  of  the  German- American  Insurance  Com  pan y 
of  New  York,  which  position  he  has  continued  to  hold 
to  the  present  time.  How  well  the  company  has  pros- 
pered, due  in  great  measure  to  its  western  business, 
is  a  matter  of  record,  and  known  and  appreciated  in 
insurance  circles.  When  it  is  stated  that  in  1874  the 
company  had  assets  amounting  to$l,672,  362,  and  a  net 
surplus  of  $188,248,  as  compared  with  assets  in  1893 
of  $5,997,403,  and  a  net  surplus  of  $1.655,835,  the  cash 
capital  of  the  company  being  $1,000,000,  some  idea  can 
be  formed  of  its  substantial  growth  along  safe  lines. 

It  is  simple  justice  to  say  that  much  of  this  growth 
is  due  to  the  sound  underwriting  policy  and  enterprise, 
combined  with  prudence,  which  have  been  for  twenty 
years  conspicuous  in  Judge  Gary's  management  of  the 
great  and  growing  western  field.  He  is  and  has  long 
been  recognized  as  a  leader  in  western  insurance 
circles,  being  prominent  in  the  Western  Union,  an 
insurance  society  of  great  influence.  The  esteem  in 
which  Judge  Gary  is  held  by  his  associates  in  the 


PROMINENT  MK.N  OF  THE  GREAT  WEST . 


insurance  fraternity  is  evinced  by  his  election  for  two 
terms  to  the  presidency  of  the  Western  Union.  His 
services  on  important  committees  is  also  constantly  in 
requisition. 

Judge  Gary  is  not  only  conspicuous  as  an  insurance 
manager,  but  is  and  has  been  widely  known  as  a 
public-spirited  citizen,  with  the  courage  to  give  his 
time  and  influence,  when  needed,  for  the  promotion  of 
purity  in  politics,  and  efficiency  in  the  public  service. 
He  accepted  an  election  to  the  "  reform  council"  of 
Chicago  for  1877-78,  and  did  good  service  in  it.  In 
1883,  entirely  without  his  solicitation,  Judge  Gary 
was  nominated  on  the  citizens'  Republican  ticket  for 
mayor  of  Chicago,  and  though  opposed  bitterly  by 
the  corrupt  machine  politicians,  backed  by  the  vicious 
elements  of  the  city,  it  is  generally  conceded  that  he 
received  a  majority  of  the  honest  votes  cast,  but  was 
counted  out  by  the  election  methods  then  prevailing. 

In  his  social  life  Judge  Gary  is  a  genial  and 
pleasant  gentleman,  and  one  whose  friendship  is  prized 
most  by  those  who  know  him  best^  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Loyal  Legion,  of  which  he  served  one  term  as 
commander,  and  of  the  Commercial,  Chicago,  Union 
League  and  Washington  Park  Clubs. 

As  characterized  by  an  impartial  friend,  "Judge 
Gary  is  a  man  of  much  more  than  ordinary  ability,  a 
good,  all  around  man,  at  home  alike  in  judicial,  literary 
and  business  affairs,  endowed  with  an  ardent  tempera- 
ment, and  most  thoroughly  disciplined,  a  firmness  and 
decision  of  character  which  never  degenerates  into 
stubbornness  or  impulsive  haste,  and  an  integrity 
which  has  never  been  questioned  ;  withall  he  is  a 
courteous  gentleman  wherever  found." 

Judge  Gary  was  married  in  1858,  to  Martha  C. 
Row,  of  Washtenaw  county,  Mich. 


SETH    CATLIN, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


SETH  CATLIN  was  born  at  Deerfield,  Mass.,  in 
1812,  being  the  sixth  in  descent  from  John  Cat- 
lin,  of  Weathersfield,  Conn.,  through  John  Catlin  sec- 
ond, a  first  settler  in  Branford,  Conn., 'and  resident  in 
Newark,  N.  J.,  and  Deerfield,  Mass.  His  ancestry 
were  of  the  best  New  England  stock  on  both  sides, 
some  of  them  serving  with  great  credit  in  the  old 
French  and  Indian  wars,  and  in  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution, while  in  times  of  peace  they  were  prominent 
officials  in  their  respective  towns. 

With  the  pioneer  instinct  that  characterized  his  an- 
cestors, Seth  Catlin  left  an  excellent  position  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  which  he  held  in  a  prominent 
business  house  in  New  York  City,  to  identify  himself 
with  the  undeveloped  Chicago  of  1834.  At  that 
period  the  infant  town  just  emerging  from  the  condi- 
tion of  a  frontier  trading  post  had  begun  to  reach  out 


with  the  instinct  born  of  her  commanding  position  in 
point  of  location,  which  has  within  a  half  centurv 
made  her  the  great  commercial  metropolis  of  the  great 
West.  With  other  contractors  Mr.  Catlin  was  for  a 
time  engaged  in  the  work,  of  building  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  canal  from  Chicago  to  La  Salle.  Later  he 
filled  many  important  positions  of  trust  in  the  com- 
mercial and  banking  institutions  of  Chicago. 

From  1850  to  1855  Mr.  Catlin  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  G.  A.  Lindley  &  Co.,  engaged  in  the  commis- 
sion and  forwarding  business  at  La  Salle.  Returning 
to  Chicago  he  was  employed  by  the  house  of  Hough- 
telling  &  Shepard,  being  placed  in  charge  of  their 
financial  interests. 

In  all  these  positions  he  showed  marked  ability  for 
the  systematic  arrangement  of  affairs,  and  became  rec- 
ognized as  a  man  of  inflexible  integrity  and  upright- 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  CREA  T  WEST. 


719 


ness.  In  the  arrangement  of  the  commercial  system 
of  Chicago,  he  impressed  himself  in  a  peculiar  manner. 
As  early  as  March,  1849,  a  meeting  of  merchants  and 
business  men  was  held,  for  the  purpose  of  organ- 
izing a  Board  of  Trade,  and  a  constitution  was  sub- 
mitted and  adopted.  April  8,  1849,  it  assumed 
corporate  character  under  the  general  statutes  of 
Illinois.  For  some  years  its  proceedings  were  rather 
of  a  social  than  a  business  character.  The  discussion 
of  measures  calculated  to  aid  the  business,  and  forward 
the  interests  of  Chicago,  rather  than  the  regulation 
of  trade  itself,  seemed  to  be  the  chief  subject  of  its 
consideration. 

At  the  twelfth  annual  meeting  of  the  directors  of 
the  Board  of  Trade,  held  in  their  new  rooms  South 
Water  and  LaSalle  streets,  in  the  spring  of  1858,  Mr. 
Catlin  was  elected  secretary;  his  ability  as  an  account- 
ant and  his  general  business  knowledge  peculiarly  fit- 
ting him  for  that  important  position.  The  membership 
at  that  time  was  377. 

Through  the  intelligent  and  comprehensive  arrange- 


ments made  by  Mr.  Catlin  as  secretary,  the  board 
entered  on  a  new  stage  of  existence.  Up  to  that  time 
there  had  been  no  records  kept  of  the  trade  and  com- 
merce of  Chicago.  He  at  once  began  the  compilation 
of  statistics,  and  in  that  year  published  the  first  annual 
report  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  this  work  he  was 
assisted  by  his  sons,  Richard,  George  and  Charles. 
Eastern  market  reports  were  received  and  trading 
in  the  staple  articles  of  Chicago  commerce  took  on  new 
activity.  The  system  arranged  by  him  has  been  sub- 
stantially followed  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Catlin  con- 
tinued as  secretary  of  the  Board  during  the  rest  of  his 
life.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1863  he  was  attacked 
by  disease,  which  after  a  few  months,  terminated  his 
active  and  useful  life  on  the  19th  of  January,  1864,  at 
the  age  af  52  years. 

His  death  was  regarded  as  a  great  loss  by  the  board 
of  trade.  Resolutions  highly  commendatory  of  his 
fidelity  and  ability  were  adopted,  and  later  the  board 
also  caused  a  handsome  monument  to  be  erected  to  his 
memory  at  Rose  Hill  cemetery. 


COL.  HENRY   L.  TURNER, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMONG  the  many  men  who  have  distinguished 
themselves  in  connection  with  the  handling  of 
real  estate  in  this  city,  Henry  L.  Turner  holds  a  prom- 
inent place.  Few  are  more  popular  among  the  real 
estate  fraternity  than  lie,  and  few  have  had  a  more 
successful  career  in  commercial  pursuits.  Mr.  Turner 
was  born  in  Oberlin,  Ohio,  August  26. 1845.  He  spent 
the  first  years  of  his  life  graduating  at  Oberlin  College 
and  served  his  country  during  the  late  war  as  first 
lieutenant  of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry  Regiment  and  was  also  first  lieutenant 
and  adjutant  of  the  fifth  United  States  colored  troops. 
Among  the  engagements  in  which  he  participated  were 
Fort  Stevens,  the  siege  of  Richmond,  second  battle  of 
Fair  Oaks,  the  attack  on  Fort  Fisher  under  General 
Butler,  the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher  under  General 
Terry,  the  capture  of  Wilmington  and  the  surrender  of 
General  Joe  Johnston.  When  the  war  was  over  he 
came  to  Chicago  and  entered  the  business  office  of  the 
Advance,  where  he  remained  for  some  time.  Later  he 
entered  the  office  of  Jay  Cook  &  Co.,  Philadelphia, 
remaining  with  that  firm  until  their  failure  in  1873. 
Returning  to  Chicago  he  again  associated  himself  with 
the  Advance,  which  paper  he  afterwards  purchased  and 
conducted  for  two  years,  when  he  sold  the  publication. 
Mr.  Turner  began  to  operate  in  real  estate  as  an 
agent  in  this  city  in  1874,  and  shortly  after  formed  a 
copartnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Marsh, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Turner  &  Marsh.  The  firm 


existed  only  a  few  months,  however,  as  Mr.  Marsh  was 
offered  and  accepted  an  important  mission  in  Europe. 
In  May,  1875,  Mr.  Turner  joined  Wm.  A.  Bond,  who 
had  been  in  the  real  estate  business  for  some  time, 
establishing  a  firm  under  the  name  of  Turner  &  Bond. 
For  sixteen  years  this  firm  was  located  at  102  Wash- 
ington street,  until  the  premises  were  sold  to  the  Cook 
County  Title  and  Trust  Company.  This  sale  was 
negotiated  by  the  firm,  and  ranked  as  the  third  largest 
sale  of  downtown  business  property  consummated  in 
the  year  1892.  After  leaving  102  Washington  street, 
Messrs.  Turner  &  Bond  then  located  at  175  Dearborn 
street,  where  they  continued  the  real  estate  business 
until  Mr.  Turner  retired  from  the  firm  to  enter  into 
the  banking  and  investment  business  at  92  Dearborn 
street,  in  which  business  Mr.  Turner  is  still  engaged. 
He  is  also  president  of  the  Western  Publishing  Com- 
pany, one  of  the  largest  subscription  book  publishing 
firms  in  the  city.  Colonel  Turner  is  an  enthusiastic 
National  Guardsman,  being  colonel  of  the  first 
infantry.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 
Six  years  ago  Colonel  Turner  was  elected  a  trustee 
of  the  Oberlin  College,  his  Alma  Mater.  As  a 
writer  he  has  achieved  considerable  prominence,  as  an 
after-dinner  speaker  he  is  at  his  best,  and  as  a  horse- 
man he  is  an  enthusiastic  and  excellent  rider  and  the 
owner  of  several  fine  mounts.  He  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Real  Estate  Board'  in  1888,  of  which  body 
he  has  always  been  an  active  and  influential  member. 


720 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  THE  GREA  T  WEST. 

HOMER   N.  HIBBARD, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


HOMER  N.  H1BI5ARD  was  born  at  Bethel,  Wind- 
sor county,  Vt.,  November  7,  182-i.  His  early 
life  was  passed  upon  his  father's  farm  and  in  attending 
the  common  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  When 
about  fifteen  years  old  he  began  attendance  at  the 
academy  at  Randolph,  Vt.  Unfortunately  for  him, 
however,  his  father  was  unable  to  keep  him  at  school, 
and  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he  began 
studying  law  in  the  office  of  J.  C.  Dexier,  of  Rut- 
land. While  thus  occupied  he  began  to  fit  himself 
for  college,  having  for  a  tutor  the  Rev.  William 
Mitchell.  To  secure  means  for  the  accomplishment 
of  this  purpose  he  was  obliged  to  teach  school 
nearly  half  his  time,  but  he  succeeded  in  earning 
money  enough  to  complete  his  preparatory  course  and 
pay  his  way  through  Castleton  seminary  and  the  Ver- 
mont University,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution 
with  high  honor  in  1850.  For  some  years  thereafter 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching,  but  that  occupation  not 
being  to  his  taste,  as  soon  as  he  had  laid  by  sufficient 
funds,  he  entered  the  Dane  Law  School,  of  Harvard 
College,  remaining  there  until  the  spring  of  1853, 
when  he  returned  to  Burlington  and  for  six  months 
longer  studied  the  legal  profession  in  the  office  of  Gov. 
Levi  Underwood.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1853  came  to  Chicago  and  opened 
a  law  office  in  partnership  with  an  old  class- 


mate, John  A.  Jameson.  Clients,  however,  did 
not  flock  to  the  office  of  this  firm,  and  becom- 
ing discouraged,  in  1854  they  removed  to  Freeport, 
which,  at  that  time,  was  a  dangerous  rival  of  Chicago. 
His  partner  soon  returned  to  this  city,  but  he  remained 
there,  securing  a  paying  practice,  and  became  one  of 
the  most  prominent  men  in  that  section  of  the  State.  He 
was  for  several  years  city  att  rney  of  Freeport,  was 
master  in  chancery,  and  was  president  of  the  board  of 
education.  In  1860  he  returned  to  Chicago,  when  the 
firm  of  Cornell,  Jameson  and  Hibbard  was  organized, 
and  which  continued  in  operation  until  1865.  He  sub- 
sequently associated  himself  with  M.  B.  Rich  and 
James  J.  Noble,  and  the  firm  of  Hibbard,  Rich  & 
Noble  was  formed.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  by 
Judge  Drummond  of  the  United  States  District  Court 
register  in  bankruptcy.  He  has  been  a  director  in  the 
National  Bank  of  Illinois,  vice-president  of  the  Ameri- 
can Insurance  Company,  and  has  held  various  other 
positions  of  trust  and  public  importance.  He  is  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  though  a  Re- 
publican, has  never  taken  any  active  part  in  politics. 
While  residing  in  Freeport,  Mr.  Hibbard  was  married 
to  Miss  Jane  Noble,  daughter  of  Hon.  William  Noble, 
of  Burlington,  Vt.,  a  lady  who  had  been  associated 
with  him  in  teaching  in  the  high  school  in  the  early 
days  of  his  career. 


AMUND   G.  THOMPSON, 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS. 


AMUND  G.  THOMPSON,  son  of  Andrew  and 
Mary  (Chase)  Thompson,  was  born  at  Amherst, 
Portage  county,  Wis.,  on  January  22,  1857.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Norway,  who  after  coming  to  America 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Chicago,  where  for 
some  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  paint  business,  deal- 
ing also  extensively  in  real  estate.  He  later  moved  to 
Wisconsin,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  first  saw 
the  light  of  day.  Young  Thompson's  earl}' education 
was  gained  in  the  public  schools  at  Scandinavia,  Wis., 
and  later  he  attended  the  college  at  Decorah,  Iowa, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1878. 

After  leaving  school  he  was  employed  as  a  travel- 
ing salesman  by  a  musical  instrument  house,  and  after 
spending  several  years  on  the  road  representing  differ- 
ent houses  in  that  line  he  located  at  Aurora,  111.,  where 
he  opened  a  music  store.  He  remained  there  for  two 
years,  and  enjoyed  a  good  and  constantly  increasing 
business,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Chicago  in 
order  to  commence  the  manufacture  of  the  drink  known 
as  "Wild  Cherry  Phosphate,"of  which  he  was  the  orig- 
inator. This  was  in  1887,  and  since  that  time  the 
business  has  steadily  grown  until  it  has  assumed  enor- 


mous proportions,  and  the  Thompson  Wild  Cherry 
Phosphate  Manufacturing  Co.  is  known  all  over  the 
United  States  and  Europe,  and  they  have  branch 
offices  in  every  important  city  in  the  country. 

On  the  7th  da}'  of  July,  1885,  Mr.  Thompson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Rose  E.  Johnson,  at  Floyd, 
Iowa,  a  highly  educated  and  accomplished  lady  who 
has  presented  him  with  one  child,  a  daughter. 

In  appearance  Mr.  Thompson  looks  the  well-to  do 
business  man  that  he  is,  and  easily  takes  a  leading  rank 
among  the  leading  men  of  Chicago.  In  manner  he  is 
genial  and  pleasant,  and  is  exceedingly  popular  with  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 

He  has  one  natural  gift,  for  the  possession  of  which 
many  would  make  almost  any  sacrifice,  viz.,  the  gift  of 
a  natural  musician,  for  he  finds  but  little  difficulty  in 
mastering  any  instrument  designed  to  make  music. 
This  talent  was  alike  valuable  to  himself  and  his 
employers  while  he  was  engaged  in  the  music  trade,  but 
since  entering  upon  his  present  line  of  business  it  has 
been  of  little  use  to  him,  though  it  frequently  proves 
an  infallable  means  by  which  his  friends  are  delighted 
and  his  own  fine  musical  taste  gratified. 


£/ 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Abel,  Jonathan 683 

Ackerman,  William  K 263 

Adams,  Dr.  Charles 55 

Aldricb,  Hon.  Charles  H 532 

Aldrich,  Hon.  James  F 279 

Altgeld,  Hon.  John  P 639 

Anderson,  Franklin  8 700 

Anderson,  Jatnes  C 684 

Anderson,  John 14 

Angell ,  James  B 14 

Antisdel,  Albert 687 

Armour,  Philip  D 202 

Arnold,  Walter  C 15 

Avery,  Daniel  J 251 

Ayer,  Benjamin  F 250 

Babcock,  Dr.  Elmer  E .-. 39 

Bacheldor,  Edward  A 313 

Bailey,  Hon.  Joseph  M 15 

Harbour,  Hon.  George  H : 83 

Barrett,  Elmer  E -358 

Barrett,  John  B . .  245 

Bass,  Hon.  George 704 

Bay,  George  P 52 

Beebe,  Dr.  Curtis  M 708 

Beniis.H.V 240 

Best,  William 209 

Bettman,  Dr.  Boerne 13 

Billings,  Cornelius  K.  G 62 

Bissell,  George  F 245 

Blackstone,  Timothy  B 431 

Blatchford,  E.  W 361 

Blodgett,  Delos  A 16 

Bond.  Joseph 89 

Bond,  Lester  L 48 

Boyles,  Charles  C 715 

Brenan,  Thomas 51 

Brooks,  Jr.,  Jonathan  W 250 

Brophy,  Dr.  Truman  W %. 559 

Browne,  Hon.  J.  J 19 

Brown,  Dr.  Moreau  R 444 

Bruni,  Louis 74 

Bryan,  Thomas  B 27 

Buck,  Dr.  James  P 444 

Buecking,  Dr.  Edward  F 676 

Buehler,  John 56 

Buffum,  Dr.  Joseph  H 311 

Burdiok,  Hon.  Theodore  W 69 

Burgett,  John  M.  H 535 

Burnham,  Daniel  H 55 

Burton,  Francis  L 388 

Byford,  Dr.  Henry  T 60 

Cable,  Herman  D 20 

Cahill,  Edward  T 480 

Camp,  Isaac  N 189 

Campbell,  Wallace 59 

Campbell,  Hon.  William  J , 535 

Cary,  Judge  Eugene 715 


Page. 

Cary,  Dr.  Frank 707 

Case,  Theodore  G ..419 

Cass,  Joseph  F 43 

Catlin,  Seth 716 

Chaiser,  Andrew •• 273 

Chalmers,  William  J 411 

Chamberlin,  Humphrey  B 43 

Clarke,  Jr.,  John  V 44 

Clarke,  Rev.  William  G 324 

Coale,  Ailee  V 476 

Cobb,  Henry  Ives 435 

Cobb,  Silas  B 341 

Coburn,  Lewis  L 331 

Cochran,  John  L 436 

Coe,  Albert  L 32 

Colby,  Col.  Francis  T 40 

'Coleman,  Dr.  W.  Franklin 47 

Comstock,  Hon.  John 66 

Cooper,  Andrew  J 31 

Coram,  Joseph  A 28 

Craig,  Charles  P 24 

Crawford,  O.  W 35 

Cudahy,  John 36 

Cudahy,  Michael 483 

Dabbs,  Josiah  L 74 

Dandy,  John  M 664 

Davidson,  John  P 73 

Davis,  Hon.  George  R 487 

Davis,  Dr.  Nathan  S  109 

Dean,  Joseph 70 

Deering,  William 154 

Dewey,  David  B 479 

Dickinson,  Albert  F  76 

Dickinson,  Albert (Plate  p.  138) 103 

Dickinson,  Charles 138 

Dickinson,  Col.  John  T 320 

Dickinson,  Nathan (Plate  p.  138) 94 

Doane,  John  W 205 

Dolese,  John  475 

Doolittle,  Hon.  James  R 80 

Drake,  Gen.  Francis  M 62 

Drake,  John  A 95 

Dreyer,  Edward  S 100 

Dunn,  Dr.  Wesley  A 579 

Dunning,  Andrew 711 

Earle,  Dr.  Charles  Warrington 357 

Eberhart,  John  F '. 400 

Elliott,  William  S.,  Jr 544 

Ellsworth,  Eugene  S 132 

Ennis,  Hon.  Alfred 283 

Etheridge,  Dr.  James  H 372 

Everingham,  Lyman 183 

Exall,  Henry.... 555 

Fairbank,  Nathaniel  K 387 

Fallows,  Bishop  Samuel 203 

Fargo,  Charles  H 110 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Farnum,  Dr.  Edward  J 691 

Farrell,  Felix  G 528 

Feehan,  Archbishop,  Patrick  A 233 

Ferguson,  Charles  H 265 

Ferris,  George  W.  G 602 

Field,  Marshall 185 

Fisher,  HOD.  D.  0 270 

Fisk,  Dr.   Franklin  W 408 

Flandrau,  Han.  Charles  E 210 

Flower,  James  M 404 

Forrest,  William   S 246 

Forsyth,  Jacob 290 

Foss,  James  F.  R 592 

Fortner,  Dr.  Elbert  C 667 

Fnimbach,  Col.  H.  A 201 

Freshwaters,  Milton  R 601 

Fry,  Edwin  J 500 

Fullerton,  Alexander  N 187 

Gage,  Albert  8 i 235 

Gage,  Frank  N 284 

Gage.  Lymau  J 7 

Garretson,  A.   S 524 

Gates,  John  W 595 

Gilo,  Abner 700 

Oilman,  Dr.  John  E 150 

Gobel,  Elias  F 242 

Gore,  Dr.  Joel  R 672 

Gossage,  Charles 711 

Goudy,  Hon.  William  C 591 

Gray,  Prof.  Elisha 116 

Gray,  William  H 206' 

Greene,  Dr.  Frank  C 443 

Gribble,  Risdon  D 539 

Griffiths,  John 252 

Grisvvold,  Edward  P 428 

Gross,  Samuel  E 10 

Grosvenor,  Dr.  Lemuel  C 112 

Gunther,  Charles  F 90 

Guthrie,  John  W 260 

Hagestead,  II.  M 625 

Hair,  Benjamin  M 427 

Hale,  Dr.  Edwin  M 141 

Halligan,  Jewell  N 472 

Hamill,  Charles  D 196 

Hamilton,  David  G 166 

Hamilton,  William  A 391 

Hanoa,  John  R 584 

Harbeck,  Eugene 464 

Harris,  Samuel  A 652 

Harrison,  Hugh  G 636 

Harrison,  Matthew  B 614 

Harrison,  Thomas  A 679 

Harsh,  James  B 231 

Harsha,  Dr.  William  M 155 

Harvey,  Turlington  W % 312 

Henderson,  Charles  M 136 

Henn^in,  Charles 153 

llenroun,  Dr.  Fernsind 407 

Herrlck,  JoS'n  J". 6?8 

Herrick,  Roswell  Z 120 

Hesing,  Hon.  Washington 459 

Ilibbard,  Hon.  Homer  N .' 720 

Higinbotham,  Harlow  N 225 

Higgins,  Hon.  Van  H  .His 567 

Hill,  Henry 626 

Hill,  Hon.  Lysandi-r 432 

Hills,  John  N 334 

Hilliard,  Laurin  P 165 

Hixon,  Gideon  C 660 

Hocker,  Richard  W 663 

Holdom,  Jesse 495 

Hollister,  Harvey  J 692 


Page. 

Holmes,  Dr.  £<1ward  L 427 

Horton,  Hon.  Oliver  H 523 

Hotz,  Dr.  Ferdinand  C. 264 

Houston,  Capt.  B.  F 537 

Hovey,  Hon.  A.  G 613 

Hoyt,  Frederick  W 605 

Humphreys,  Albert  E 496 

Hurci,  Hon.  Harvey  B 143 

Hurlbut,  Dr.  Vincent  L 216 

Hutchinson,  Charles  L 131 


Ingalls,  Dr.  E.  Fletcher. 


293 


Janzen,  John 602 

Jay,  Dr.  Milton 289 

Jenkins,  Robert  E 583 

Johnson,  C.  Porter 508 

Johnston,  John 276 

Jones,  Dr.  Samuel  J ]  93 

Joslyn,  Rodolphus  Waite 327 

Joy,  William  L 543 

Judson,  Charles  E ]28 

Kerr.  Hon.  William  R 199 

Keilh,  Elbridge  G 353 

Kimbark,  Seneca  D 79 

King,  Henry  W 95 

Kingman,  Martin 671 

Kirk,  John  B '. 633 

Kistler,  Louis 431 

Lacey,  Hon.  Edward  S 239 

Lake,  Richard  C 200 

Lawrence,  Edward  F 304 

Lawrence,  Hon.  William 369 

Lay,  Albert  Tracey 241 

Leech,  Dr.  Monroe  S 361 

Leiter,  Levi  Z 375 

Leland,  Warren  F 349 

Lobdell,  Edwin  L 288 

Logan,  Frank  G 328 

Loose,  Jacob  L 294 

Low,  Dr.  James  E 556 

Lowdon,  James  G 527 

Lud'am,  Dr.  Reuben 266 

Lyman,  Hon.  David  B 488 

.  Lyman,  Dr.  Henry  M    373 

McAndrews,  William  H 216 

McCormick,  Cyrus  H 96 

McHenry,  W.  A 552 

McKee,  John  E 391 

McWilliams,  Dr.  Samuel  A 104 

Mallory,  Hon.  Smith  II 848 

Mason,   Hon.    William  E 106 

Maspero,  Henry 539 

Mathis,  ThomasH 512 

Meacham,  Andrew  J 617 

Mead,  Aaron  B.. 345 

Meagher,  John  F 606 

Medill,  Hon.  Joseph 275 

Merriam,  Hon.  William  R 84 

Merrill,  William  F 137 

Merrill,  Alfred 656 

Merritt,  Andrus  R '. .  588 

Merritt,  Cassius  C 492 

Merritt,  Leonidas 610 

Merritt,  Lewis  J  220 

Merrill,  Napoleon  B     632 

Miller,  John  S 420 

Millican,  Dr.  II.  Barrie 618 

Mitchell,  Dr.  Clifford 467 

Mitchell,  John  J  179 

Mitchell,  Philemon  L 544 

Montgomery,  Dr.  Listen  H 121 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Moore,  Dr.  Daniel  G 676 

Morgan,  Frank  M 468 

Moss,  Albert  B 503 

M  .ulton,  Col.  George  M 274 

Murphy,  Dr.  John  B 415 

Murray,  William  T 520 

Newman,  Dr.  Henry  P 423 

Nickerson,  Samuel  M 332 

Odell,  John  J.  P  383 

Ostrancler,  Dempster 190 

Owen,  Robert  L 503 

Owens,  Dr.  John  E 188 

Ovvings,  Francis  P 181 

Palmer,  Potter 180 

Pdlmsr,  Hon.  Thomas  W 491 

Payne.  Hon.  John  B 379 

Peaisons,  Dr.  Daniel  K 147 

Peck,  Ferdinand 146 

Perkins,  Hon.  George  C 587 

Perry,  Isaac  N 696 

Peterson,  Andrew '. 280 

Pettibone,  Philo  F 164 

Pillsbury,  Hon.  George  A 160 

Piper,  Frederick  A 568 

Pollasky,  Marcus 668 

Porter,  Frederick  C 680 

Porter,  Washington 156 

Pratt,  Dr.  Edwin  H 504 

Pullman,  George  M 317 

Putnam,  G.  F 564 

Putnam,  Henry  C 659 

Quick,  John  H.  S 135 

Quine,  Dr.  William  E 139 

Raum,  Gen.  Green  B 168 

Redfield,  Chandler  S 395 

Reinhart,  Joseph  W 440 

Rend,  Col.  William   P  229 

Rhodes,  J.   Foster 338 

Risser,  Abraham  F 376 

Robinson,  Harry  P 350 

Roe,  Gilbert   W • 640 

Rosenbaum,  Morris ', 256 

Rothschild,  Abram  M 323 

Rothschild,  Emanuel 399 

Rowe,  Dr.  N 294 

Rumsey,  Capt.  Israel  P 1 174 

Russell,  Richard  C 337 

Rutherford,  Dr.  Clarendon 635 

Scanlan,  Kickham   708 

Schmitt,  Anthony 298 

Schneider,  George 236 

Schoch,  Hon.  Albert  F 531 

Schoeninger,   Adolph 484 

Schwabacher,  Julius  540 

Schwabacher,  Morris 346 

Seebcrger,  Anthony  F 463 

Seegar,  William  H 625 

Sempill,  Walter  M 524 

Senn,  Dr.  Nicholas 333 

Sexton,  Col.  James  A 621 

Seymour,  Hon.  Henry  W 551 

Shepard,  Jason  H 440 

Sherman,  Elijah  B 362 

Shouts,  Theodore  P 342 

Shugart,  Dr.  John  D 412 

Shuman,  Percy  L 384 

Simpson,  S.  P 543 

Slocum,  Dr.  Charles  E 297 


Page 

Smith,  Judge  Abner 453 

Smith,  Dunlap 530 

Smith,  Frank  J 307 

Smith,  George  T 319 

Smith,  Samuel  R 511 

Smith,  Dr.  William  R 576 

Snyder,  Robert  M 276 

Sponable,  Hon.  John  W .- 609 

Spray,  Dr.  John  C 416 

St.  John,  Everette 471 

Staples,  Isaac  618 

Stearns,  Dr.  William  M 699 

Steele,  Dr.  D.  A.  K 424 

Stensland,  Paul  0 380 

Stephens,  Hon.  Lon.  V 572 

Stobo,  Robert 439 

Stone,  Augustus  L 226 

Stone,  Thomas  J 396 

Streeter,  Dr.  John  W 448 

Stuart,  Robert 435 

Su'herland,  William  J 392 

Swain,  Dr.  Edgar  D 301 

Tarbell,  Gage  E 1P6 

Tuscher,  Dr.  John 613 

Taylor,  H.  C.  Chatfleld 219 

Thomas,  Benjamin 350 

Thomasson,  Nelson 460 

Thompson,  Amund  G " 720 

Thompson,  Andrew  L 712 

Thompson,  Dr.  Jay  J 655 

Tobey,  Frank  B 259 

Torrence,  Gen.  Joseph  T 223 

Traiopr,  John  C 354 

Trott,  Dr.  Dudley  C 675 

Truax,  Charles 302 

Turner,  Col.  Henry  L 719 

Upton.  George  P. 289 

Van  Allen,  Martin 456 

Van  Slyke,  Napoleon  B 138 

Van  Steenwyk,  Gen.  Gysbeit 644 

Vocke,  Hon.  William 308 

Wacker,  Charles  H 324 

Walker,  Edwin 195 

Walker,  Francis  W 499 

Walker,  Thomas  B 516 

Walsh,  John  R 270 

Ward,  Albert  L 366 

Ware,  Dr.  Lyman 269 

Weadock,   Hon.  Thomas  A.  E 631 

Welch,  Dr.  Patrick  H : 399 

Wetherell,  Oscar  D 303 

Wheeler,  D.  L  320 

Wheeler,  Francis  T 308 

Wheeler,  Geo.  H 451 

Wheelock,  Hon.  William  W 536 

White,  Alfred  S 704 

Widney,  Hon.  Robert  M 596 

Willard,  Alonzo  J 455 

Willard,  John  A 314 

Williams,  Abram 287 

Williams,  Hon.  Charles  B 387 

Willing,  Henry  J 412 

Wilson, JohnP 703 

Winants,  William  H 571 

Wolfe,  Hon.  Thomas 273 

Wolff,  Ludwig 447 

Woodbury,  Gen.  Roger  W 255 

Yerkes,  Charles  T 560 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


